Alex P.

Prochaska

Position: Special Counsel
Office: Lafayette

Alex Prochaska is special counsel in the Corporate and Litigation practice groups, where he focuses his practice on environmental law.

Alex defends clients in enforcement actions brought by state and federal agencies alleging violations of environmental statutes, regulations, and permit conditions governing air, water, and solid and hazardous waste, as well as related remediation activities. A member of the firm’s energy, environmental and natural resources industry team, he provides guidance on unauthorized discharge notifications and assists clients in navigating the permit application and approval process, including providing advice regarding environmental public interest reviews.

On the transaction side, Alex advises buyers and sellers of industrial facilities and commercial real estate regarding environmental due diligence and pre- and post-closing remediation activities, and provides guidance on indemnifications, releases, and representations and warranties provisions in purchase agreements.

Alex has excelled in counseling small to large non-industrial clients such as local governments, food and beverage establishments, and hospitals in environmental and enforcement and permitting actions where there are no dedicated, in-house environmental personnel.

Alex’s regulatory experience at both EPA and LDEQ gives him first-hand knowledge of the decision-making process of environmental regulatory agencies. This experience allows him to accurately advise firm clients as to the appropriateness of information submitted to the agencies and the proper timing and presentation of such information.

Prior to joining Jones Walker, Alex spent six years as an attorney with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, with the last two as special counsel to the assistant secretary of the Office of Environmental Services. In this role, he represented LDEQ in dealings with permit applicants and consultants, from the initial pre-permit meetings through other stages of the application review process, decisions, and defense of judicial challenges to LDEQ permit decisions.

Prior to his work at LDEQ, Alex served as a law clerk for the Honorable James P. Doherty, Jr., in the 27th Judicial District Court in Opelousas, Louisiana.