Education

• Thomas More College

  (B.S., cum laude, 1991)

• Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University

  (J.D., cum laude, 1996)

Admissions

• State of Ohio
• Commonwealth of Kentucky
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Represents business entities and developers in all phases of environmental compliance, permitting and litigation.
• Counsels clients subject to regulatory enforcement actions under federal, state and local laws.
• Counsels property owners and developers in real estate transactions on due diligence, permitting, environmental remediation, construction and other development issues.
• Defense of developer in an alleged clean water act violation for impacts to over 100 acres of wetlands.
• Represented client developing CNG service stations in the Midwest; joint venture with national energy company.
• Represented restaurant owners/developer for remedial plan to satisfy SBA loan requirements.
• Represented national retailer on evaluation of ground settlement and methane gas intrusion associated with development over former landfill; coordinated expert investigations, negotiations with landlord and eventual store closing, lease termination, and post-termination claims by landlord.
• Evaluated environmental conditions and oversight of ongoing remediation at various Ohio sites, including brownfield cleanups and Ohio VAP properties, for development by national retailer.
• Represented cokemaking and coal logistics company on transactions in Ohio and Kentucky.
• Ohio PUCO representation for national retail client opposing rate filings by Ohio utilities.
• Due diligence for various real estate and corporate transactions including establishing due diligence plans for buyers, analyzing results, and developing strategy to deal with known or potential contamination, evaluating third-party reports, and preparing properties for sale.
• Negotiated terms for real estate and corporate transactions to allocate environmental liabilities and establish pre- or post-closing procedures to address known or discovered contamination.
• Successfully prosecuted claims against environmental contractor on behalf of design-builder.
• Successfully defended Seller of Industrial property against claim for environmental damages by buyer.

Client Alerts

• "EPA Announces New Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Standard Effective February 2023," Ulmer & Berne LLP Client Alert (January 2023)
• "Ohio EPA Industrial Stormwater General Permit Deadline Quickly Approaching," Ulmer & Berne LLP Client Alert (August 2022)
• "Deadlines for Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation and Site Revitalization Programs Fast Approaching," Ulmer & Berne LLP Client Alert (December 2021)
• "New Ohio Law Protects Purchasers of Contaminated Property," Ulmer & Berne LLP Client Alert (September 2020)
• "U.S. EPA May Excuse Violations Caused by COVID-19; States May Not Follow Suit," Ulmer & Berne LLP Client Alert (April 2020)

Publications

• “New Ohio Law Protects Purchasers of Contaminated Property,” Crain’s Cleveland Business Guest Blog (September 2020)
• “Environmental Solutions During the Pandemic,” Properties Magazine (June 2020)
• “Tools for Brownfield Redevelopment,” Properties Magazine (June 2017)

Presentations

• “Environmental Due Diligence and Lease Considerations for Landlords and Tenants,” Ulmer & Berne LLP Webinar (August 2023)
• “New Phase I ESA Standard & Solving Environmental Problems During Real Estate Transactions,” Ulmer & Berne LLP Webinar (April 2022)
• “Environmental Due Diligence in Real Estate Transactions: Phase II,” Ulmer & Berne LLP Webinar (September 2021)
• “Environmental Due Diligence for Real Estate Transactions,” Ulmer & Berne LLP Webinar (June 2021)
• “Alternative Financing Sources for Redevelopment of Property,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Environmental Law Institute: The Redevelopment and the Revival of Cleveland (December 2017)
• “Developments in Federal and Ohio Environmental Law,” HalfMoon Engineering Law and Ethics Seminar (June 2017)
• “Environmental Update for Construction Professionals,” Ohio ABC Seminar (March 2017)
• “Environmental Liabilities in Real Estate,” National Business Institute (December 2016)
• Construction and Environmental Law for Commercial Real Estate Licenses (December 2014)
• University of Cincinnati College of Law Institute for the Global Practice of Law (July 2014)
• Legal Considerations in Sustainable Design/Construction, SAME Conference (November 2012)
• Going Green – A Real Estate Broker’s Primer of Green Building Initiatives (December 2011)
• Green Buildings & New Technology Conference Program (October 2008)
• Getting into Green vs. Leaping into LEED Conference (September 2008)
• Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions (December 6, 2006)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Ohio State Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
• Kentucky Bar Association, Natural Resources Section
• Cincinnati Bar Association, Environmental and Construction Law Committees
• Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Energy and Environment Committee (2010-2014)
• Northern Kentucky Chamber, Energy and Environment Committee
• Ohio Supreme Court New Lawyer Mentoring (2008-Present)
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Cincinnati Chapter, Board Member (2012-13)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Fort Thomas Economic Development Committee
• Northern Kentucky Soccer Academy, Board Member/President
• Campbell County North Soccer Club, former Board Member/President

• Named to The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law (2024)

• Ulmer Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 Report
• Ulmer & Berne Promotes Three to Partner, One to Counsel