Christopher Norton

Christopher Norton is a partner in the Latham & Watkins Environment, Land & Resources Department and a member of the Mentoring Committee. His legal expertise focuses on environmental and energy, land use and climate change. His experience includes matters involving the Clean Air Act and its state and local counterparts and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental liabilities related to real estate and business transactions, complicated mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private and government-lead contaminated property litigation, advocacy of environmental policy and the siting of new power plants.

Mr. Norton has broad experience in siting energy projects as well as expertise in matters related to the Warren-Alquist Act and the procedures of the California Energy Commission. He also handles administrative, civil and criminal enforcement matters at local, state and federal levels.

Mr. Norton co-authored Chapter II: Air Pollution Control in the Eleventh Edition of the California Environmental Law Handbook. Prior to beginning the practice of law, Mr. Norton served as the Environmental Affairs Manager and Legislative Affairs Manager for the Southern California Gas Company. He also served as a Projects Manager, Air Quality Engineer and Water Systems Engineer. Mr. Norton is the former chair of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association's Southern California Air Quality Alliance. As a leader of this industry coalition, he developed and advocated public policy related to environmental rules and regulations, and participated in the drafting and passage of state environmental legislation.

Mr. Norton's experience includes representing:

Avanir Pharmaceuticals in its US$3.5 billion acquisition by Otsuka Pharmaceutical
Realty Income Corporation in its US$3.1 billion acquisition of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
Complete Production Services in its US$6.2 billion merger with Superior Energy Services
Goldman Sachs to secure US$1.46 billion US Department of Energy Loan Guarantee to support the 550-megawatt solar photovoltaic Desert Sunlight Project
Summit Midstream Partners, LLC in its US$590 million acquisition of natural gas midstream assets from Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.
Energy Capital Partners in its US$450 million acquisition of three power plants from BG Group
San Gabriel Power Generation, LLC in the approval of a 656-MW combined cycle power plant at Etiwanda, California
Edison Mission Group in the development of the Walnut Creek
Energy Park near Los Angeles, California