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 Dean S. Sommer
Albany, New York
Dean S. Sommer (Partner) concentrates on the litigation and/or negotiation of environmental matters addressing the release of hazardous substances, hazardous waste, petroleum and solid waste into the environment. ChambersUSA, in its 2004 Guide, stated that Mr. Sommer is "a noted litigator" whose "expertise is on show in Superfund, RCRA and CWA issues". In 2005 ChambersUSA noted that "the first name on the lips of commentators was that of 'innovative' Dean Sommer, who stands out for his 'completely refreshing approach'". He has been listed by Chambers USA in the top ten of New York environmental attorneys since 2003. His clients include a mix of industry, municipalities and brown field developers and he provides both defense and plaintiff litigation services. Dean served as Section Chief of the Toxics Enforcement Unit in the Albany office of the State Attorney General's Office from 1983 until 1995. He served as a member of the transition team for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 1998. As an Assistant Attorney General, he was either the lead attorney or the supervising attorney on dozens of CERCLA and CWA cases.
- Administrative Law
- Administrative Hearings & Adjudication
- Administrave Investigations
- Regulatory Enforcement
- Agriculture Law
- Livestock
- Environmental Law
- Cleanup & Superfund
- Hazardous Waste
- Permits
- Regulatory Compliance & Auditing
- Solid Waste
- Water Pollution
- Native Peoples Law
- Tribal Lands
- Toxic Torts
- Pesticides
- 65% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
- New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Northern District of New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Western District of New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1995
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 2004
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
- Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia,
1978
Juris Doctor
- Washington University, St. Louis, MO,
1975
B.A.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Dean's List 1971-1975
Honors: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Major: Philosophy
- Article XIV Citizen's Suits in Federal Court Recognized by Appellate Division, New York State Bar Association-The New York Environmental Lawyer, Spring/Summer, 2000
- Emissions Trading Under the Clean Air Act, Capital District Business Review, Spring, 1999
- Credibility and Cost Containment Through Communication, Environmental Business Association of New York State, Inc. Environmental Business Update, Second Quarter Issue, 1997
- Working with Consultants, Environmental Due Diligence in Real Estate and Commercial Transactions, May 15, 1997
- The Challenge of Contaminated Properties: Potential Liabilities and Creative Approaches to Problems They Pose, New York State Bar Association-Environmental Law Section and Municipal Law Section, September, 1996
- Public Pollution/Public Resolution, National Environmental Enforcement Journal, August, 1995
- Electro-Magnetic Fields: Public Concern, National Environmental Enforcement Journal, May, 1994
- Beyond Compliance Enforcement, National Environmental Enforcement Journal, March, 1993
- Using Federal Civil RICO Against Outlaw Waste Haulers, National Environmental Enforcement Journal, October, 1992
- General Electric Co.
- Union College
- GasLand Petroleum
- Mercury Waste Solutions Inc.
- Onondaga Nation
- National Grid
- Home Depot
- Galesi Group
- Joint Prosecution Agreements Between the State and Indian Nations, Conference on the Environment and Native Americans in New York State,
2000
- Legal Implications of EPA Inspections in the Academic Environment, Environment 2000 Summit SUNY Environmental Health and Safety Association,
2000
- CERCLA Contribution Claims After Bedford Affiliates v. Sills, New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law CLE,
2000
- Creative Approaches to Contaminated Property, New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Municipal Law Section,
1996
- Land Use Environmental Mediation, 8th New York State National Conference on Dispute Resolution, Saratoga Springs, NY,
1996
- Brownfields in the Greenway: Public Participation, Greenway Council,
1996
- Hazardous Waste Clean-up in New York, Government Institutes-New York Environmental Law,
1996
- Brownfields - Legal Requirements, Northern New York Associated Environmental Technologies Conference,
1996
- Environmental Law for Engineers: Pollution & Risk Communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
1995
- Environmental Negotiation, Mediation and Enforcement, Bard College,
1995
- Conservationist of the Year, Brewster Land Conservancy Trust, Brewster, MA,
1996
- New York State Disaster Preparedness Commission,
1990
- City of Cortland, New York,
1989
- Appointment to transition Team for Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General, State of New York,
1998
- Brownfield Working Group for 2006 Transition Team for Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer,
2006
- Named as One of the Top Environmental Lawyers in Albany, New York,
2007
- The Best Lawyers in America(r),
2007
-
2008
- One of the Top 50 New York Super Lawyers - Upstate Edition,
2007
- New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section,
1999
- Present
- Co-Chair of the Environmental Enforcement Committee
- Ward, Sommer & Moore, LLC, Founding Partner,
1995
-
1999
- New York State Department of Law, Environmental Protection Bureau, Assistant Attorney General, Section Chief, Toxics Enforcement Unit,
1986
-
1995
- New York State Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Environmental Protection Bureau,
1983
-
1986
- Prisoner's Legal Services of New York, Attorney,
1978
-
1983
- Juvenile Justice Clinic, Georgetown University Law Center,
1977
-
1978
- Yankowsky, McCarthy and Jones, Criminal Investigator,
1977
-
1978
- Environmental Protection Bureau, Assistant Attorney General
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