Law Bulletins
Tommy B. Sokolowski
Associate Indianapolis
- E tsokolowski@taftlaw.com
- T (317) 713-3439
- F (317) 713-3699
Summary
Tommy is an attorney in Taft’s Indianapolis office and focuses his practice on environmental law. He regularly counsels clients on permitting and compliance under numerous environmental statutes and regulations for the construction and operation of facilities, with a particular focus on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste programs. He also routinely works with buyers, sellers, and lenders on M&A and real estate deals and assists those clients in structuring transactions to minimize and allocate environmental liabilities and risks. Tommy’s recent work at Taft includes matters related to carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects.
Prior to joining Taft, Tommy worked as a judicial extern at both the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and at Marion Superior Court, Civil and Criminal Divisions. Tommy also worked as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the General Counsel.
Tommy earned his J.D, magna cum laude, and Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. During law school, Tommy was awarded as a Kennedy Law Scholar and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Indiana Law Review. Additionally, he served as president of the Environmental Law Society and president of the Christian Legal Society. Tommy earned his B.S. in biology and B.A. in geology-focused environmental science, magna cum laude, from Wheaton College, where he focused his student research on the interplay between species presence and environmental conditions, parasitic organisms, and genetics. At Wheaton, he also served as a captain of the Men’s Club Lacrosse team.
Awards
Honoree, Indiana Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Environmental (2025)
Honoree, Best Lawyers® “Ones to Watch,” Environmental Law (2025)
Taft Pro Bono Honor Roll Award (2025)
All Service Areas
Education
- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (2022)
Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
magna cum laude
Indiana Law Review, Editor-in-Chief - Wheaton College (2016)
magna cum laude
B.S – Biology
B.A. – Geology
Admissions
- State - Indiana
- Federal - Indiana Northern District Court
- Federal - Indiana Southern District Court
Speeches and Publications
- Thomas B. Sokolowski, Session Speaker at the National Society of Professional Engineers NSPECon24: The Death of Chevron: What Does the Supreme Court’s Ruling Mean for Engineering? (Aug. 9, 2024).
- Thomas. B. Sokolowski, Can Criminals Change Environmental Law? An Analysis of McGirt and its Implications on Regulating the Environment, 55 IND. L. REV. 857 (2022).
- Van Dyke, B. W. Van Ee, S. Harju, J. W. Budi, T. B. Sokolowski, and B. Keas. 2023. Distinguishing and Using Two Species of Fish in Assessment of Stream Quality. Ichthyology and Herpetology. 111(4): 584-596.
News
Indiana Gov. Braun Orders Limits on State Environmental Regulations News
Seventy Taft Attorneys Named to 2025 Taft Pro Bono Honor Roll News
Twenty-One Taft Attorneys Selected to Indiana Rising Stars 2025 Law Bulletins
EPA Communications to the Public Slow Amid Presidential Transition
Professional Affiliations
- Indiana State Bar Association
Member
- Indianapolis Bar Association
Member
- Indiana Air & Waste Management Association
Vice Chair
- Environmental Law Institute
Member
Community Involvement
- Christian Legal Society
Board Member