Jennie Morawetz
Overview
She is fabulous at risk management, highly intelligent, and willing to think creatively. - Chambers USA
Jennie Morawetz is the strategy and operations partner for Kirkland’s ESG & Impact practice, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the practice to ensure it delivers on its promise of integrating cutting-edge legal counseling on ESG & impact into Kirkland’s top-tier transactional and litigation practices. Her responsibilities include tracking ESG market, legal, and regulatory trends (including leveraging data generated by Kirkland’s transactional practice), training, substantive client outreach on emerging legal and compliance issues, and development of innovative legal service offerings. Jennie also provides legal advice to clients on complex ESG and climate issues at all stages of the investment and operational life cycles. Clients value Jennie for her attention to detail, thoroughness, and ability to understand and clearly explain complex issues in a “big picture” way, while offering practical solutions that align with their business goals.
Prior to assuming her current role, Jennie was a partner in Kirkland’s Environmental practice, where she counseled clients in all areas of environmental law across a range of industries. She has provided environmental counseling to private equity and public company clients in hundreds of corporate transactions, worked with clients to identify and evaluate pending and proposed environmental regulatory changes that could impact their business decisions, helped clients assess and address potential environmental liability, including in connection with crisis events, and negotiated a number of complex environmental insurance policies. She has also developed approaches for integrating evaluation of climate change risk into the environmental due diligence process, particularly for transactions focused on energy and infrastructure assets, and is a thought leader on this topic as well as other ESG and environmental topics.
Prior to starting her career at Kirkland in 2015, Jennie served as a law clerk to the Hon. Sharon L. Gleason on the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska and the Hon. Morgan B. Christen on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. At Kirkland, in addition to her ESG & Impact and Environmental practices, Jennie has represented individuals in immigration, habeas, and veteran’s benefit proceedings and assisted NGOs with conservation efforts on the East Coast, in the Rocky Mountain West, and in Alaska.
Experience
Representative Matters
Provided environmental counseling in connection with the following transactions:
- Madison Dearborn Partners in its acquisition of IPL Plastics, Inc., a manufacturer of injection-molded plastic products for the food and bulk packaging, environmental, and material handling sectors.
- Transportation Infrastructure Partners LLC, a joint venture between Savage Enterprises, LLC and Ridgewood Infrastructure LLC focused on transportation and logistics infrastructure, in its acquisition of Carolina Marine Terminal.
- JPMorgan Funds Limited and JPMorgan Investment Management - Infrastructure Investment Group in its acquisition of Contanda, a provider of bulk liquid storage and logistics services.
- American Securities in its acquisition of Prince International, a manufacturer of specialty mineral additives and inorganic chemicals.
- Arclight Capital Partners in its joint acquisition, with BP Products North America, of Thorntons, an owner and operator of retail gas stations and convenience stores.
- The Jordan Company in its acquisition of Sabre Industries, a manufacturer of products for the utility and telecom markets.
- Arsenal Capital Partners in its acquisition and sale of PolyOne Designed Structure and Solutions (now known as Spartech), a manufacturer of plastic sheet and packaging solutions.
- Gryphon Investors in its acquisition of Wind River Environmental, a provider of non-hazardous liquid waste management solutions.
- Amplify Energy in its merger with Midstates Petroleum, which created an oil and gas company with a $729 million enterprise value.
- Danaher Corporation in its $4 billion acquisition of Cepheid, a molecular diagnostics company.
Counseled an infrastructure investment manager with respect to ESG matters in connection with fundraising activities and its launch of a new responsible investment initiative.
Conducted ESG due diligence of a large, publicly-traded upstream oil and gas company, including evaluating physical and transition risks from climate change.
Counseled a private equity client on working with its portfolio company to develop short-term response and long-term mitigation strategies for a pipeline spill.
Counseled a real estate company on the emergency response to a release resulting from demolition activities, including coordinating environmental sampling, reviewing communications with government agencies and the public, and assisting with insurance, indemnification, and litigation matters.
Served as co-counsel to a publicly traded company in connection with a CERCLA matter involving governmental and private parties.
On behalf of a private equity client, managed teams of experts to conduct analyses of environmental regulatory trends, litigation trends, and permitting considerations that could impact potential investment targets.
Advised a privately held company on real estate sales, cleanups being conducted by third parties at company sites, environmental compliance matters, and an environmental indemnity claim.
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkHonorable Morgan B. ChristenUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit2014–2015
Law ClerkHonorable Sharon L. GleasonUnited States District Court for the District of Alaska2013–2014
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
"EU Climate Action: Imminent Introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism," Kirkland Alert, May 1, 2023
"California Climate Disclosure Bills Would Have Far-Reaching Implications for Companies Doing Business in the State," Kirkland Alert, April 14, 2023
"Voluntary Carbon Market Standard-Setter Issues 'Core Carbon Principles'," Kirkland Alert, March 30, 2023
"U.N. Biodiversity Conference Signals Growing Emphasis on Private Sector Action on Nature Conservation and Restoration in 2023," Kirkland Alert, January 19, 2023
"SEC Continues Enforcement Scrutiny of ESG Claims by Investment Advisers," Kirkland AIM, December 12, 2022
"COP27 Highlights Climate Opportunities and Risks for the Private Sector," Kirkland Alert, December 7, 2022
"DOL Final Regulation Eases Path for ERISA Fiduciaries to Consider ESG Factors When Selecting Investments," Kirkland Alert, November 30, 2022
"Release of Draft Carbon Credit Principles Underscores Importance of Integrity to Voluntary Carbon Market Ambitions," Kirkland Alert, August 8, 2022
"Manchin-Schumer Inflation Reduction Act: Proposed Environmental and Climate Policy Initiatives," Kirkland Alert, August 4, 2022
"Enhanced Disclosure Requirements and Potential Multi‑Jurisdictional Considerations Raised by the SEC’s Proposed ESG Rule," Private Equity Law Report, August 2, 2022
"The Major Questions Doctrine Reigns Supreme in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency — Implications for Climate Policy and Impact Investing," Kirkland Alert, July 6, 2022
"SEC Proposes Enhanced Disclosure by Certain Advisers on ESG Investment Practices," Kirkland AIM, June 3, 2022
"SEC Proposes Pair of Long-Awaited ESG Rules; Non-ESG Funds Swept Up as Well," Kirkland Alert, June 3, 2022
"New Framework Announced for Assessing and Reporting Nature-Related Financial Risks," Kirkland Energy & Infrastructure Blog, May 11, 2022
"ISSB’s Proposed Framework Seeks to Unify Global Sustainability Disclosure Standards," Kirkland Alert, May 11, 2022
"SEC Proposes New Climate Disclosure Requirements," Kirkland Alert, March 24, 2022
“Directors and Executives Position Themselves to Lead on Climate,” Kirkland Energy & Infrastructure Blog, March 16, 2022
“European Commission Publishes Proposed Law Requiring Value Chain Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence,” Kirkland Alert, March 7, 2022
“EU Financial Markets Watchdog Promises Action on Greenwashing,” Kirkland Alert, February 22, 2022
“Increasing Focus on Biodiversity-Related Financial Risk Presents New Challenges and Opportunities in Energy and Infrastructure,” Pratt’s Energy Law Report Vol. 22-2, February 2022
“COP26 and the Role of Private Capital,” Kirkland Alert, November 23, 2021
“TCFD Issues New Guidance as Its Climate Reporting Framework Continues to Gain Traction,” Kirkland Alert, November 10, 2021
“Preparing for Potential Updates to Human Capital Management & Board Diversity Disclosure Requirements,” Kirkland Alert, October 1, 2021
“The SEC’s Recent and Planned Activity on Climate Change Disclosures: What Companies Can Do To Prepare,” Kirkland Alert, October 1, 2021
“Financing for the Future: Surging Sustainable Finance Market Presents Challenges, Opportunities,” Kirkland Alert, August 16, 2021
“EU and UK Regulatory Update for Fund Managers,” Kirkland Alert, July 19, 2021
“Surging Sustainable Finance Market Presents Opportunities for Energy and Infrastructure,” Kirkland Energy & Infrastructure Blog, May 24, 2021
“Risk Alert: SEC’s Examination Division Issues ESG Risk Alert for Investment Advisers,” Kirkland AIM, April 19, 2021
“Improving Climate Governance Under the Biden Administration,” Corporate Secretary, March 23, 2021
"Enforcement Task Force Announcement is Latest Sign of SEC Focus on ESG and Climate," Kirkland Alert, March 8. 2021
"Expected ESG and Climate Regulation Impacting Private Equity Under the Biden Administration," Kirkland Alert, February 16, 2021
"Pathways to Implement Biden’s Climate Change Policy," Bloomberg Law Environment & Energy Report, December 9, 2020
"Managing PFAS Liability Risk," Kirkland Energy & Infrastructure Blog, August 21, 2020
"Four Key Steps to Assessing and Mitigating Climate Risk," Kirkland Energy & Infrastructure Blog, July 21, 2020
"COVID-19 Offers Force Majeure Lessons For Climate Planning," Law360, July 14, 2020
"Mitigating Climate Risk: Solutions for PE Firms to Develop a Physical Climate Risk Program" (Part Two of Two), Private Equity Law Report, July 14, 2020
"Mitigating Climate Risk: Advantages to PE Firms Pursuing Climate Risk Programs and Pitfalls to Avoid" (Part One of Two), Private Equity Law Report, June 30, 2020
"The Ripple Effect of EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Investments in U.S. Financial Sector," Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, June 26, 2020
"How Cos., Asset Managers Can Plan for Physical Climate Risk," Law360, March 19, 2020
"Bipartisan Senate Energy Legislation Moves Forward," Kirkland Alert, March 9, 2020
"Managing ESG Consultants In Private Equity Transactions," Law360, June 7, 2019
"Assessment: Chinook, Chum, and Whitefish Ecology in the Yukon River Basin," DukeSpace, Duke University, April 15, 2013
Note, "No Room for Squatters: Alaska’s Adverse Possession Law," 28 Alaska Law Review 341, 2011
Speaking Engagements
Panelist, "ESG Regulations: Challenges and Opportunities," Preqin Webinar, May 18, 2022
Speaker, Diligent Climate Leadership Certificate Program, Spring 2022
Moderator, “Impact Panel,” Wharton Women in Investing Inaugural Conference, February 11, 2022
Moderator, “ESG and Climate Disclosures: Latest Developments,” ALI-ELI Environmental Law 2022 Virtual Conference, February 10, 2022
Recognition
Recognized by Chambers & Partners USA for Environment: Mainly Transactional, 2020–2022
Recognized by The Legal 500 United States for Environment: Transactional, 2019–2021
Kirkland & Ellis Pro Bono Service Award, 2015–2020
Memberships & Affiliations
Member, Environmental Law Institute
Member, Environmental/Natural Resources Section, Alaska Bar Association
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2016District of Columbia
- 2013Alaska
Courts
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Alaska
Education
- Duke University School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude2013Editor-in-Chief, Alaska Law Review
- Duke Graduate SchoolM.E.M. (Master of Environmental Management)2013
- Stanford UniversityB.S., Earth Systems; Japanese Language Minor2007
Scholar-Athlete Award (Varsity Lightweight Women’s Rowing)