Jeff Beelaert

Jeff Beelaert is a partner at Stein Mitchell with extensive experience in trial and appellate litigation.  Jeff zealously represents clients in difficult situations.  As lead counsel, Jeff has achieved success for clients in high-stakes, complex cases at every level of state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. 

Jeff has handled cases involving novel issues of environmental, energy, telecommunications, administrative, criminal, and constitutional law.  For example, Jeff filed a Supreme Court brief on behalf of 91 Members of Congress in West Virginia v. EPA and a brief in the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of amici supporting a constitutional challenge to the FCC’s universal service program.

Before joining Stein Mitchell, Jeff previously held several posts at the United States Department of Justice. 

• As Deputy Associate Attorney General, Jeff advised senior leaders at the Department regarding high-profile matters in environmental litigation, civil rights, and federal programs.
• As an appellate attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Jeff briefed and argued dozens of cases as lead counsel for federal agencies. On behalf of his clients, Jeff successfully argued administrative law challenges and criminal appeals, as well as cases involving natural resources, clean air and water, endangered species, land management, Indian law, and takings.
• As nominations counsel in the Office of Legal Policy, Jeff assisted scores of nominees with the judicial nomination and confirmation process, including two Supreme Court Justices.
• On a temporary assignment to the Environmental Protection Agency, Jeff was sent by the Department to assist the agency with notice-and-comment rulemaking for an important national policy.

Jeff previously worked as an associate at Sidley Austin in DC, where he drafted Supreme Court briefs and handled white collar matters and investigations.  Jeff represented clients in RICO and False Claims Act cases, congressional inquiries, healthcare enforcement actions, FCPA investigations, as well as national security, bankruptcy, and antitrust cases.   

Jeff speaks German and enjoys open-water swimming.  Before beginning his legal career, Jeff served as a combat engineer officer in the United States Marine Corps.  He deployed several times, including to Iraq and Liberia. 

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Law Clerk for the Honorable David B. Sentelle
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; Law Clerk for the Honorable Margaret A. Ryan

University of North Carolina; J.D.

Duke University; Master of Public Policy

Universität Heidelberg; Otto Zipf Scholar

U.S. Naval Academy

• Virginia
• District of Columbia
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and District of Columbia Circuits
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
• U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Member, Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court

Before joining Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP, Jeff served as an appellate attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice.  He primarily defended actions by federal agencies, including—

• North American Butterfly Association v. Wolf, 977 F.3d 1244 (D.C. Cir. 2020). The Association sued to enjoin anticipated construction of a border wall on its property, raising statutory and constitutional claims.  The district court dismissed the complaint, and the D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of all but one claim. 
• Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 941 F.3d 1288 (11th Cir. 2019). Advocacy organizations challenged the Corps’ decision to approve a permit under the Clean Water Act that allowed Mosaic Fertilizer to discharge dredged and fill material into waters of the United States during phosphate mining operations in Florida.  The district court upheld the permit, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed. 
• Sanitary Board of the City of Charleston, West Virginia v. Wheeler, 918 F.3d 324 (4th Cir. 2019). The Sanitary Board challenged the EPA’s decision not to approve a site-specific copper standard that governed the Board’s discharge of treated sewage into a river in West Virginia.  The Fourth Circuit affirmed the judgment in favor of the EPA. 
• Giovanni v. U.S. Department of the Navy, 906 F.3d 94 (3d Cir. 2018). Landowners, including the Giovanni family, sued the Navy in state court under the Pennsylvania Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, seeking medical monitoring costs related to the Navy’s ongoing cleanup of local facilities under CERCLA. The district court dismissed the suit, and the Third Circuit partially reversed and remanded.  It held that the government was not entitled to sovereign immunity under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  The district court later dismissed this case for lack of jurisdiction. 
• Center for Food Safety v. Hamburg, 9th Cir. No. 15-17510. Advocacy organizations asked the district court to vacate the approval of new animal drugs and to ban the use of ractopamine (an animal feed additive).  The district court dismissed the suit because plaintiffs failed to exhaust administrative remedies before the FDA.  The Ninth Circuit affirmed.