William Wesley Carter views his recent move from the U.S. Attorney’s Office to the law firm of Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP as a natural progression.

“It’s very similar to what I was doing before,” Carter said. “Ultimately whether in government or private practice, you’re detecting a problem, trying to abate it and get it cleaned up.”

During the two decades Carter spent at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he prosecuted the Los Angeles Police Department over the Rampart Division scandal as well as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for dumping oil into the ocean.

The Royal Caribbean case was a particular highlight for Carter, who says it set a new precedent that held international companies responsible for environmental compliance at sea.

“We were able to establish jurisdiction over these international companies because they were coming into our ports with falsified documents,” Carter said. “This case showed the shipping industry that we could take action and that they needed to change their practices internationally.”

Now that he’s at Musick Peeler & Garrett, Carter plans to use his experience in the public sector to prevent the environmental mistakes he prosecuted in the past.

“I think the majority of what I’m going to do will be proactive,” Carter said. “I will advise companies and public municipalities on the applicable rules and regulations, I’ll make sure they follow those rules and avoid serious contamination or injury.”

He lives in Ventura County with his wife and three children. He enjoys kayaking in the Channel Islands and hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains.