ENVIRONMENTAL LAW COUNSEL, P.C.
Environmental Law Counsel, P.C. founder, Patricia F. Sharkey, has practiced environmental law for over 30 years. Pat began her legal career in state and federal government and went on to help build the environmental law practices at two major law firms before founding Environmental Law Counsel, a specialty environmental law firm, in September 2011.
ELC focuses on environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and policy development. If trouble arises, we bring the substantive environmental law expertise to match that of the government or third party claimants in litigation before EPA, state regulators, and federal, state and administrative tribunals.
ELC specializes in complex air, water and hazardous waste matters, including permitting of new construction and plant modifications. We frequently represent clients in permit appeals before the EPA Environmental Appeals Board and state administrative agencies, and, when necessary, we take those appeals up through the courts. We defend clients facing EPA and state enforcement actions, and also work proactively to obtain site specific regulatory relief for individual clients. Occasionally, we are asked to spearhead entire industry initiatives before regulatory agencies.
As environmental counselors, we help our clients navigate complex regulatory regimes and their application to business operations and new technologies. For example, we negotiate and advise on contaminated property remediation, counsel on environmental compliance for new construction on “greenfield,” “brownfield” and wetlands sites, and assist in the development of sound corporate environmental policy and procedures.
When our clients buy and sell property, we lead the environmental due diligence and assist our clients in understanding environmental risks and structuring contracts to manage environmental liabilities. We have broad experience in both large and small property transactions as well as multi-state and international corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Associations
- American Bar Association, Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources Law and Section on Science and Technology Law.
- Illinois State Bar Association, Governing Council of Environmental Law Section
- Air & Waste Management Association, Lake Michigan States Section