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Erin L. Brooks

Erin Brooks
  1. People

Erin L. Brooks

Erin L. Brooks

Partner


Chicago/St. Louis
Erin Brooks
  1. People

Erin L. Brooks

Erin L. Brooks

Partner


Chicago/St. Louis

Erin L. Brooks

Partner

Chicago/St. Louis

Office Managing Partner - Chicago

T: +1 312 602 5093

T: +1 314 259 2393

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  • Biography

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Biography

Erin Brooks is an environmental attorney whose nationwide practice focuses on real estate redevelopment and renewable energy.  Erin diligently works to understand her clients’ businesses so that she can effectively support the proactive management of matters across all environmental areas.  Clients appreciate Erin’s strategic, business-forward, and creative approach to their most complicated issues.

Clients routinely engage Erin to lead responses to regulatory and enforcement actions, site investigation and remediation, transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions, compliance counseling encompassing all environmental media, and all phases of litigation.  Erin partners with corporate clients across a wide range of industries, such as food, beverage and agriculture, manufacturing, metal fabricating, and car rental and fleet management on such nationwide environmental matters.

As part of Erin’s sophisticated brownfield redevelopment practice, she routinely represents real estate developers, investors, and sellers in all phases of transactions from due diligence, insurance procurement, and transactional negotiation, including post-closing management of investigation, remediation, and development. Erin’s experience also includes redevelopment for data center projects. She appreciates that the early identification of key stakeholders is critical to success and leverages connections to build the right multi-disciplinary team and develop tailored strategic outreach.

Erin is also experienced in resolving claims asserted by governmental agencies and third parties, including high profile toxic tort litigation in state and federal courts.  Erin also has substantial experience counseling and defending occupational safety and health (OSHA) matters, and she is a published author on issues affecting OSHA-regulated employers.  

Erin’s appreciation of business drivers is well supported by her experience working “hand in hand” with clients on corporate governance issues, such as serving as independent counsel for board committees to conduct large-scale investigations and advising energy industry clients on corporate social responsibility policies.  In these capacities, she has played a critical role in evaluating potential compliance issues for the purpose of identifying and implementing proactive solutions, and appropriate remediation as needed.

Erin is actively engaged within her community and serves on the Board of Directors for Operation Food Search, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in the bi-state area through its innovative nutrition education and advocacy programs.  Operation Food Search is well aligned with Erin’s interest in promoting sustainability and leverages her professional experience working closely with the food and agriculture industries to promote community well-being.

Areas of Focus

Logistics & Industrial Logistics & Industrial

  • Logistics & Industrial

Civic Involvement & Honors

  • Chambers USA, Environment (2023)
  • Operation Food Search, Board of Directors
  • Chambers USA, Environment, "Up and Coming" (2021-2022)

Professional Affiliations

  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association 
  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Admissions

  • Illinois, 2013
  • Missouri, 2010
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

    United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri

Education

Saint Louis University, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Woolsack, 2010

Truman State University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2007

Related Capabilities

Real Estate Real Estate

Health & Safety Health & Safety

Finance Finance

Investigations Investigations

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Regulation, Compliance & Advisory Regulation, Compliance & Advisory

Renewables & Storage Renewables & Storage

PFAS PFAS

Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure

Environment Environment

Logistics & Industrial Logistics & Industrial

ESG & Energy Transition ESG & Energy Transition

Healthcare & Life Sciences Healthcare & Life Sciences

Restaurants, Pubs & Clubs Restaurants, Pubs & Clubs

Sustainable Real Estate Sustainable Real Estate

Financial Institutions Financial Institutions

Food & Agribusiness Food & Agribusiness

Business & Commercial Disputes Business & Commercial Disputes

Real Estate Real Estate

Health & Safety Health & Safety

Finance Finance

Investigations Investigations

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Regulation, Compliance & Advisory Regulation, Compliance & Advisory

Renewables & Storage Renewables & Storage

PFAS PFAS

Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure

Environment Environment

Logistics & Industrial Logistics & Industrial

ESG & Energy Transition ESG & Energy Transition

Healthcare & Life Sciences Healthcare & Life Sciences

Restaurants, Pubs & Clubs Restaurants, Pubs & Clubs

Sustainable Real Estate Sustainable Real Estate

Financial Institutions Financial Institutions

Food & Agribusiness Food & Agribusiness

Business & Commercial Disputes Business & Commercial Disputes

Real Estate Real Estate

Health & Safety Health & Safety

Finance Finance

Investigations Investigations

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Regulation, Compliance & Advisory Regulation, Compliance & Advisory

Renewables & Storage Renewables & Storage

PFAS PFAS

Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure

  • Environment

  • Logistics & Industrial

  • ESG & Energy Transition

  • Healthcare & Life Sciences

  • Restaurants, Pubs & Clubs

  • Sustainable Real Estate

  • Financial Institutions

  • Food & Agribusiness

  • Business & Commercial Disputes

  • Real Estate

  • Health & Safety

  • Finance

  • Investigations

  • Litigation & Dispute Resolution

  • Regulation, Compliance & Advisory

  • Renewables & Storage

  • PFAS

  • Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure

Resources

Publications

  • "A Rule Old and New, Borrowed and Blue: Exxon Adapts State Punitive Liability Law to Craft New Interpretation in Admiralty," 54 St. Louis U.L.J. 357 (2009)

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, Brownfield Listings conference, Project Empowerment Through Environmental Due Diligence, June 2019
  • Moderator, Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference, Contaminated Property: Latest Trends, April 2019

Related Insights

View All Related InsightsIcon: arrow

News
Apr 14, 2026

Erin Brooks and Philip Karmel elected to the American College of Environmental Lawyers

Insights
Apr 14, 2026

TSCA PFAS Reporting Postponed Again

News
Apr 07, 2026

BCLP leads strategic sale for aerospace client R&S Machining to Threadlock Precision

News
Mar 02, 2026

BCLP Advises Envision Radiology on Acquisition of Rezolut Holdings and associated Credit Financing

Insights
Feb 17, 2026

Federal PFAS Regulation: 2025 Activities and 2026 Anticipated Actions

Insights
Jan 19, 2026

PFAS drinking water standards: state-by-state regulations

The regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (“PFAS”) in drinking water remains an ever-evolving area for both federal and state legislatures and agencies.  With respect to actions at the federal level, in May 2025, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) affirmed Maximum Contaminant Levels (“MCLs”) of 4 parts per trillion (“ppt”) for two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (“PFOS”). With respect to actions at the state level, many states have regulated the presence of PFAS compounds in drinking water, but have done so in a variety of different ways and at different levels resulting in a patchwork of regulations and standards. This BCLP Insight surveys the drinking water regulations, as well as other guidance and notification levels, for PFAS compounds in drinking water across the United States.
Pro Bono
Jan 05, 2026

Driving Impact: New Pro Bono Collaboration with Enterprise Mobility

Insights
Dec 19, 2025

PFAS in food packaging: state-by-state regulations

Certain states around the U.S. are dishing out their own laws seeking to regulate the presence or use of PFAS in food packaging.  Thus far, and while there is limited federal legislation addressing these chemicals in food packaging, 14 (fourteen) states have enacted laws related to PFAS substances in food containers and packaging materials (“Food Packaging”).  There are an additional 10 (ten) proposed bills currently pending in various states.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), commonly cited examples of Food Packaging that have historically contained PFAS substances include “grease-resistant paper, fast food containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers.”
Insights
Dec 18, 2025

New York Announces Additional Steps to Address PFAS

Related Insights

News
Apr 14, 2026
Erin Brooks and Philip Karmel elected to the American College of Environmental Lawyers
Insights
Apr 14, 2026
TSCA PFAS Reporting Postponed Again
News
Apr 07, 2026
BCLP leads strategic sale for aerospace client R&S Machining to Threadlock Precision
News
Mar 02, 2026
BCLP Advises Envision Radiology on Acquisition of Rezolut Holdings and associated Credit Financing
Insights
Feb 17, 2026
Federal PFAS Regulation: 2025 Activities and 2026 Anticipated Actions
Insights
Jan 19, 2026
PFAS drinking water standards: state-by-state regulations
The regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (“PFAS”) in drinking water remains an ever-evolving area for both federal and state legislatures and agencies.  With respect to actions at the federal level, in May 2025, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) affirmed Maximum Contaminant Levels (“MCLs”) of 4 parts per trillion (“ppt”) for two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (“PFOS”). With respect to actions at the state level, many states have regulated the presence of PFAS compounds in drinking water, but have done so in a variety of different ways and at different levels resulting in a patchwork of regulations and standards. This BCLP Insight surveys the drinking water regulations, as well as other guidance and notification levels, for PFAS compounds in drinking water across the United States.
Pro Bono
Jan 05, 2026
Driving Impact: New Pro Bono Collaboration with Enterprise Mobility
Insights
Dec 19, 2025
PFAS in food packaging: state-by-state regulations
Certain states around the U.S. are dishing out their own laws seeking to regulate the presence or use of PFAS in food packaging.  Thus far, and while there is limited federal legislation addressing these chemicals in food packaging, 14 (fourteen) states have enacted laws related to PFAS substances in food containers and packaging materials (“Food Packaging”).  There are an additional 10 (ten) proposed bills currently pending in various states.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), commonly cited examples of Food Packaging that have historically contained PFAS substances include “grease-resistant paper, fast food containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers.”
Insights
Dec 18, 2025
New York Announces Additional Steps to Address PFAS

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