Gerald L. Pouncey Jr.

Gerald L. Pouncey, Jr. is the Chairman of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. A Senior Partner in the firm, he also heads the Environmental and Infrastructure Practices. His primary focus is the acquisition, disposition and/or the redevelopment of properties with significant environmental impact (including state and federal superfund sites), mergers, investments and financing related to such properties and the development and implementation of green energy technologies and strategies. He lectures nationally on these topics.

Mr. Pouncey has led efforts in the permitting, financing, acquisition, redevelopment and regulatory closure of numerous industrial properties, mines and landfills throughout the United States including a former wood treating facility in South Florida, a former airplane manufacturing facility in New York, former Department of Defense facilities, several former automobile assembly facilities across the country, a former granite mine in Maryland, a former chrome ore smelting facility in South Carolina, a former oil field in California and numerous other similar projects. Included with these projects is the Atlantic Station Redevelopment in Atlanta, a project that was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the nation’s best Brownfield redevelopment. Mr. Pouncey has also led efforts in the expansion and redevelopment of various port facilities. He has also developed, negotiated and implemented various financial incentives allowing these projects to take place. He has served as lead negotiator for industry (both foreign and domestic) considering locating in the Southeast. Mr. Pouncey’s practice also encompasses all of the facets of design, development and construction of sustainable buildings, renewable energy facilities, including various LEED certified developments.

Mr. Pouncey served as a legislative appointee to the Commission formed to review reauthorization of Georgia’s Hazardous Waste Trust Fund. As part of this legislative committee, he was the principal author of Georgia’s new brownfield legislation. Mr. Pouncey is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Council for Quality Growth, the Georgia Brownfield Association, the Walker School and Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society. He is a board member of the North Georgia and Metropolitan Atlanta Water Management District. Mr. Pouncey also serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the national Environmental and Energy Committee of the International Council of Shopping Centers. Mr. Pouncey is a contributing author to the American Bar Association publication, Brownfields, A Comprehensive Guide to Redeveloping Contaminated Property.

Mr. Pouncey has been voted as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business by Chambers USA and honored as a "Georgia Super Lawyer" by Atlanta magazine. Mr. Pouncey is listed as Who’s Who in the Law by Atlanta Business Chronicle. He was selected by his peers as one of Georgia Trend's Legal Elite and as a member of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of Environmental Law. The Best Lawyers in America also named him Environmental Lawyer of the Year for 2017. He was also honored by the National Law Journal in 2016 as an Energy and Environmental Trailblazer. In 2019 and 2020, Mr. Pouncey was named by Atlanta Magazine as one of Atlanta’s 500 most influential leaders.