Morris, Manning & Martin’s Environmental Practice develops mechanisms through which environmentally impacted properties can be purchased, financed, redeveloped and sold in an increasingly challenging market. Our excellent service and skills are evidenced by the practice’s ranking in Chambers USA 2011, a leading legal services ranking publication.

Key Services

• Construction
• Eminent domain & condemnation
• Energy & infrastructure finance
• Environmental insurance negotiations & claims
• Environmental litigation
• Environmental permitting
• Foreclosure on environmentally impacted property and strategy for risk minimization
• Green business
• Litigation, arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution in all state and federal courts and forums
• Negotiating risk allocation of environmental costs and liabilities
• Negotiations of remediation agreements
• Negotiations with state & federal regulators
• Pre-transaction environmental strategy and due diligence
• Purchase, redevelopment, financing and sale of environmentally impacted properties (brownfields)

Local Counsel, Worldwide

Our Environmental Practice is a national practice. We serve as specialized counsel for our clients, regardless of location, and we have created the network needed to provide solutions for our clients across the country. We have handled significant projects in over 40 of the 50 U.S. states. The substantial network we’ve created through our vast experience includes strategic relationships with equity sources, lenders, insurance companies and heads of state agencies. Though our experience is most substantial in the U.S., our lawyers have also handled the acquisition, financing and disposition of properties in Australia, Asia, Europe and South America, as well as Canada and Mexico.

Economic Incentives and Redevelopment

Morris, Manning & Martin’s Environmental Practice goes beyond the traditional role of environmental counsel to provide the broader economic development assistance needed for redevelopment of urban and industrial areas, including airports, seaports and transportation corridors. A fundamental component of our involvement includes working with state and federal agencies to draft legislation that promotes tax and economic incentives for redevelopment. We also coordinate the transportation, land use and environmental issues necessary for success in these projects.

Proven Experience

Our lawyers have particular depth in managing and solving the following types of issues:

1. Impact from former operations – Our lawyers represent sellers, buyers and lenders in the environmental clean up of properties that have been impacted by former operations, including the liability issues associated with the clean up.
2. Water issues – We manage the permitting process at both local and state levels and create mechanisms to insure properties have accurate water supplies both now and in the future.
3. Permitting – Our lawyers help clients get the proper permits for water supplies, streams and endangered species involved in their developments. One example is the permitting related to dredging and filling needed for port-related expansions and development of other waterfront properties.
4. Legislation – We work with legislators and state and federal agencies to ensure the clean-up and development of impacted properties is beneficial for both the communities and the developers. We also draft pertinent legislation to help our clients succeed in their efforts. For instance, the head of our practice served as a legislative appointee to the Commission formed to review reauthorization of Georgia’s Hazardous Waste Trust Fund and was the principal author of Georgia’s current brownfield legislation.
5. Project Finance – Our lawyers work with lenders and insurers to help secure the funding and coverage needed to make their projects happen. In addition, we help our clients secure state tax credits and federal grants to offset the costs of environmental clean up and often, the costs of the development of impacted properties.