Global Environmental Law
Our global footprint and expansive knowledge of environmental rules and regulations provide you with the expertise you need when your business expands beyond a single country. With many of our clients operating internationally, we frequently cross borders to provide legal counsel. We have assisted governments in formulating their environmental regulations, including drafting a new comprehensive federal environmental law for the
United Arab Emirates. Our experience includes representing clients regarding environmental compliance, corporate acquisitions and divestitures, and assessment and management of potential environmental liabilities in
Australia,
Canada, Latin America and throughout
Europe.
Our experience spans many years in addition to many countries. For example, under contract with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), we counsel the
Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago and serve as principal draftsman of that country’s comprehensive environmental framework legislation. Today, we assist clients in complying with EU regulations and in assessing the impact of EU environmental laws on a company’s ongoing operations.
Our international experience also includes the following:
- Identifying, analyzing and comparing potentially applicable environmental soil and groundwater cleanup standards in Europe and the United States for clients purchasing industrial facilities in Eastern Europe.
- Assessing and selecting appropriate clean up standards to address spills or historic contamination at facilities in Western Europe.
- Advising an Eastern Europe-based governmental entity on a proposed study for developing a comprehensive recycling program.
- Assisting clients regarding potential reporting requirements and cleanup standards for historic contamination at facilities in several European Union countries.
- Counseling a client in connection with Belgian surface water regulation and obtaining a discharge permit for a wastewater treatment system.
- Conducting a fact-finding mission in Europe with a US-based company and advising on the viability of expanding the company’s pollution control technology to Europe including a comprehensive assessment of European Community environmental law as well as German environmental regulations.
- Advising a Belgium-based client in transporting secondary metallurgical recyclable material from Singapore, Brazil and several European countries to the United States for processing.
- Drafting the organic environmental laws and regulations for the Federal Environmental Agency of the United Arab Emirates and assisting the agency in responding to a major petroleum spill.