Gould + Ratner
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Environmental

Gould & Ratner’s Environmental Practice has successfully resolved a wide range of environmental issues involving air emissions, water quality, noise pollution, mine reclamation, disposal of hazardous waste, leaking underground storage tanks, oil spills, wetlands permits and the allocation of multi-party liability for superfund site remediation.

We have extensive experience in coordinating transactional due diligence, handling state and federal investigations, and defending all types of civil enforcement proceedings at federal, state and local levels of government.

Our clients come from a diverse array of industries, including trucking, building materials, manufacturing, real estate development, consulting, lenders and other corporate clients in a broad range of environmental matters, including federal and state litigation, regulatory development, and compliance, permitting and operational issues.

In addition to representing clients when problems occur, we are actively involved in planning for environmental concerns and providing counsel regarding regulatory compliance and preventive measures, including environmental management systems and risk reduction.

Two of our attorneys are U.S. Green Building Council certified LEED® Green Associates. They are able to advise the firm’s clients on environmental issues arising in connection with purchase/sale/lease transactions, real estate development, “green building” standards, liabilities and sustainability and land use, including risk assessment and allocation as well as compliance concerns.

We also act as trial counsel in environmental disputes, representing the firm’s clients before the Illinois Pollution Control Board and in state and federal courts. We provide counsel in matters involving environmental auditing, site remediation, wetlands preservation and permitting, endangered species, stormwater permitting, air permitting compliance, archaeological sites, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Superfund remedial actions, asbestos abatements, and the removal and cleanup of underground storage tanks. Our attorneys also advise clients regarding voluntary environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance audits.

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Representative Matters

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  • Trial counsel for a major Midwest stone quarry in a federal Clean Water Act case seeking over $100 million in damages.
  • Trial counsel for aggregate’s company at Illinois Pollution Control Board in connection with alleged landfill violations of licensee.
  • Trial counsel for owner of investment properties in connection with private cost recovery action under federal CERCLA.
  • Environmental counsel to major client with respect to potential real estate acquisition including concerns about endangered species, wetlands, historical contamination and archaeological sites.
  • Environmental counsel to client purchasing assets from bankrupt estate of national clothing distributor.
  • Environmental counsel to major aggregate production company with respect to potential sale.
  • Litigation/environmental counsel to purchasers in connection with numerous multimillion-dollar acquisitions of trailer company, agricultural machinery company and aggregates resources.
  • Trial counsel for furniture manufacturer in dispute concerning sales representation, marketing and antitrust issues.
  • Trial counsel for trailer manufacturer in multimillion-dollar dispute with supplier and customer over issues of warranty, contract and misrepresentation.
  • Trial counsel for regulated electric utility in arbitration seeking damages in excess of $40 million for alleged breach of electric power marketing contract.
The touchstone of our service to clients is translating our legal skill and business experience into practical solutions that work, helping our clients succeed.