Title: Partner
Company: Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Gerald J. Pels, Partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Environmental Law.
Mr. Pels has established a distinguished career in law as a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in Houston, Texas, where he has served since 2009. In this capacity, he counsels clients on navigating the complexities of environmental law, focusing on compliance strategies that are both efficient and risk-mitigating. Mr. Pels’s work includes advising C-suite executives on board-level environmental investigations, defending and negotiating resolutions to actions brought by the Environmental Protection Agency, state agencies or citizen suits, and collaborating with industry leaders to ensure compliance in a manner that supports operational continuity. Mr. Pels is also recognized for his expertise in representing heavy industry sectors, such as manufacturing, chemical, waste management, energy and oil and gas, particularly in matters related to air emissions compliance and permitting.
Before joining Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, Mr. Pels was a partner at Sutherland in Houston from 2006 to 2009. During this period, he focused on building his reputation as one of Texas’s leading environmental lawyers by leading teams on high-profile cases and providing strategic counsel to major industrial clients.
Between 1990 and 2006, Mr. Pels served as a partner at Locke Lord LLP in Chicago, Illinois. Over more than 15 years, he consistently led teams working on complex environmental law matters. Notably, he played a pivotal role in resolving the Cooper v. Aviall litigation after its remand from the U.S. Supreme Court. The case addressed significant federal and state statutory issues and set precedents in contractual and common law.
Mr. Pels began his legal career as an associate at Liddell Sapp LLP (now Locke Lorde LLP) from 1983 to 1990. This foundational role allowed him to develop strong skills in environmental law and quickly earned him a reputation for client service and legal excellence.
In addition to his thriving law practice, Mr. Pels contributed to legal education as an adjunct law professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston from 1991 to 1997. There, he taught courses in environmental law and advanced hazardous waste regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Mr. Pels’s academic background laid a strong foundation for his professional success. He completed undergraduate studies at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science and German, summa cum laude, in 1980. Subsequently, he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1983, graduating Order of the Coif and serving as the executive editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. Mr. Pels was admitted to practice by the Texas Bar Association in 1983.
Mr. Pels maintains active involvement with several industry organizations, including serving on the publications committee for The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, as well as membership in the National Association of Drilling Contractors, the Texas Chemical Council and the Greater Houston Partnership. He has also participated as a panelist discussing “EPA’s New Oil and Gas Methane Regulations” for The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law in 2024. That same year, Mr. Pels co-authored the Texas Environmental Law Practice Guide, published by Chambers and Partners. He has been an active speaker and writer on environmental topics since the 1980s. Furthermore, Mr. Pels has contributed significantly to scholarship and thought leadership within his field, most notably as a scholarship supporter at Vanderbilt University since 2025.
Throughout his career, Mr. Pels has been recognized as a leader within the Texas environmental legal community for over four decades. He successfully argued Clean Air Act issues before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the BCCA Appeal Group v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency litigation in 2003, which involved critical aspects of the Texas State Implementation Plan. Mr. Pels also led multidisciplinary teams assisting large exploration and production companies with multi-state compliance challenges, achieving favorable outcomes with minimal penalties while maintaining business operations.
Mr. Pels’s professional achievements have been acknowledged by being named one of Houstonian Magazine’s Top 100 Registered Business Leaders & Professionals in 2017. He has also received consistent recognition in Chambers USA since 2004, The Best Lawyers in America for Environmental Law since 2006, and Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Energy Lawyers and Leaders in Environmental Law since 2023.
Reflecting on his career, Mr. Pels credits his achievements to a strong work ethic, his wife’s unwavering support and his collaboration with talented colleagues. His legacy is defined by his steadfast dedication to his clients’ success, his family’s well-being, and the advancement of ethical standards within both the legal profession and society at large.
Looking ahead, Mr. Pels aims to strengthen his firm’s environmental section by supporting the advancement of talented associates into partnership roles. Following retirement from active practice, he plans to focus on educating members of the judiciary about identifying and adjudicating cases involving spousal abuse within divorce or child custody proceedings.
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