Vinson & Elkins announced March 17 that Jennifer Cornejo has returned to the firm as a Denver-based partner in its environmental practice.
Cornejo counsels private equity clients, financial institutions and public and private companies on environmental liabilities across an array of industries, including all segments of the oil and gas sector, renewable power and fuels, waste management, recycling and disposal, manufacturing and the mining and chemical sectors.
Her experience includes advising clients on the resolution of environmental liabilities identified in the course of transactions, namely corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, capital markets matters, bankruptcies, financing transactions and real estate investments.
Cornejo also counsels clients on matters related to infrastructure development, including environmental permitting issues and compliance with pipeline safety regulations, and she regularly defends and pursues environmental defect and indemnification claims on behalf of her clients.
“Jennifer has phenomenal experience and judgment, having successfully negotiated the environmental terms of hundreds of transactions across a range of industries,” Matt Dobbins, Vinson & Elkins partner and deputy practice leader for the environmental practice, said in a press release. “Best of all, she embodies our culture and client-service ethos and will be a key part of the incredible growth we are experiencing with our Environmental practice and Denver office.”
Cornejo rejoins Vinson & Elkins from Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner in that firm’s global environmental practice group.
“Having started my career at Vinson & Elkins and experiencing firsthand the firm’s friendly and collaborative culture, I am thrilled to return and practice alongside exceptional attorneys (and friends) to deliver outstanding client service,” Cornejo said in a press release. “I look forward to helping build our Denver presence and upholding the firm’s commitment to excellence in advising industry-leading clients spanning diverse markets and sectors.”
Cornejo earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. Before law school, she was an environmental consultant, focusing primarily on National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act compliance issues.