FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ENRD
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1999
(202) 514-2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV
TDD (202) 514-1888
JEAN WILLIAMS TO SERVE AS WILDLIFE & MARINE RESOURCES CHIEF
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION
WASHINGTON, D.C. Long-time Environment and Natural Resources Division
employee Jean Williams has accepted the job of Wildlife & Marine Resources Section Chief,
Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General for the division, announced today. Williams replaces
Eileen Sobeck, who has become a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and
Natural Resources Division (ENRD).
"I am pleased that Jean has agreed to serve as Wildlife and Marine Resources Section
Chief," Schiffer said. "Jean is a committed public servant who cares deeply about the
environment. She is an expert in wildlife and marine resources law and has proven management
experience. I know Jean will continue to serve this division and the entire department well in her
new job."
Williams has served since 1983 in the Wildlife & Marine Resources Section of the
ENRD, most recently as an Assistant Chief, overseeing the section's civil litigation attorneys in
enforcing federal environmental laws. Before joining the Justice Department, Williams was in
private practice, specializing in white collar criminal defense matters and general civil litigation.
Williams will lead the section that is responsible for enforcing federal wildlife and marine
resources laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Marine
Mammal Protection Act. The Wildlife and Marine Resources Section also defends cases brought
against federal agencies under wildlife and marine laws, such as claims brought against the U.S.
Forest Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service challenging species protection practices in
national forests and on public lands. In addition, the section handles criminal matters, including
prosecutions of those who are charged with smuggling rare species into the United States.
Williams is a graduate of Goucher College and Tulane University School of Law. An
avid jogger and gardener, she lives in Bethesda, MD, with her daughter.
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