​Current association: Ogletree Deakins law firm

Past association: Heenan, Althen & Roles law firm

Law School: The George Washington University

Undergraduate: University of Virginia

Spouse: Marty Jones

Children: John and Andrew Lopez

Home: D.C. area

Favorite restaurant: I love eating out! Current favorites include Italian, Indian, Thai and Mexican, but as a D.C. area resident my favorite restaurant is any place I can get local steamed crabs.

EMLF Involvement: I have been active with EMLF for many years, particularly the Safety Institute programs. This year I am honored to serve as Chair of the Safety Institute that will be held in D.C. on September 20-21. The Institute is offered every other year and is a great opportunity to hear about the latest legal developments from private and public attorneys as well as safety and health agency officials, judges and commissioners.

You have spent most or all of your career in the energy sector and have had a lot of success. How did you get involved in this area of law? I started out being interested in labor law and worked for a number of years with mining clients on traditional labor and related Coal Act health benefits cases. At the same time, I also was working on mine safety and health cases and over time gravitated toward that area of the law more. MSHA work has been my main focus for a number of years now.

Over the years, you have been very active in various organizations. You have particularly committed a lot of time to EMLF, even though you had a busy career. Why? I find that I always learn new things at EMLF programs. I also find it very rewarding to connect with colleagues at other firms and with government attorneys through our EMLF activities. Working with them on developing the programs and preparing to serve on panels provides us with a unique opportunity to share with one another our perspectives on developments in the law. We may not always agree, but I find that hearing each other’s viewpoints is always time well spent.