Our Founders
Nicole E. Noëlliste
NICOLE NOËLLISTE is the co-founder of EWOC, and an environmental attorney in the Washington D.C. Office of Sidley Austin LLP. Her practice focuses on advising clients on a wide range of complex environmental and energy matters, including regulatory compliance, enforcement actions, and rulemaking challenges.
Prior to Sidley, Nicole was a lawyer at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Office of General Counsel. In that position, Nicole served as lead counsel in enforcement proceedings, rulemaking activities, and the development of agency guidance and policy statements.
During law school, Nicole served as a law clerk at the Environmental Law Institute, an Honors Law Clerk at the EPA’s Office of General Counsel and a law clerk within the Natural Resources Section of the DOJ’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division.
Additionally, Nicole has substantial field experience in environmental science, having worked for the Jamaican Forestry Department, and the United States Department of Agriculture as an environmental scientist researching tropical and deciduous forests, respectively.
FUN FACTS
- Nicole is a proud native of Kingston, Jamaica.
- She is a former NCAA Division I 400m Hurdler and school record-holder, and was nominated NCAA Division I "Woman of the Year" for her outstanding achievement in academics, athletic competition and community engagement.
- Plantain is a staple, found in 90% of Nicole’s meals.
PUBLICATIONS
- Waste Cos. Must Note EPA’s New Focus on Paper Inspections,” Law360 (August 17, 2020)
- “Environmental Due Diligence Essential for Refinery Assets,” Petroleum Economist (July 31, 2020)
- Quoted in, “Companies Urged to Reassess Regulatory Liabilities Amid BLM Movement,” Inside TSCA (July 13, 2020)
- “Corporate Enviro Planning In The Black Lives Matter Era,” Law360 (July 10, 2020)
- “INSIGHT: Fourth Circuit Rules ‘Environmental Justice Is Not Merely a Box to Be Checked’,” Bloomberg Law (March 5, 2020)
- “U.S. EPA Region IV Proposes an Alternative SSM Policy for SIPs: Five Things You Need to Know,” Sidley Update (June 24, 2019)
- “New U.S. Office of Management and Budget Memo Changes Processes for Data in Agency Rulemakings and Other Actions,” Sidley Update (May 2, 2019)
Simone Jones
SIMONE JONES is an environmental associate in the Washington, D.C. office. Her specialties include complex environmental litigation and internal investigations, particularly in the automotive sector. Her recent cases include defending original equipment manufacturers and senior executives in matters involving auxiliary emission control devices, fuel economy and onboard diagnostics before federal courts, EPA, CARB, DOJ, the FBI, the SEC and other agencies.
Simone also has extensive experience in complex class action defense, white collar criminal defense and internal and government investigations, as well as general commercial litigation. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in various jurisdictions and in all stages of litigation, including initiating complaints, developing litigation strategy, briefing dispositive motions, taking and defending depositions, working with expert witnesses, managing discovery and assisting with appeals.
In addition, Simone has experience successfully defending corporations in high-stakes consumer class action suits alleging consumer fraud, violations of the civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and other federal statutes, as well as violations of state laws. She also has initiated a breach of contract action, achieving a significant victory on behalf of clients after drafting a successful, dispositive motion and arguing the matter before the court. Simone also has experience responding to government subpoenas and defending and investigating claims of bribery, in addition to purported violations of criminal RICO and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Simone maintains an active pro bono practice and was awarded the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and received the Thomas H. Morsch Award for Pro Bono Achievement. In addition, she recently secured class certification for a United States military veteran.
Simone earned her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she served as the editor of the Seventh Circuit Review Honors Journal. Simone earned her Master of Public Health from Tulane University and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Arkansas. Simone was recognized by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2014–2018.
PUBLICATIONS
- “Corporate Enviro Planning In The Black Lives Matter Era,” Law360 (July 10, 2020)
- “State Of Enviro Enforcement After Trump's Deregulatory Order,” Law360 (June 9, 2020)
- “INSIGHT: EPA Is Reasonable to Ease Reporting Amid Covid-19,” Bloomberg Law (April 15, 2020)
- “INSIGHT: Fourth Circuit Rules ‘Environmental Justice Is Not Merely a Box to Be Checked’,” Bloomberg Law (March 5, 2020)
- “INSIGHT: Rule 23(b)(1)(B): A Mechanism to Avoid A Famine or Means to Achieve an Undeserved Feast?,” Bloomberg Law (July 30, 2018)
- “As law changes, so do initiatives for women to start, grow businesses,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (February 23, 2016)
- “What’s Really in Panera Bread Co.’s Statement About What’s Soon (Not) to Be in Its Sandwiches?” Food & Beverage Magazine (June 13, 2014)
- “Who’s Left Suspended On the Line?: The Ominous Hanging Paragraph and the Seventh Circuit’s Interpretation In In Re Wright,” 3 Seventh Circuit Rev. 1 (2007)
