Fisher

In a professional career spanning both the private and public sectors, Trudy Fisher has a proven record in the successful navigation of complex regulatory structures.  Fisher brings a pragmatic and proactive approach to issues relating to environmental permitting, compliance, and enforcement.  Considered by her peers “at the top level in terms of expertise”, (Chambers, 2016), Fisher approaches every client’s needs with the goal of aligning the law with the fundamental needs of the client in a cost effective way.

• Environmental
• Economic Development
• Disaster Assistance
• Catastrophic Events & Major Claims
• Environmental Counseling
• Environmental Litigation

Energy

Trudy D. Fisher is a member of the Regulatory & Government Relations Team. Trudy’s primary focus throughout her career has been environmental law; a career which extends across private practice, service as Mississippi’s chief environmental regulator, and as General Counsel to Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

As Executive Director of MDEQ from 2007 to June 30, 2014, Trudy led an agency of over 400 professionals and support staff in the wake of two of the southeast region’s most devastating disasters – Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. With MDEQ in a lead role in both disasters, Trudy forged strong relationships with numerous federal and state agencies, local, state and federal officials, non-profit organizations, and the public.

In November 2014, Trudy returned to private practice at Butler Snow, where she maintains a broad environmental regulatory and litigation practice as well as a governmental practice. She uses her skills and experiences to create synergistic partnerships with a wide array of stakeholders to identify, evaluate, problem solve and implement solutions that are designed to produce the greatest measurable results.

She is adept at understanding and navigating regulatory and compliance structures in a way that promotes project momentum and buy-in. She maintains and utilizes key relationships, which she uses to represent private, public, and non-profit organizations. Trudy maintains an active alumni membership in the Environmental Council of States, an organization comprised of state and federal environmental officials. She is a recognized authority on emergency response, environmental programs and activities and is a frequent presenter at professional seminars since 2010. She obtained her J.D. from the University of Mississippi and is admitted to the Mississippi Bar and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi.

• Regional experience in guiding clients through complex environmental permitting and compliance matters
• Significant successes in the development and implementation of expedited regulatory processes designed to reduce time and cost of regulatory compliance for private sector industries
• Significant experience in guiding clients through enforcement and litigation proceedings at national, state, and local levels
• Over seven years’ experience as the head of the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, including first responder duty to natural and manmade environmental disasters including Hurricane Katrina and the Deep Water Horizon oil spill
• Service as the designated state Trustee for natural resources under the Oil Pollution Act
• Extensive experience in representing private and public corporations in emergency response activities, including but not limited to service within the federal Incident Command structure and internal investigations
• Substantial experience in the successful negotiation of complex environmental issues involving multiple potential responsible parties at legacy contaminated sites through creative solutions
• Chambers USA, 2016 noted that interviewees acclaimed Trudy as “at the top level” and “one of the finest lawyers you’ll ever find in this area.”

• Martindale-Hubbell®
  • AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
• Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business
  • Environment (Mississippi), 2016-2024
• Best Lawyers in America®
  • Environmental Law, 2003-2025
  • Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law (Jackson), 2018
• Super Lawyers®
  • Environmental, 2006, 2009
• Fellow, American College of Environmental Lawyers
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Fellow, Mississippi Bar Foundation
• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Former Director, 2007-2013
• Mississippi Business Journal, 50 Leading Business Women
• ACT-IAC, Recipient, Excellence in Government Award

• Mississippi, 1985
• U.S. District Courts
• Mississippi: Northern, Southern

• University of Mississippi, J.D., 1985
  • Editor-in-Chief, Mississippi Law Journal
• Mississippi University for Women, B.S., Political Science & Business Administration, 1982

• Environmental Council of the States (ECOS)
• American Bar Association
  • Section on Environment, Energy and Resources
• Mississippi Bar Association
  • Section on Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law
    • Past President
• Mississippi Women Lawyers Association

• Co-Author, “Which Came First, the Standard or the Suit,” IADC, Toxic and Hazardous Substances Litigation Committee Newsletter, April 2020.
• Presenter, "Restoration Planning: Incorporating Community Input," The Fifth Annual Advanced Conference on Natural Resource Damages, Washington, D.C., March 11, 2016.
• Frequent Speaker, “Leadership Lessons Learned and Implemented in Times of Crisis” drawing upon personal experiences from post-Hurricane Katrina, 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2011 Mississippi River Flood and other catastrophic events, 2010-2014.
• Panelist, “Water Management – Why is Water an Issue in a Perceived Water Rich Play?”, Third Annual Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Development Summit, New Orleans, LA, Feb 2015.
• Speaker, “Environmental Updates," American Council of Engineering Companies – Mississippi Chapter, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014.
• Testified before Committee, “Farmers and Fresh Water: Voluntary Conservation to Protect our Land and Waters,” United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Washington, D.C., December 2014.
• Speaker, “Voluntary Ag Practices in the Mississippi Delta Resulting in Nutrient Reduction,” Environmental Council of States, Annual Fall Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 2014.
• Speaker, "USDA/NRCS Leveraging Opportunities for Water Quantity and Water Quality, " Mississippi Delta Council, Stoneville, Mississippi, Summer 2014.
• Panelist, “Oil Pollution Act Update," Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C., January 31, 2013.
• Frequent Speaker, “Overview of RESTORE Act, Oil Pollution Act, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation," 2012- 2014.
• Testified before Committee , “ Revisiting the RESTORE Act: Progress and Challenges in Gulf Restoration Post-Deepwater Horizon," United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Washington, D.C., July 29, 2014.
• Panelist, "Hydraulic Fracturing, The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Play," Republican Governor’s Energy Policy Meeting, San Diego, California, June 2014.
• Testified before Committee, “Gulf Restoration: A Progress Report Three Years after the Deepwater Horizon Disaster," United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, June 6, 2013.
• Speaker, "The Power of Strategic Partnerships," National Fish and Wildlife Foundation/Southern Company 10th Annual Stewardship Partners Meeting, Mobile, AL, April 24, 2013.
• Guest Lecturer, "Regulated Industries Class," Mississippi College School of Law, Spring 2013.
• Guest Lecturer, "Regulated Industries Class," Mississippi College School of Law, Spring 2012.
• Keynote Speaker, “Environmental Justice: Systems, Symptoms, and Solutions," EPA Gulf of Mexico Program, Biloxi, MS, March 2013.
• Speaker, “Environmental Updates on Air and Water," Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Environmental and Safety Conference, 2012.
• Speaker, “Environmental Updates for Local Government," Mississippi Municipal League, Mid-Winter Conference, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012.
• Keynote Speaker, “Forging Strategic Partnerships as Farmers Called upon to Feed and Clothe Growing Population," Delta Farm/Hypoxia Task Force, May 2012.
• Panelist, “Hydraulic Fracturing and Effective Communications Strategy with the Public and Regulators," Republican Governors Energy Policy Meeting, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 2011.
• Speaker, “The Gulf Oil Spill One Year Later," ABA Section on Environment, Energy and Resources Environmental Law Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011.
• Speaker, "Beyond the Horizon: The Gulf Oil Spill Crisis—Analyzing the Economic, Environmental and Legal Implications of the Oil Spill," Mississippi College School of Law Symposium, 2011.
• Keynote Speaker, “Leadership at All Levels,"  “F.O.C.U.S.” Accelerated Leadership Program, 2010.
• Speaker, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Briefing to President Barack Obama, Governors Haley Barbour and Bobby Jindal and other key governmental leaders, Gulfport, MS, June 14, 2010.
• Keynote Speaker, “Contemporary Leadership,"  “L.E.A.D.R.S.” Accelerated Leadership Program, 2009.
• Speaker, “Growing Leadership from Within—The Importance of Succession Planning," Mississippi Association of Personnel Administrators, Summer 2009.
• Speaker, “The Importance of Understanding Both Policy Decisions and Engineering Principles," Mississippi State University, Bagley Engineering School, 2009.
• Keynote Speaker, "Getting to 'Yes'," Air and Waste Management Association, Summer 2008.
• Speaker, “Are You Ready for Your Defining Moment? Lessons Learned Hurricane Katrina," Minnesota Public Works Association, November 2008.
• Speaker, “Environmental Updates on Air and Water," Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Environmental and Safety Conference, 2007, 2008.
• Speaker, Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Environmental and Safety Conference, 2010.