The Montpelier governmental relations firm of MacLean, Meehan & Rice, LLC, announced today that Warren Coleman has become a partner in the firm. In addition, Coleman will be a name partner in the associated law firm, now MacLean, Rice & Coleman, LLC.
“Warren’s knowledge, experience and creative regulatory and legislative solutions have made him invaluable to MMR and to our clients,” said firm president, Andrew MacLean. “We’re thrilled that Warren will play a key role in helping shape our firm’s future.”
In addition, MacLean announced that Coleman and Laura Pelosi will be working with other firm partners spearheading expanded services to clients around strategic regulatory consulting. MacLean noted, “MMR provides strategic services to our clients by working collaboratively with their consulting and legal teams to lead projects through Vermont’s complex regulatory processes. As attorneys and former government officials, we have a deep understanding of the substantive issues and challenges organizations and companies face in Vermont. We have a unique ability to facilitate communication among members of project teams and decision makers in state government, allowing clients to maximize the talents of their team, minimize delay, avoid the common project pitfalls and ensure clients have an effective voice in their interactions with state government. We have extensive experience working with talented legal counsel across the State of Vermont, as well as qualified engineers and consultants.”
Coleman joined MacLean Meehan & Rice, LLC in 2010. He began his career as an associate attorney in the Boston law firm on Bingham Dana LLP from 1999 through 2000 where he focused on corporate and business real estate transactions and environmental law. He returned to Vermont in late 2000 and worked at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources until the fall of 2009. Warren held several attorney positions while at the Agency: environmental litigation attorney (11/00 to 6/04); deputy general counsel (2/05-1/07) and general counsel (6/04 to 2/05 and 1/07 to 10/09). He received his B.A. in Economics and minor in Business Administration from the University of Florida in 1992 and a Master’s Degree with a concentration in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics in 1996. He earned his Juris Doctor cum laude and Master of Studies in Environmental Law cum laude in 1999 from the Vermont Law School. He is admitted to the Bar in both Vermont and Massachusetts. An avid outdoorsman, he is the President of the Board of Directors of Quimby Country, Inc., a unique and historic sporting lodge and family resort in Averill, Vermont, where he also serves as a fly fishing guide. Warren also helped found and administers a 5 day fly fishing camp for teenagers with Trout Unlimited in Vermont.
Laura Pelosi joined MMR in 2012. She began her career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta, GA, where she worked on criminal cases under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation Recovery Act, as well as civil Superfund cases. In 2001, she moved to Vermont and entered private practice at Theriault & Joslin, P.C., an insurance defense firm where she litigated cases in both state and federal courts on a variety of matters including medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, professional negligence and insurance coverage. In 2005, Laura joined the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources as an enforcement attorney, representing the State of Vermont in the Environmental Court. Laura briefly served as the Agency’s Policy Director before serving as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation from 2007-2009. As Commissioner, she was responsible for oversight of Vermont’s myriad state and federally delegated regulatory, enforcement, technical and financial assistance programs. Most recently, Laura was the Executive Director of the Vermont Health Care Association, a nonprofit trade organization for post-acute and long-term care facilities. In that role, she represented clients before federal and state administrative agencies, the Vermont General Assembly and federal lawmakers on a wide variety of health care issues. Laura is a 1999 graduate of Vermont law School, where she received both a Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law. She received a B.A. in Political Science cum laud from Alfred University. Laura is admitted to the Bar in both Vermont and Georgia. She serves on the Medicaid and Exchange Advisory Board and was a member of Governor Shumlin’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Nursing.
MacLean, Meehan & Rice, LLC and its associated law firm provide governmental relations, communications and legal services to an extensive clientele before the Vermont legislature, administrative agencies and boards, the National Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association, the Democratic Governors Association, the National Association of Medicaid Directors and other state service organizations.
