John Cruden and Justin Smith Discuss Transition Team Dynamics with Law360

Principal John Cruden (Washington, DC) and Of Counsel Justin Smith (Washington, DC) recently shared their insights with Law360 on the critical role of landing teams during presidential transitions in “Trump Transition Underway At Key Environmental Agencies.”

John, who served on the 2020 Biden administration transition team, explained that “landing teams are expected to interview career staff, obtain general information about what's happening at various agencies and more specific information about what to expect during the new administration's first 30 days.”

John added that this transfer of knowledge is important so that the new administration is not caught by surprise by a U.S. Supreme Court decision, or press releases, or any other important event that they would want to know about before they start on January 20.

Justin further explained that these conversations between agency representatives and landing teams tend to be “very candid,” as the nominee “should know what the sensitive issues are and what questions will be coming.”

Beveridge & Diamond has assembled a task force to monitor the change in administration across multiple environmental, energy, and natural resources subject areas. Nearly two-thirds of the firm’s lawyers have prior U.S. state or federal government experience, and members of the Task Force include several former EPA and DOJ attorneys who served under both the initial Trump and Biden administrations.