When asked about her personal philosophy, Ally Cunningham said, “Top-tier client service is the key to winning. I make it a priority to be available whenever clients need me, ensuring we meet deadlines and achieve success together, no matter what it takes.” According to one in-house counsel, “Ally has exceeded expectations and is truly a trusted colleague and a great value add for the team.”

With a focus on environmental, toxic tort and crisis-related litigation, Allyson (Ally) Cunningham manages a national practice serving Fortune 500 and large privately held companies, and start-ups. While she primarily handles litigation and regulatory counseling, Ally also provides strategic communications, crisis response, government relations, and public affairs counsel. Clients benefit from her experience handling mass tort and class action cases with large groups of claimants because of Ally’s deep knowledge of high-stakes disputes involving environmental and tort liability, as well as insurance coverage.

With a blend of litigation acumen, regulatory insight, strategic compliance and permitting counsel and strategic crisis management, Ally provides clients with a robust defense against environmental and toxic tort challenges. She has handled matters involving:

  • Class Action Defense
  • Citizen suit litigation under various environmental regulations
  • Clean Air Act litigation
  • Clean Water Act litigation
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund)
  • Insurance Recovery and Counseling
  • Mass Torts
  • Multi-District Litigation (MDL)
  • Odor Nuisance
  • Per – and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA)

Ally’s litigation portfolio includes complex toxic tort claims, class actions and broader tort and business disputes. Noteworthy achievements include successfully challenging class certification, securing summary judgment dismissals and resolving high-profile class actions related to radioactive material from the Manhattan Project.

Recognized as a leading authority on emerging contaminants, particularly PFAS, Ally navigates technical issues in state and federal regulatory matters. Her comprehensive approach includes defending multi-plaintiff tort claims, class actions, and advising clients on regulatory compliance, remediation strategies and the mitigation of litigation risk.

In crisis-related litigation, Ally integrates litigation defense, regulatory compliance and government relations to develop holistic solutions for clients. Her extensive interactions with government agencies, including the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office and Missouri State Capitol, along with federal enforcement actions, underscore her regulatory experience.

When asked…

Why did you become a lawyer?

I like to dive into complex problems and find quick and effective resolutions. I’m passionate about solving challenges swiftly, fairly and efficiently, ensuring clients achieve the best outcomes possible.

What do you do outside of work?

Outside of being an attorney, my life revolves around my energetic three-year-old son and my loyal black lab, Hank. I enjoy exploring new destinations around the globe with my husband and son, and when we’re not traveling or working, we enjoy hiking, golfing and spending time outdoors. We regularly vacation among the Colorado mountains to recharge and reconnect with nature whenever possible.