Kimberly L. Bick

Kimberly Bick is an environmental attorney in Irell & Manella's Newport Beach office where she is a member of the firm's litigation practice group, as well as the corporate and real estate transactions practice groups. 

Ms. Bick advises on environmental compliance issues and audits, and provides legal advice on due diligence and allocation of risks in real estate and corporate transactions.  Ms. Bick specializes in advising on Global Reporting Initiative programs and other environmental and social responsibility (ESR) issues, such as responsible sourcing, supply chain transparency, and responsible manufacturing.  She also advises regarding pending shareholder proposals on ESR issues and helps prepare for and defend clients in shareholder litigation over ESR issues.

Ms. Bick has extensive experience in complex environmental litigation, including: cost recovery actions under CERCLA, RCRA, and the state equivalents; defense of agency enforcement actions; mass and toxic tort defense; and CEQA, NEPA and ESA Litigation.  She also has experience in all aspects of environmental regulatory matters including air, water, hazardous waste, and transportation of hazardous substances.

Specifically, Ms. Bick:

• Has managed the defense of a multi-party toxic tort case involving pesticide manufacturing in California;
• Was a lead lawyer responsible for expert witness testimony on a “contaminated community” toxic tort case in Federal District court involving allegations of exposure to hexavalent chromium, PCE and TCE in air and groundwater;
• Assisted on a mass toxic tort claim filed in California state court involving more than 3,800 plaintiffs alleging personal injury and property damage for releases of solvents and metals from an aircraft manufacturing facility;
• Assisted in the defense of a multi-party toxic tort case in California state court involving personal injury and property damage for releases of TCE and perchlorate from a variety of alleged sources within a federal Superfund site;
• Assisted in the defense of an aerospace manufacturing client in a multi-million dollar state claim in California involving groundwater contamination;
• Defended a geothermal energy client in California involving allegations of civil and criminal violations of hazardous waste law;
• Defended clients across a wide range of industries in California Proposition 65 actions;
• Defended a pulp and paper manufacturer in a CWA enforcement matter;
• Defended a major utility company in an EPA enforcement action and remediation of an area of the Hudson River;
• Defended an ordinance manufacturing company in California in a DTSC RCRA corrective action case;
• Defended various manufacturing clients in California in enforcement matters initiated by RWQCB;
• Represented numerous clients vis-à-vis the US EPA and California DTSC in CERCLA cleanup enforcement matters.

In addition to her practice, Ms. Bick currently serves on Stanford Law School's Board of Visitors which plays an important role in helping the dean of the law school respond to particular challenges facing legal education. Ms. Bick is also a frequent author and speaker on various topics relating to the law. Recent publications and presentations include:

• "A Breakdown Of Safer Consumer Products Act," Law360 (February 2013) (subscription required)
• "'Discharge' Clarified by US High Court in Flood District Case," Los Angeles Daily Journal (January 2013) (subscription required)
• "More Green Chemistry Regulations For Calif.," Law360 (January 2013) (subscription required)
• "Calif.'s Cap-And-Trade Program And Its Impact," Law360 (November 2012) (subscription required)
• “Upholding CWA Negligence Standard in the Fifth Circuit,” Law360 (May 2012) (subscription required)
• "Will the EPA Change its Ways?" Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 2012) (subscription required)
• "Moving Toward Supply Chain Transparency," Law360 (September 2011)
• "Supply Chain Transparency," Presenter, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce/Southern California Ladies in Corporate Social Responsibility

Ms. Bick earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School, with distinction, where she was a member of the Stanford Law Review.  She earned both her M.S. in Civil Engineering and her B.S. in Environmental Earth Sciences from Stanford University.  Prior to attending law school, Ms. Bick worked in the aerospace industry as an environmental engineer, where she developed and implemented facility compliance programs for air, water and hazardous waste, and served on the Operating, Industries, Inc. Superfund Site Technical Committee, and the Stringfellow Superfund Site Steering Committee.  After graduating from Stanford Law School, she clerked for Judge Patricia Wald of the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia.

Bar & Court Admissions

• 1990, California