Environmental Law
We represent corporate and individual clients of all sizes to address environmental issues in a wide variety of contexts. From representing Potentially Responsible Parties (“PRPs”) to resolve liabilities at some of the largest multi-party Superfund sites in the country, to regularly advocating for our clients before the EPA and their State and Local agency counterparts, our extensive experience has helped our clients address complex environmental issues and liabilities in responsible and cost-effective ways. Through our extensive involvement in numerous high-profile environmental matters in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, we have also developed long-standing relationships with other environmental law practitioners, Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (“LSRPs”), environmental consultants and experts, and environmental agency personnel, which we routinely leverage to help resolve environmental matters for our clients as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Confronting Environmental Statutes and Regulations
Federal and State environmental statutes and regulations are among the most stringent ever enacted, imposing strict liability and few defenses. For that reason, confronting an alleged liability head on through early, good faith negotiations is nearly always advisable in order to remediate the problem as quickly as possible and ensure that the proper parties all pay their respective fair shares. Sometimes, however, even the best-intentioned negotiations fail, and some form of adversarial proceeding is unavoidable. Whether through litigation, mediation, or other private party allocation proceeding, we routinely and successfully represent our clients to ensure that they do not pay more than their fair share, while compelling other responsible parties, from owner/operator PRPs to insurance carriers, to participate in funding all necessary cleanup work.
Minimizing Client's Environmental Liabilities
Environmental liabilities can be devastating, and a relatively “small player” can be stuck footing the bill for large volume PRPs whose relative environmental sophistication and experience provide them with every advantage in minimizing their liability. Our environmental advocates put that same knowledge, sophistication, and experience to work for our clients every day.
We are proud to be able to offer valuable assistance to our clients at every stage of the business, from formation to the exit of the original owners – it’s all part of helping our clients make all the right moves to achieve their business and personal goals.
Some of Our Practice Areas
Below are some of the many environmental matters we routinely handle for our clients:
- Contribution and Indemnity Claims and Litigation
- Defense of Federal and State Administrative Proceedings
- Drafting and negotiating Site Access Agreements
- Environmental Due Diligence in Commercial and Residential Real Estate Transactions
- Environmental Insurance Claims Analysis and Litigation
- Multi-Party PRP Group Representation, including Arbitration, Mediation, Third-Party Neutral Allocations and Litigation
If you have any questions or require assistance with any kind of environmental matter, please contact Alan S. Golub, who heads up our environmental law practice.