Bernard "Bernie" F. Hawkins, Jr.
Partner
1320 Main Street
17th Floor
Columbia, SC 29201
Bernie chairs the Environmental Health and Safety Group as well as the PFAS/Emerging Contaminants of Concern Group and leverages his scientific background and legal training to advise clients nationwide on complex environmental, regulatory, and litigation matters. His practice focuses on Clean Air Act compliance, permitting, enforcement defense, hazardous and solid waste management, recycling-related issues, and...
Bernie chairs the Environmental Health and Safety Group as well as the PFAS/Emerging Contaminants of Concern Group and leverages his scientific background and legal training to advise clients nationwide on complex environmental, regulatory, and litigation matters. His practice focuses on Clean Air Act compliance, permitting, enforcement defense, hazardous and solid waste management, recycling-related issues, and enforcement defense, PFAS considerations and litigation and environmental risk assessment. His practice also includes OSHA issues, including safety planning and process safety management requirements.
He regularly counsels clients on environmental compliance and enforcement matters involving the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Water Act, TSCA, OSHA and other federal and state environmental health and safety programs. Bernie has extensive experience with air and waste permitting, compliance counseling, administrative appeals, regulatory challenges, and site remediation matters across the United States.
In addition, Bernie advises clients on toxic tort as well as indoor environmental quality issues involving emerging contaminants of concern such as PFAS, microplastics, PCBs, pesticides, vapor intrusion, and other chemicals of potential concern. He is known for providing practical, strategic guidance that helps clients manage regulatory, operational, and litigation risks.
enforcement defense, PFAS considerations and litigation and environmental risk assessment. His practice also includes OSHA issues, including safety planning and process safety management requirements.
He regularly counsels clients on environmental compliance and enforcement matters involving the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Water Act, TSCA, OSHA and other federal and state environmental health and safety programs. Bernie has extensive experience with air and waste permitting, compliance counseling, administrative appeals, regulatory challenges, and site remediation matters across the United States.
In addition, Bernie advises clients on toxic tort as well as indoor environmental quality issues involving emerging contaminants of concern such as PFAS, microplastics, PCBs, pesticides, vapor intrusion, and other chemicals of potential concern. He is known for providing practical, strategic guidance that helps clients manage regulatory, operational, and litigation risks.
Experience
- Experience in environmental law, toxic tort and pharmaceutical/drug and medical device litigation
- Involved in permitting, compliance counseling, defending enforcement actions and administrative challenges for multi-faceted stationary sources subject to provisions of the Clean Air Act, including those subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) requirements, non-attainment requirements, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESHAP”) provisions, New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) requirements, Title V operating permit requirements and other stationary source state permitting requirements derived from State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”)
- Involved in commenting on and challenging federal rulemakings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- Experience in dealing with indoor environmental quality issues, including experience with response to issues involving mold, asbestos, dioxin, metals, PCBs, chemical copolymers, solvents and vapor intrusion issues
- Managed site remediation matters on a national and international basis
- Received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to act as special environmental counsel for a manufacturing company during the company's bankruptcy process
- Retained to coordinate the resolution of a chemical regulation dispute in U.S. jurisdictions and numerous other countries
- Represented clients in cases involving CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Air, Clean Water, TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act
- Represented clients in permitting matters, compliance counseling, compliance dispute resolution, negotiation of consent orders and decrees, and in administrative appeals, including resolution of permitting appeals in the hazardous and solid waste arena
Education
-
University of South Carolina School of Law,
JD,
cum laude
(1990)
- Associate Editor in Chief, South Carolina Law Review
- Order of the Coif
- Order of Wig and Robe
-
University of South Carolina,
BS,
Biology,
magna cum laude
(1986)
- Undergraduate and/or graduate education including biology, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, spectrometry, genetics, cell biology, embryology, histology, and gross anatomy
Admissions
- South Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
Practice Areas
- Experience in environmental law, toxic tort and pharmaceutical/drug and medical device litigation
- Involved in permitting, compliance counseling, defending enforcement actions and administrative challenges for multi-faceted stationary sources subject to provisions of the Clean Air Act, including those subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) requirements, non-attainment requirements, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESHAP”) provisions, New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) requirements, Title V operating permit requirements and other stationary source state permitting requirements derived from State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”)
- Involved in commenting on and challenging federal rulemakings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- Experience in dealing with indoor environmental quality issues, including experience with response to issues involving mold, asbestos, dioxin, metals, PCBs, chemical copolymers, solvents and vapor intrusion issues
- Managed site remediation matters on a national and international basis
- Received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to act as special environmental counsel for a manufacturing company during the company's bankruptcy process
- Retained to coordinate the resolution of a chemical regulation dispute in U.S. jurisdictions and numerous other countries
- Represented clients in cases involving CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Air, Clean Water, TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act
- Represented clients in permitting matters, compliance counseling, compliance dispute resolution, negotiation of consent orders and decrees, and in administrative appeals, including resolution of permitting appeals in the hazardous and solid waste arena
Media
Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation (2001–2019, 2021–2026)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Columbia, SC, Litigation – Environmental (2017, 2025); Environmental Law (2016, 2021)
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Environment – South Carolina (2014–2026)
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (since 2002)
Professional Activities
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- American Bar Association, Section of Environmental, Energy and Resources Law, Section of Business Law
- South Carolina Bar
- American Chemical Society
- Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association
- Defense Research Institute
Community
- Facilitator, Task Force to Strengthen the Health and Promote the Environment of South Carolina (SHaPE) (2021–present)
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Technical Committee, Air Subcommittee, and Solid and Hazardous Waste Subcommittee
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Legal Committee
- United Way of the Midland’s Tocqueville Society
Leadership
- Director, American Bar Association Business Law Section’s International Coordinating Committee (2017–2018)
- Vice Chair, Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Committee for the ABA’s Business Law Section
- Vice Chair, Climate Change Sustainable Development and Ecosystems Committee for the ABA Section of Environment, Energy & Resources
- Liaison, ABA Business Law Section and ABA Section on Environmental, Energy and Resources Law
- Prior Chair and Vice Chair, Air Quality Committee for the ABA Environment, Energy and Resources Section
- Prior Editor, Air Quality Committee Annual Report for the Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law’s Year in Review (a publication of the ABA and the University of Tulsa College of Law)
Bernie chairs the Environmental Health and Safety Group as well as the PFAS/Emerging Contaminants of Concern Group and leverages his scientific background and legal training to advise clients nationwide on complex environmental, regulatory, and litigation matters. His practice focuses on Clean Air Act compliance, permitting, enforcement defense, hazardous and solid waste management, recycling-related issues, and... enforcement defense, PFAS considerations and litigation and environmental risk assessment. His practice also includes OSHA issues, including safety planning and process safety management requirements.
He regularly counsels clients on environmental compliance and enforcement matters involving the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Water Act, TSCA, OSHA and other federal and state environmental health and safety programs. Bernie has extensive experience with air and waste permitting, compliance counseling, administrative appeals, regulatory challenges, and site remediation matters across the United States.
In addition, Bernie advises clients on toxic tort as well as indoor environmental quality issues involving emerging contaminants of concern such as PFAS, microplastics, PCBs, pesticides, vapor intrusion, and other chemicals of potential concern. He is known for providing practical, strategic guidance that helps clients manage regulatory, operational, and litigation risks.
Experience
The following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.- Experience in environmental law, toxic tort and pharmaceutical/drug and medical device litigation
- Involved in permitting, compliance counseling, defending enforcement actions and administrative challenges for multi-faceted stationary sources subject to provisions of the Clean Air Act, including those subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) requirements, non-attainment requirements, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESHAP”) provisions, New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) requirements, Title V operating permit requirements and other stationary source state permitting requirements derived from State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”)
- Involved in commenting on and challenging federal rulemakings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- Experience in dealing with indoor environmental quality issues, including experience with response to issues involving mold, asbestos, dioxin, metals, PCBs, chemical copolymers, solvents and vapor intrusion issues
- Managed site remediation matters on a national and international basis
- Received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to act as special environmental counsel for a manufacturing company during the company's bankruptcy process
- Retained to coordinate the resolution of a chemical regulation dispute in U.S. jurisdictions and numerous other countries
- Represented clients in cases involving CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Air, Clean Water, TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act
- Represented clients in permitting matters, compliance counseling, compliance dispute resolution, negotiation of consent orders and decrees, and in administrative appeals, including resolution of permitting appeals in the hazardous and solid waste arena
Education
-
University of South Carolina School of Law,
JD,
cum laude
(1990)
- Associate Editor in Chief, South Carolina Law Review
- Order of the Coif
- Order of Wig and Robe
-
University of South Carolina,
BS,
Biology,
magna cum laude
(1986)
- Undergraduate and/or graduate education including biology, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, spectrometry, genetics, cell biology, embryology, histology, and gross anatomy
Admissions
- South Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
Practice Areas
- Environmental Compliance & Permitting
- Environmental Enforcement & Litigation
- Environmental, Health & Safety
- Environmental - Transactions
- OSHA – Safety & Health
Industries
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation (2001–2019, 2021–2026)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Columbia, SC, Litigation – Environmental (2017, 2025); Environmental Law (2016, 2021)
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Environment – South Carolina (2014–2026)
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (since 2002)
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- American Bar Association, Section of Environmental, Energy and Resources Law, Section of Business Law
- South Carolina Bar
- American Chemical Society
- Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association
- Defense Research Institute
- Facilitator, Task Force to Strengthen the Health and Promote the Environment of South Carolina (SHaPE) (2021–present)
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Technical Committee, Air Subcommittee, and Solid and Hazardous Waste Subcommittee
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Legal Committee
- United Way of the Midland’s Tocqueville Society
- Director, American Bar Association Business Law Section’s International Coordinating Committee (2017–2018)
- Vice Chair, Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Committee for the ABA’s Business Law Section
- Vice Chair, Climate Change Sustainable Development and Ecosystems Committee for the ABA Section of Environment, Energy & Resources
- Liaison, ABA Business Law Section and ABA Section on Environmental, Energy and Resources Law
- Prior Chair and Vice Chair, Air Quality Committee for the ABA Environment, Energy and Resources Section
- Prior Editor, Air Quality Committee Annual Report for the Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law’s Year in Review (a publication of the ABA and the University of Tulsa College of Law)
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