Nicholas Howell specializes in complex litigation involving toxic and environmental torts, class actions, mass torts, and related matters. Nicholas litigates environmental citizen suits and permit challenges and disputes involving chemical exposure, groundwater contamination, air emissions, personal injury, stormwater, water rights, and property rights.  Nicholas has counseled and represented clients in litigation related to most of the major federal environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, CERCLA, and others as well as many counterpart state laws.  Nicholas also frequently provides counsel on OSHA compliance and other process safety issues.  Nicholas combines this subject matter expertise with substantial courtroom experience, having tried multiple cases to verdict in federal and state courts and administrative agencies. 

Nicholas is a member of the firm’s nationally recognized Trial and Global Disputes, Toxic & Environmental Torts practice group, which was named as Practice Group of the Year in 2018.  Nicholas is a published author and frequent speaker on environmental and complex litigation issues. 

Before joining King & Spalding, Nicholas served as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Randal Hall of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. He also worked as an Associate at a large international law firm in Atlanta, Georgia, focusing on environmental and complex commercial and business litigation. 

Nicholas is a state-wide officer in the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia.  He serves as the President of the University of Georgia School of Law Young Alumni Committee.  He also serves on the board of the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, Young Professionals Advisory Committee.  Nicholas is a member of the 2020 class of the Conservative Policy Leadership Institute and a graduate of the State Bar Young Lawyers Division Leadership Academy (2017).

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