Christopher L. Rissetto

Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School, 1973, J.D.
  • University of California, Davis, 1970, M.A., Elected to Pi Sigma Alpha
  • San Francisco State University, 1968, B.A.

Professional Admissions / Qualifications

  • Virginia
  • District of Columbia
  • Wisconsin

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals - District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • All State Courts - District of Columbia
  • All State Courts - Virginia
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • All State Courts - Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Eleventh Circuit

Christopher is co-chair of the firm's Public Policy & Infrastructure practice and co-chairs the firm's Recovery Act & Infrastructure Task Force.  He works in the areas of environmental law, government contracting and grants, transportation, infrastructure development and appropriations, legislation, and special project financing, including the use of the New Markets Tax Credits Program. His practice emphasizes the Clean Water Act, government contracts and other environmental law, such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and other public works legislation.  Christopher also counsels clients on transportation issues including the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1992 and other transportation grant and regulatory programs, including DOT agencies such as FTA, FAA and the like.  His experience includes Clean Water Act regulatory programs, particularly EPA grants audits, NPDES permit strategy, pretreatment, and enforcement defense, wetlands permitting by EPA and the Corps of Engineers, Superfund, hazardous waste cleanup contracting, and other environmental areas, such as the National Environmental Policy Act.  He also has a broad experience in government contracts and grants-related awards, procurement, bid protest, claims, suspension and debarment, audits and grant remedies, legislation, and litigation, as well as regulatory compliance before a variety of federal agencies, including DOT, EPA, AID, Interior, DHS (including FEMA), and Commerce.  Christopher practices in grant programs of other agencies, including the U.S. Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Justice and Transportation Departments.

Employment History

  • 1999 - Reed Smith
  • 1974 - Environmental Protection Agency - Senior Attorney / Advisor for the Office of the General Counsel and for the Office of Regional Counsel and the Enforcement Division, Region V (mid-western region)

Honors & Awards

  • Awarded the bronze medal for development of the Agency Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) policy.

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association Public Contract Law Section; also chaired ABA's Public Law Section's Federal, State, and Local Precontract and Procurement under Grants Administrative Remedies Committee
  • District of Columbia Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Virginia Bar Association
  • Wisconsin Bar Association