Avi S. Garbow

On August 7, 2013, Avi S. Garbow was sworn in as General Counsel for the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  He previously served as the Agency’s Deputy General Counsel for four years.  Garbow has two decades of environmental law experience – in the private and public sectors – and as Deputy General Counsel, was primarily engaged in the significant legal and related policy issues confronting the Agency in its media programs, including air, water, waste, and toxics.  

From 1992 to 1996, he served in EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and then served with distinction as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section.  In private practice, Garbow was a litigation partner and junior partner at two major international firms.  Garbow has served on the boards of directors, and in other capacities, for various environmental and international human rights organizations.  Previously, he held leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s International Human Rights Committee.  He is the recipient of the University of Virginia School of Law’s Robert F. Kennedy Award for Public Service, holds a Masters Degree in Marine Affairs, and is a former volunteer firefighter.