Jessica J.O. King
Jessie King focuses her practice on environmental legal issues. A former chief attorney for the Environmental Quality Control Division of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), she has substantial experience helping companies and individuals obtain environmental permits, respond to notices of violation and environmental lawsuits, understand regulatory requirements, perform due diligence and negotiate business transactions.
Jessie’s experience spans regulatory, litigation and transactional matters. She has worked with clients – including manufacturers, landfill owners, miners, farmers, developers, landlords, tenants and banks – on matters such as permitting, enforcement, compliance, Brownfields redevelopment, lending, foreclosure and bankruptcy. Her experience over the last 25 years spans matters affecting land, air and water including solid waste, hazardous waste, emerging contaminants, Superfund sites, air emissions permitting, discharge, stormwater and wastewater permitting, wetlands, underground and aboveground storage tank registration and permitting, and hazardous and toxic substance reporting.
Jessie has been recognized as a leading environmental attorney by Chambers USA (2017-present), named among Columbia Business Monthly's "Legal Elite" (2013-present) and listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental (2018-present). In The Best Lawyers in America®, she was named the Columbia "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation - Environmental (2020, 2022-2024).
Jessie currently serves as past-president of the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA) board of directors and serves on the South Carolina Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) – Palmetto Chapter board of directors. In addition, Jessie is currently an active member of the South Carolina Aggregates Association (SCAA), the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA), the North Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (NCMA) and the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) – Southeast Chapter. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina and her Bachelor of Arts from Roanoke College, Honors Program.
- University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D.)
- Roanoke College (B.A.)
Professional Affiliations
- Commercial Real Estate Women Midlands – Board Member
- Columbia Development Corporation - Board Member
- Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association – Board Member
- Solid Waste Association of North America
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce – Environmental Technical Committee
- South Carolina Manufacturers Association
- North Carolina Manufacturers Association
- South Carolina Bankers Association
- Richland County Bar Association
- South Carolina Women's Law Association
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina State Bar
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
Columbia Business Monthly – "Legal Elite of the Midlands," Environmental Law (2013-present)
Chambers USA – Environmental Law (2017-present)
The Best Lawyers in America® – Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental (2018-present)
Best Lawyers® – Columbia “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation - Environmental (2020, 2022-2024)
Experience
- Represented companies sued by neighbors under common law and citizen suit provisions in federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), Clean Air Act (CAA) and state environmental laws in multiple states.
- Defended against contribution cases brought by potentially responsible parties (PRPs) relating to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) cleanup in multiple states.
- Negotiated consent decrees with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state environmental agencies for CERCLA cleanups and allocation of costs among PRPs for sites in multiple states, including sites placed on EPA’s National Priority List.
- Defended appeals of solid waste, mining, air, direct and indirect water discharge, surface water withdrawal, and wetlands permits.
- Negotiated consent orders and defended against administrative orders issued without consent issued by state and federal environmental agencies.
- Negotiated Brownfields agreements and Voluntary Cleanup Program contracts with state agencies offering liability and contribution protection for responsible and non-responsible parties.
- Served on stakeholder groups to negotiate terms of proposed environmental regulations.
She's practical and collegial.
— Williams Mullen Client Feedback - Chambers USA, 2023
