Jonathan Wells

Background

About Jonathan Wells

As counsel at KMCL Law, I focus on environmental regulatory and energy law, bringing almost 25 years of litigation and transactional experience to solving complex environmental challenges. My approach combines zealous representation with creative problem-solving for clients including renewable energy providers, electric utilities, manufacturers, real estate developers, landfill owners, and local governments. In the energy sector, I've successfully obtained permitting and local zoning approvals for over 1 gigawatt of solar energy projects in Georgia over the past decade. I've represented electrical utilities in acquiring existing generating assets and financing landmark projects like the first new nuclear units in the United States in over thirty years. My real estate development work includes serving as lead environmental lawyer for the $1 billion redevelopment of Atlanta's "Gulch" area into Centennial Yards. I regularly guide mixed-use developers in utilizing Brownfields statutes throughout the Southeast to transform contaminated properties into valuable assets. My regulatory and litigation practice encompasses defending clients in federal and state civil and criminal enforcement proceedings, providing compliance counseling, managing hazardous site cleanups, and handling toxic tort litigation. My experience spans virtually every federal environmental statute – from RCRA, CERCLA, and the Clean Water Act, to the Clean Air Act and state regulatory frameworks. Before joining KMCL, I was a partner at Alston & Bird and began my legal career clerking for Judge Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. I've served as Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and am a 10-year veteran of the board of Rivers Alive, Georgia's annual statewide water cleanup initiative. I earned my J.D. from Emory University and my B.A. from Northwestern University. My work has been recognized by both Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America® for excellence in environmental law and litigation since 2016.