Briana Dema

Briana’s practice focuses in the areas of environmental litigation, including natural resource damages, products liability, and toxic torts litigation. Matters on which she currently works include lawsuits brought by public clients who have alleged significant contamination of groundwater and other natural resources by toxic and hazardous substances. Briana also represents individuals across the firm’s practice areas.

Prior to joining the firm, Briana served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of General Counsel at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”). In that role, Briana advised the National Marine Fisheries Service on federal environmental, administrative, and access-to-information laws, and worked effectively in interdisciplinary teams of lawyers, scientists, and conservation managers to find creative solutions to resource management challenges. During her tenure at NOAA, Briana received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal—the highest form of honorary recognition the Department of Commerce bestows—as part of a team recognized for exceptional professional achievement in science, law, and policy.

Briana also previously worked as a Staff Attorney for the Environmental Working Group, where she analyzed legislation on issues affecting the environment and public health, including legislation on toxic substances, consumer protection, and food and farm policy.

Briana graduated from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. During law school, Briana was a member of the Environmental Law Clinic and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. Upon graduation, Briana received the Alfred S. Forsyth Prize, awarded annually to an outstanding student in the field of environmental law.

Briana also holds a Master of Science degree (with Distinction) from Imperial College London.