Environmental

Overview

Reducing exposure to costly environmental liabilities is a difficult task, especially in today’s climate of complex and constantly changing laws and regulations. Nationally ranked by “Best Law Firms” 2021 by U.S. News – Best Lawyers, Dykema’s environmental practice helps navigate the rules, manage risk and resolve the environmental disputes that can curb the ability to move a business forward.

We have successfully handled all major types of environmental matters, from small-scale, on-site remediation projects to the defense of multimillion-dollar enforcement actions. Our litigators have handled the gamut of environmental claims—including general damage claims and citizen lawsuits. Dykema’s environmental regulatory and transactional practitioners are broadly experienced in assisting clients with application and negotiation of permits and consent orders for air, waste management, water, underground storage tank, site remediation and property redevelopment-related matters. Members of our environmental team also possess technical agency and lobbying backgrounds in key areas of environmental science. This experience and background ensures our clients get a highly skilled team that can handle your challenging environmental matters in areas including:

Agency Enforcement and Private Party Litigation

Environmental disputes can be some of the most contentious and potentially debilitating a business can face. When the battles get tough, clients rely on Dykema’s considerable courtroom strength and extensive case management skills to help achieve a timely and favorable resolution. Read more.

Corporate and Real Estate Transactions

Dykema’s environmental transactional attorneys to help navigate the liability pitfalls that can quickly turn an attractive deal into a regrettable one. Together with our team’s extensive regulatory knowledge, clients benefit from informed and thoroughly considered due diligence to that helps guide decisions about moving deals forward. Read more.

Environmental Regulatory Compliance

With experience that crosses all major segments, Dykema lawyers are prepared to help clients through even the most complicated environmental enforcement and administrative actions—from application and negotiation of permits and site remediation to property redevelopment matters to advising clients on chemicals management in their products. Read more.

Site Remediation

Dykema’s environmental lawyers have substantial experience helping clients address remediation liability issues including the negotiation of settlements with agencies and private parties under both federal and state laws, as well as within the context of CERCLA and state law equivalents covering hazardous substance releases. Read more.

In addition to our experience and legal knowledge, our clients come to us for our innovative approaches and special expertise. For example, we pioneered a city-wide ordinance approach to site remediation, which has resulted in significant cost and time savings for our clients and is now being replicated elsewhere. We are also one of a select group of firms nationwide who has successfully handled environmental insurance coverage litigation, and the American Bar Association has recognized our leadership in this area by asking us to help achieve an industry-wide protocol to better address these costly environmental litigation problems.

When businesses engage Dykema, they engage a team that takes the time to understand their business objectives and how their environmental issues affect their ability to meet them. We frequently work with clients to develop long-term plans for their ongoing environmental remedies, so they can better project and budget for future costs. We also collaborate with clients to assess how alternative approaches to their legal spending might benefit their long-term goals. We use this consultative approach in both our legal advice and our management of client matters, constantly keeping an eye to how we can most effectively and cost-efficiently handle our clients' environmental challenges.

Key areas of experience:

  • Air quality
  • Audits
  • Contaminated property liability
  • Environmental litigation
  • Environmental permitting and compliance enforcement
  • Hazardous and solid waste
  • Land use planning
  • Lobbying
  • Real estate
  • Remediation
  • Reporting
  • Toxic chemicals/toxic torts
  • Transaction due diligence
  • Water quality
  • Wetlands

Water Rights

Dykema lawyers advise clients in a variety of industries regarding water rights and legal issues involved in the provision of water services.  Read more.

Events & Speaking Engagements