Balch & Bingham’s Peter LeJeune & Chris Yeilding Named 2024 “Best of the Bar” Honorees by the Birmingham Business Journal

Balch & Bingham is pleased to announce that Peter LeJeune and Chris Yeilding, partners in the firm's Birmingham office, have been named by the Birmingham Business Journal as 2024 “Best of the Bar” honorees for their outstanding contributions to the legal profession. 

Birmingham Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” award recognizes honorees as the best and brightest from the Magic City’s legal scene. Representing a wide array of legal disciplines, they are chosen for their exceptional achievements, influence within their firms, and contributions to Birmingham's legal landscape and economy, among other factors.

Peter is a leading nuclear energy lawyer in the United States and internationally, recognized for ten consecutive years in the Chambers USA Guide and for 3 years in the Chambers Global Guide for his nuclear energy work. In October 2023, Peter’s dedication and exemplary leadership led to him being named Chair of Balch & Bingham’s Energy Practice.

Peter’s practice focuses on representing owners and operators of nuclear power plants in new plant development, licensing and regulatory matters, and decommissioning. He is counsel to Southern Nuclear Operating Company and Georgia Power Company in the development of the new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle outside Augusta, Georgia (Unit 3 began operation in 2023 as the first newly-constructed nuclear unit in the U.S. in more than 30 years and Unit 4 is expected to enter operations in early 2024). Peter also works on new nuclear projects in the United States, Poland, and throughout western and central Europe and consults on a potential project in Slovenia.  

Chris is a partner in Balch’s Environmental Litigation practice with over twenty years of experience. He focuses his practice on litigated disputes involving environmental issues, real estate, and insurance coverage. Chris represents a high performance materials manufacturer in the defense of lawsuits involving PFAS substances. That representation includes the defense of class actions, multi-district litigation, mass actions, and individual lawsuits. Chris’s primary goal is working to find and implement solutions for his clients.  

Chris’s strategic vision in high-stakes litigation, coupled with his leadership and service in Birmingham's pro bono community, also sets him apart as a standout attorney deserving of recognition among the Birmingham Business Journal’s Best of the Bar. Chris served as the chair of Balch's Pro Bono Committee for four years, as well as serving on the Board of Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham (VLB) for four years, serving as President in his final year on the Board in 2019. Following his service on the board, Chris continues to volunteer for VLB-sponsored pro bono help desks and works on multiple pro bono matters each year. Chris has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America each year from 2014 to the present, including as a “Lawyer of the Year” in 2017.