Jon Niermann has joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner in Austin in the environmental practice, after serving as chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality since 2018.

Niermann, who started at the firm on Monday, has deep experience working in the environmental field for the state of Texas. He was chief of the Environmental Protection Division at the Texas Attorney General's Office from 2012 to 2015, and then joined the TCEQ in 2015, before ascending to the chair role in 2018. Earlier in his career, he practiced at Baker Botts.