The POWER List 2022: Jessica Merrigan

Spencer Fane, Kansas City

A Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly Up & Coming award winner from 2012, Jessica Merrigan continues to distinguish herself in the practice of law.

A one-time vice-chair of the KCMBA Environmental Committee, she was also a member of the organization’s Blue-Ribbon Panel on Civility in Legal Practice. She has also been active with the Missouri Waste Control Coalition, the Association of Women Lawyers and the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. Recognized as a fellow in the American College of Environmental Lawyers, the 2003 Washington University graduate is a sought-after speaker on topics from environmental justice to emerging contaminants to Superfund reform efforts. She currently co-chairs her firm’s Environment and Energy Practice Group.

Among her specialities, Merrigan reviews environmental assessments and evaluates liabilities related to Brownfields assistance programs. Various matters have seen her negotiating a consent decree with the Justice Department, guiding a client’s multi-state air permitting strategies or obtaining summary judgment to defeat a third-party challenge to an enterprise’s Clean Water Act permit.

“In addition, she works with clients to transfer and maintain permits through the completion of appropriate plans and applications and coordination with responsible agencies,” said her firm bio. “Her experience has included national, regional and local projects ranging from single-site sales to transactions involving hundreds of millions and up to $2 billion in assets.”