Balch & Bingham was once known as the place to go as one of the premier law firms with the best environmental practices in the Southeast.

That reputation was solid until one of Balch’s top environmental lawyers, Joel I. Gilbert , was convicted on all six criminal charges and sentenced to five years in federal prison last year.

Gilbert’s bribery scheme and ghost-written letters appear to be a pattern of alleged unscrupulous behavior.

Last month, Richard E. Glaze, Jr. a top environmental lawyer at the Atlanta office of Balch & Bingham left the firm after nearly a decade. He jumped to Barnes & Thornburg.

Why?

According the U.K. publication CDR, “As environmental and resource management issues continue to dominate headlines, Barnes & Thornburg and Hunton Andrews Kurth have sought to appease their client’s environment-related commercial disputes needs by hiring a partner and a counsel in Atlanta and Boston, respectively.”

For Hunton Andrews Kurth, they hired their first-ever environmental lawyer in Boston according to Law 360.

As Balch & Bingham practice groups and partners possibly seek greener pastures, there concurrently is a growing need for environmental lawyers across the country.

And cherry-picking the best and the brightest with golden carrots could possibly impact Balch.

If they don’t believe us, just ask Rich.