WASHINGTON, DC—August 17, 2026—O’Melveny announced today that esteemed environmental lawyer Reza Zarghamee has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington, DC office. His arrival strengthens O’Melveny’s environmental offerings and enhances the firm’s transactional, regulatory, investigations, and mass torts capabilities in the chemicals, energy, and data center sectors.
Zarghamee brings more than 20 years of experience and a broad-based environmental practice to O’Melveny. He counsels clients on a variety of corporate transactions and financing matters, including performing compliance audits, devising remediation strategies, responding to government investigations, defending against enforcement actions, providing transactional due diligence, and advising on SEC requirements. Additionally, he advises US and international corporations on allocating environmental liability in complex real estate and corporate transactions—from acquisitions and dispositions to greenfield and other infrastructure projects.
Zarghamee has deep experience in the arena of chemical regulation and emerging contaminants, which encompasses a wide range of federal statutes—such as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)—as well as state laws. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to handling matters related to PFAS or “forever chemicals,” advising on PFAS rulemaking and advocacy, and conducting internal audits of client exposure to PFAS. He is also a respected authority on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for plastics and packaging and has been on the forefront of advocacy efforts on the part of industry.
Zarghamee, who joins O’Melveny’s Project Development & Real Estate Practice, comes to the firm from the Washington, DC office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, where he was a partner in that firm’s Environmental & Natural Resource Practice and co-chair of its PFAS Task Force. His arrival accelerates O’Melveny’s strategic growth. He is the 55th lateral partner to join the firm since 2023, and the seventh to join O’Melveny’s Project Development & Real Estate Practice since 2020.
“We are delighted to welcome Reza to O’Melveny and to our growing Project Development & Real Estate team,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Reza is a respected environmental lawyer and a trusted corporate adviser with extensive experience and a versatile skillset that will be an immediate asset to our clients—especially those in the chemicals, energy, and infrastructure fields. It is a pleasure to welcome him to our firm.”
“I’ve long admired O’Melveny from afar, and I’m excited to join the firm and work alongside such a talented group of lawyers,” said Zarghamee. “O’Melveny has a premier global platform, a reputation for providing superior client service, and a collegial, collaborative culture that’s second to none. It’s an ideal fit for my clients and my practice.”
Zarghamee earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from Columbia University. He also holds a Ph.D. in Ancient History from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
