NEW YORK – Jan. 16, 2020 – The Environmental Practice at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP grew by close to 10 percent in 2019. In addition, the practice’s rankings portfolio increased with team members recognized collectively and individually by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and U.S. News – Best Lawyers, among others, as well as serving as thought leaders, actively participating in key industry publications and events.
Notable Decisions
Team members guided clients through a broad range of matters, several notable and significant to the development of the law, and with positive outcomes, including those highlighted below.
- Settlement of a 28-year dispute over the Lower Fox River Superfund Site in Wisconsin for P. H. Glatfelter. Greenberg Traurig obtained a favorable ruling that the government had potentially over-recovered by tens of millions of dollars in earlier settlements with other responsible parties, and then leveraged that outcome by structuring a creative guaranteed fixed-price contract to provide the government a full recovery at a significant saving to the client.
- Successfully decertified on appeal, reversing the class certification of a group of commercial fishermen filing suit against Mosaic Fertilizer LLC in Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC v. Curd, et al., for allegedly polluting Tampa Bay. The court ruled that the fishermen had failed to show a reasonable methodology for proving classwide claims. The team then defeated the fishermen’s effort to circumvent decertification by mass joinder, and removed the subsequently filed mass tort to federal court, which is the subject of pending motion to dismiss.
- Represented two, 30-year clients in a large multi-party infrastructure project that is part of a major expansion of the Florida Turnpike and the construction of a new interchange estimated at more than $260 million. The project brought unique challenges including the relocation of canals, portions of roadways, and utility facilities on an existing quarry site, as well as addressing access and other issues associated with the well sites for an adjacent reverse osmosis water treatment plant.
Rankings
The practice and its attorneys received significant recognition in 2019 from the industry’s leading ranking bodies. Select rankings follow.
- For the ninth consecutive year, the practice received a Tier-1 ranking in U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”
- The practice received four new rankings by U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” including New York City, Litigation-Environmental; Colorado, Environmental Law; Sacramento, Environmental Law, and; National, Natural Resources Law.
- The Pennsylvania Environmental Practice raised its Chambers USA ranking to Band 2.
- Practice Co-Chair Kerri L. Barsh was one of three finalists selected for the Daily Business Review’s “Attorney of the Year”. The award recognizes standout achievements in the previous year by Florida legal professionals ranging from litigators and transactional attorneys to corporate general counsel.
- Christopher L. Bell, Francis A. Citera, and Gretchen N. Miller were named “Acritas Stars” by Acritas, a leading market analysis and legal industry research company, which uses client interviews to select leading lawyers.
Industry Leadership
During 2019, practice members participated in over 50 events around the world, published nearly 20 articles, and prepared more than 60 posts for its E2Law Blog. Numerous environmental attorneys published in various industry publications including Law360, Bloomberg Environment, Miami Herald, Utility Drive, For the Defense, The Denver Business Journal, Urban Land Institute magazine, and The Legal Intelligencer, among others. In addition to being published, many more of the practice’s attorneys presented at environmental conferences and seminars. Select 2019 conferences and seminars include:
- American Bar Association’s Master Class on Complex Environmental Liability Resolution - Laying a Solid Foundation for Brownfields Projects: A Fresh Look at Financing and Transferring Environmental Risk
- Association of Corporate Counsel - Emerging Contaminants: Managing Risks Amid Regulatory Patchwork
- Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Power Breakfast – Capitalizing on Downstream Gas
- Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy – Energy Transition in Holland
- Global Syngas Technologies Conference - The Future of the RFS and its Impact on the Syngas Industry
- Environmental Law Institute - Environmental Justice: The Pursuit of Energy Dominance & a Resilient Appalachia
- Latin America China Investors Forum - The Build Out: Chinese Capital in LatAm Infrastructure & Natural Resources
- Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation - Policy Directives from the Oval Office: Executive Orders and Other Presidential Instruments
- Women in Agribusiness Summit – Executive Panel
- Women’s White Collar Defense Association – Earth Day Panel
- Young Pipeline Professionals USA – Energy Development & Tribal Consultation
About Greenberg Traurig’s Environmental Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Environmental Practice assists clients with issues under the environmental and natural resource laws that affect their businesses. The firm’s environmental attorneys assist with securing permits and approvals; negotiating and closing transactions; defending clients in enforcement actions; handling a broad range of environmental and toxic tort litigation; ensuring the understanding and satisfaction of regulatory requirements; preparing for and respond to emergencies; crafting approaches for legacy cleanup issues; and developing solutions for product regulation, market access, and environmental policy challenges. Greenberg Traurig received a first-tier ranking in the "Environmental Law" and "Litigation — Environmental" categories in the U.S. News - Best Lawyers 2019 "Best Law Firms" report.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,100 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.