Leakhena Au

Leakhena Au focuses her practice on environmental and energy regulatory matters, advising clients on compliance, permitting, and environmental review under state and federal law. She brings experience in civil litigation, judicial service, and government administration to help clients navigate complex regulatory frameworks. 

She counsels clients on permitting and compliance matters involving extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act, and state equivalents. Her experience includes permitting transmission, utility, renewable energy, and pipeline projects, environmental and regulatory due diligence for real estate, M&A, and corporate matters, contested regulatory proceedings, and land use litigation. 

Prior to joining Michael Best, Leakhena was a senior associate in the Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Regulation & Permitting, and Environmental Law groups at a national law firm. Leakhena also spent two years as a civil litigator and served as a judicial law clerk to Judge William C. Griesbach of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, where she worked on matters spanning federal civil law. Earlier in her career, she held leadership and regulatory roles with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, giving her a deep understanding of agency processes and natural resource compliance.

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