Services:
Environmental & Energy
Fitzpatrick Law plc offers services in three principal areas:
Environmental & Energy; Project Approval Facilitation; and Strategic Communications & Advocacy.
The Fitzpatrick firm is equipped to advise individual clients and businesses on a broad range of legal environmental needs. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s extensive experience includes the following:
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Advised various American businesses on environmental legal issues in foreign countries (“outbound” work), and advised overseas corporations on environmental matters in the U.S. (“in-bound” work).
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Negotiated the environmental aspects of a $75 million multi-use project in Birmingham, MI with luxury condominiums, retail shops, professional offices, restaurants and a movie theatre.
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Represented various clients regarding “dredge and fill” permits; wetlands delineation, banking and mitigation; stream-channel encroachment projects; and riverbed remediation.
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Represented buyers in acquisition of power generation facilities in Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Hawaii.
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Advised business owners regarding groundwater contamination, containment and remediation at numerous sites across the country.
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Served as environmental deal counsel to big box retailer in $3.3 billion financing secured by mortgages on 148 properties located throughout North America.
Divide & Recapture Service
In January of 2015, Michigan’s Governor signed into law important changes to the State’s environmental transactional statute. The revised law expands the ability of owners of contaminated property to carve up parcels, isolate the contaminated portions, and sell, repurpose, or otherwise recapture the value of the non-impacted portions. Fitzpatrick Law is available to assess individual and corporate real property portfolios to identify unrealized value and to guide clients through the recapture process.
Project Approval Facilitation
Fitzpatrick Law is ready to assist clients through all phases of their development projects – from initial design to grand opening. The firm’s founder has provided a broad range of services to businesses and foundations:
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Consultation at the inception stage to identify preferred locations, site features and project elements to reduce potential obstacles and costs down the road.
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Permit-path delineation;
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Alternatives analysis and Environmental Impact Statement analysis, management and opposition;
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Simultaneous multi-track pursuit of required approvals;
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Pre-meets with government agencies and municipal planning commissions and zoning boards;
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Consensus building;
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Litigation (sometimes on the attack, sometimes defending against actions brought by opponents of client projects);
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Media interface;
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Public meetings;
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Marshalling community support;
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Commanding point on (formal and informal) Public Comment preparation and response; and
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Consulting on outside-the-box impasse resolution strategies (including cost-conscious and business-smart alternatives to litigation).
Advocacy & Strategic Communications
“Persuasion is the centerpiece of business activity. Customers must be convinced to buy your company’s products or services, employees and colleagues to go along with a new strategic plan or reorganization, investors to buy (or not to sell) your stock, and partners to sign the next deal. But despite the critical importance of persuasion, most executives struggle to communicate, let alone inspire.”
-- Harvard Business Review
For details on the firm's services in this area, take a look at the Fitzpatrick Advocacy page on this website.