Jacob Podell is an associate attorney at Wallace Miller. Between his previous work with appellate courts, government agencies, and his current practice at Wallace Miller, Jacob has spent his career at the intersection of science, policy, and law, fighting to protect communities from environmental and corporate harm. He brings a sharp legal mind, extensive experience in environmental law, and a relentless drive to hold powerful entities accountable.
Before joining Wallace Miller, Jacob served as an attorney at the Enivronmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Chicago where he worked with teams of scientists and investigators to uncover environmental violations, respond to environmental crises, and enforce regulations that keep people safe. That experience sharpened his ability to dig into complex intersections between science and law and showed him firsthand how large institutions respond to legal accountability.
At Wallace Miller, Jacob focuses on class action and mass tort cases dealing with environmental and widespread harm. Whether he’s investigating corporate misconduct or building legal strategies to challenge unjust systems, he is guided by a simple principle: at both an individual and a systemic level, accountability matters.
Jacob received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, majoring in Environmental Studies. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as a Senior Editor of the Michigan Law Review. During law school, he worked at the Environmental Law Institute, the Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic, and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. Following law school, Jacob clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
“Harm is happening, and it needs to be corrected,” Jacob says. “At Wallace Miller, I’m continuing to do the work that needs to be done—holding accountable people who profit by putting harm into the world and leaving someone else to bear the consequences.”
