Scott Cernich

Scott Cernich brings more than two decades of environmental litigation experience to Dema Law following his tenure as Senior Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division. At DOJ, he served in the Environmental Enforcement Section, where he led complex civil enforcement actions seeking civil penalties, injunctive relief, cleanup costs, and damages for injuries to natural resources.

His portfolio includes landmark cases such as In re Deepwater Horizon, stemming from the 2010 BP oil spill, and United States v. Taylor Energy, involving an ongoing 18-year oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. For his work on the Deepwater Horizon litigation, Scott and his colleagues received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service.

Driven by a lifelong passion for the outdoors—first sparked by his experiences in Scouting—Scott has dedicated his career to protecting vulnerable communities from air and water pollution and holding polluters accountable for environmental harm. His practice at Dema Law focuses on natural resource damages litigation, trial work, expert witness coordination, and discovery.

Outside the courtroom, Scott finds joy in his family, including watching his daughters perform on the stage and the field, fly fishing, fly tying, hiking, and live music.

He earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans.