Paul Nyffeler, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Photo

Paul T. Nyffeler, PhD

Senior Attorney

Overview

Paul counsels clients on the impact of environmental law and policy, applying his in-depth knowledge as a PhD chemist to legal issues. Paul is an environmental law practitioner with more than 15 years of experience providing clients with regulatory counseling, compliance advice, and first-chair environmental and tort litigation counsel at both the trial and appellate levels.

Paul maintains an interdisciplinary practice focused on chemical regulation and compliance, hazardous waste laws, and water quality, groundwater, and drinking water. He is knowledgeable of the underlying technical frameworks used by state and federal agencies in the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), among others.

As a PhD chemist, Paul has a deep scientific understanding of the chemicals subject to regulations and compliance programs, with robust experience in unregulated contaminants, new chemicals, existing chemicals (including Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)), hazardous air pollutants, and biotechnology. Working with the Office of Drinking Water in the Virginia Department of Health, Paul served on the Health & Toxicology and Policy & Regulations Subgroups of the Virginia PFAS Workgroup in a program to investigate state drinking water primary maximum contaminant levels for PFOA and PFOS. He has also actively researched and developed technology related to PFAS removal in wastewater and PFAS synthesis in the context of manufactured materials.

With additional experience in multiparty CERCLA litigation, Paul also advises clients in defense of liability related to site contamination by hazardous substances, including riparian PCB contamination. He provides counsel on evolving legal issues and potential liability exposure associated with the management and disposal of emerging contaminants that are the subject of increasing state and federal regulatory actions under cleanup laws.

Paul is a thought leader on chemical regulation, regularly speaking at industry conferences to provide insight on unregulated contaminants and chemical regulatory and legislative updates.

Insights

Blog Posts

News

Education

JD, University of Richmond School of Law, 2008

PhD, Organic Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 2004

BA, Carleton College, 1999

Admissions

California

District of Columbia

North Carolina

US Patent and Trademark Office

Virginia

Courts

Supreme Court of the United States

US Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

US Court of Federal Claims

US District Court, District of Columbia

US District Court, Western District of Michigan

US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

US District Court, Western District of Virginia

Jump to Page