Moore & Van Allen attorney Lesley A. Firestone named to Forty Under 40 list

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) announced that environmental attorney and litigator Lesley A. Firestone has been selected as one of Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 2020 Forty Under 40 winners. This year’s class of honorees will be formally recognized during an awards event on April 29, as well as with a special feature in the April 20 edition of the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

For 23 years, the Charleston Regional Business Journal has honored a virtual “Who’s Who” of young professionals in the Charleston business community with its Forty Under 40 program. Winners are chosen based on significant business accomplishments and community involvement.

In her practice, Firestone handles complex litigation, appellate and environmental law matters in and around the Charleston region. She provides clients with guidance in the purchase or sale of contaminated properties and permitting, compliance counseling, and the resolution or avoidance of environmental enforcement issues. Additionally, Firestone regularly brings and defends challenges to permitting decisions in front of government agencies and the South Carolina Administrative Law Court. She has handled appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, where she previously worked as a staff attorney, and the South Carolina Supreme Court.

“We are very happy to celebrate Lesley in this achievement. I have been extremely impressed with Lesley’s legal knowledge and the way she identifies issues and incorporates client’s business objectives into an overall legal strategic plan,” said Charleston Member Elizabeth Applegate Dieck. “Her commitment to providing value-added service in a timely fashion is outstanding.”

In addition to her legal practice, Firestone dedicates significant time to community service. In 2019, Firestone received MVA’s Pro Bono Award for her work on a high-profile pro bono appellate case. Firestone has worked on this matter, a controversial criminal defense case in which an evidentiary rule may have been improperly applied, for nearly seven years as part of the South Carolina Appellate Practice Program.

Firestone continually acts on opportunities to serve within the region and weigh in on important environmental matters that impact and benefit the local community. She serves as Secretary of the South Carolina Bar Environmental & Natural Resource Section, as well as on the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Charleston Chamber of Commerce environmental committees, and serves as a Board Member of South Carolina Legal Services. She is a member of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Charleston 2020 class, and recently participated in the 2019 Charleston Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy. Firestone also donates a significant amount of time in her role as the Auction Chair for the annual Wine Women & Shoes event, which benefits the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina and its work to support pregnant, parenting and at-risk young women in the community.

About Moore & Van Allen

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (www.mvalaw.com), founded in 1950, has more than 300 attorneys. Ranked in the prestigious “Am Law 200” list, Moore & Van Allen has offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. The attorneys at Moore & Van Allen provide sophisticated legal services within their nationally recognized Litigation, Corporate, Finance, Intellectual Property and Real Estate law practices for international banks and manufacturers, energy leaders, and growing healthcare and technology companies. U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers recognized Moore & Van Allen in their 2020 “Best Law Firms” rankings, both regionally and nationally.