Tara M. Derbisz
Overview
As a former federal prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer, Tara brings a wealth of litigation experience to Crowell & Moring’s Environment and Natural Resources Group.
Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Tara practiced as a Trial Attorney within the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she served as first-chair counsel in natural resources litigation involving the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause and contracts issues before the Court of Federal Claims. Additionally, she previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, and a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, where she tried dozens of federal criminal matters.
Career & Education
- Department of Justice: Environment and Natural Resources Division
Trial Attorney, 2024
- Department of Justice: United States Attorneys' Office
Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, 2022–2024
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, 2023
- Department of Justice: Environment and Natural Resources Division
- Senior Government Relations Legislative Analyst, Defenders of Wildlife, 2018–2020
- Litigation Fellow, The Humane Society of the United States, 2017–2018
- University of Maryland, College Park, B.A., in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2014
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 2017
- Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service, Certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies, 2017
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Career Judicial Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, 2020–2022
- D.C. Bar
- American Bar Association
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- Georgetown Environmental Law Review: Managing Editor, 2017
Tara's Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.16.25
On September 11, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the D.C. Circuit to vacate regulations for four types of polyfluoroalkyls (known collectively as “PFAS”) in drinking water. The motion for partial vacatur marks a significant reversal in the agency’s policy, as the EPA had previously vigorously defended legal challenges to the first-of-their-kind standards in federal court for the past two years. See American Water Works Association, et al. v. EPA, case no. 24-1188 and consolidated cases (D.C. Cir. filed June 7, 2024). Just this month, the case was given the green light to proceed, after being held in abeyance (at the request of both parties) so that the Trump administration could determine how it wished to proceed. The change signals a willingness on the part of the administration to act on previously issued non-legally binding announcements of forthcoming changes to Biden-era rules and may also serve as a harbinger for how the new administration will tackle PFAS under other statutes, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Client Alert | 7 min read | 09.08.25
California’s Climate Disclosure Laws Continue to Roll Forward
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.16.25
Insights
Tara's Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.16.25
On September 11, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the D.C. Circuit to vacate regulations for four types of polyfluoroalkyls (known collectively as “PFAS”) in drinking water. The motion for partial vacatur marks a significant reversal in the agency’s policy, as the EPA had previously vigorously defended legal challenges to the first-of-their-kind standards in federal court for the past two years. See American Water Works Association, et al. v. EPA, case no. 24-1188 and consolidated cases (D.C. Cir. filed June 7, 2024). Just this month, the case was given the green light to proceed, after being held in abeyance (at the request of both parties) so that the Trump administration could determine how it wished to proceed. The change signals a willingness on the part of the administration to act on previously issued non-legally binding announcements of forthcoming changes to Biden-era rules and may also serve as a harbinger for how the new administration will tackle PFAS under other statutes, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Client Alert | 7 min read | 09.08.25
California’s Climate Disclosure Laws Continue to Roll Forward
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.16.25
