Bret Sparks is an associate in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.  He focuses his practice on monitoring and lobbying legislative issues on behalf of clients as well as navigating the permitting process and other regulatory matters, utilizing litigation when necessary.

Prior to joining Kelley Drye, Bret was a NOAA Sea Grant Fellow for Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), where he managed legislative priorities for the Senator’s oceans, fisheries, energy, science, and environment portfolio.  He briefed and led the Senator through meetings on matters in his portfolio, and he drafted and negotiated legislative text with other Congressional offices to advance legislative priorities of the Senator, including maritime security legislation focused on interagency enforcement of illegal fishing activities.  Bret also led the appropriations process for constituent requests in both the Commerce, Justice, & Science and the Interior & Environment Subcommittees.

From his time on the Hill, Bret developed lasting relationships with Congressional offices and agency officials, which afford him the necessary leverage to fulfill his clients’ needs at the federal level.

While in law school at LSU, Bret worked part-time for the Louisiana Mid-Continental Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA), in the U.S. District Court of Louisiana’s Middle District for Magistrate Judge Erin Wilder-Doomes, and for Carver Darden, LLC in New Orleans.

Led two bills, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Act of 2017 and the Commercial Engagement through Ocean Technology (CENOTE) Act, from introduction to law.

ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, programs vice-chair