Environmental Law

In environmental law, in exceptionally challenging cases, an ordinary approach is just not enough. Gregory A. Cade, has made this clear when he developed his personal vision of "Know your case". This is his leading principle that successfully combines all the necessary traits in order to solve complex legal issues. Having a solid science background is also a notable difference in his unique approach. Greg is using his Industrial Hygiene degree in handling injuries resulting from exposure to asbestos, benzene, creosote, coke emissions, dioxins, PAHs, PCBs, and other known toxicants. Representing thousands of individual and community claims all over the Southeast for 20 years, Greg is always driven to help injured people, be it in an occupational setting or in an environmental setting, in a mass setting or a class action setting. None of these would be possible without taking things personally, something that not every lawyer has the dedication to do. He has instilled in his entire firm a strong motivation to establish real connections with every client. Detailed knowledge, time consumption and financial risk may be enough reasons for most law firms to avoid environmental cases. For Greg, this is not the case. Patience, loyalty and knowledge make Greg a powerful ally on the side of environmental victims.

Practices in the areas of civil litigation, business and corporate matters, energy, transportation, insurance, environmental issues, land use, real estate, estate planning, and probate. He was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1994 after graduating the same year from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (Now Texas A&M). He is also licensed in the State of North Dakota. He is a member of the Insurance Section of the Texas State Bar, in addition to the Native American Law Section. When William J. Brotherton obtained his law degree in 1994 at the age of 44 after five years of night classes, he was the regional manager for BCM Engineers, Inc., a national environmental engineering firm. Prior to becoming an attorney, William worked at developing complex treatment plans for national Superfund sites and RCRA facilities as an environmental scientist. He received his MS in Environmental Science from the University of Texas at Dallas, and his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota. After obtaining his law degree, he then went on to teach environmental law as an adjunct professor for 12 years at Texas Christian University, and lectured in environmental and land-use law at the Center for Environmental Research and Training at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has also lectured at Lamar University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Texas at Dallas. William has served as a court-appointed special commissioner to determine the value of condemned property since 2006. Knowledgeable in that area as a result of his experience serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission for Flower Mound, Texas for over 6 years in addition to his service as a director of the Upper Trinity Regional Water District. Besides being licensed in the States of Texas and North Dakota, William is licensed in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Texas and the Eastern District of Texas. He is also licensed in the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Scott Cole is a Partner in the Atlanta office and works with several of the firm’s practice groups. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Cole has a civil engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. Mr. Cole is a senior member of the Transactional Practice Group. He focuses his energy on the sale of medical offices, including dental offices, to larger groups. In connection with this, he has worked with many of the larger national and regional DSOs. He represents clients, including technology, communications and energy companies, on a variety of matters ranging from entity selection, organizational structuring, transaction structuring, and working with clients through day-to-day and extraordinary business transactions. Mr. Cole works with corporate clients to identify strategic goals and assists them through initial planning, negotiations, and project completion. Mr. Cole worked as outside counsel to a suburban Atlanta county, local water authority, and currently serves as city attorney for Mansfield, GA. In those capacities, he drafted and reviewed various contracts, including GDOT and multi-million dollar construction contracts; drafted various ordinances and resolutions; and advised local officials on land acquisition, policy, and other matters.

Kathleen M. Lee is a Partner with Harwood Lloyd’s Commercial Department, specializing in commercial litigation, environmental law and estate litigation. Ms. Lee also has experience with employment, contracts and real estate matters. Ms. Lee received her B.A. in Journalism and History from the University of Connecticut in 1993. She received her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law – Newark in 1997. While attending Rutgers Law School, she served as Business Editor of the Women’s Rights Law Reporter from 1996-1997. Since 2001, Ms. Lee has served as pro bono counsel for Goals For Life, Inc., a non-profit, charitable corporation that has raised over $350,000 for worthy women’s health initiatives. Ms. Lee assisted with the formation of Goals For Life, has been a trustee of the organization since 2002 and President since 2004. Ms. Lee is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of New Jersey (1997), the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (1997), the courts of the District of Columbia (2013), and the courts of the State of New York (2013). Ms. Lee is a member of the Bergen County Bar Association.

The Law Office of William Most focuses on addressing civil rights and environmental issues, but has also handled matters involving land use, disability rights, drafting of contracts, trust litigation, etc.

Craig Provorny is Managing Director of Herold Law. His practice focuses on counseling clients in employment-related matters, representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in business and shareholder disputes, trust and estate litigation, environmental cost recovery actions, plaintiff insurance recovery, and general commercial litigation. Craig has appeared in both state and federal courts, including the trial, appellate, and New Jersey Supreme Court and has numerous published opinions.

Christopher C. Cara joined Pond Lehocky in September of 2012. Chris attended Middlebury College in Vermont where he made the Dean’s List and graduated with a B.A. in English and with Honors in Environmental Studies. He received his J.D. from Villanova University in 2012. Following his undergraduate graduation, Chris worked at Isles in Trenton, NJ, a nonprofit community development organization. During his time at Villanova, Chris was a three-year recipient of the Deirdre L. Bailey Leadership Scholarship, member of the Pro Bono Society, and treasurer of the Environmental and Energy Law Society. Additionally, Chris worked as a law clerk for the following organizations: Exelon Corporation, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Regional Counsel for Region 3 in Philadelphia, and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in Trenton, NJ. During law school, Chris interned with the Honorable Judge Linda Carpenter in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Chris’s interest in Workers’ Compensation law sprung from his enrollment in a Workers’ Compensation course at Villanova taught by Workers’ Compensation Judge Todd Seelig, Mr. Cara earned one of the highest grades in the class. Chris now devotes his practice to representing injured workers.

Alena Marconi is an experienced, hands-on patent prosecution attorney with an extensive background in chemical, materials, and environmental solutions sciences. She guides and advises her clients with high-quality legal advice and strategic thinking. Alena’s practice focuses on domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the chemical, materials science, green tech, and mechanical arts. She counsels clients of all sizes in a wide range of industries including automotive, chemical, horticultural applications, environmental remediation, green technologies, alternative energy generation, industrial processes, medical devices, polymers, coatings, fuel cells, batteries, catalytic converters, packaging, and additives. Alena is admitted to practice in Michigan and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Alena holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Materials Technology from Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic, as well as a Master of Science in Chemistry from Oakland University. Her undergraduate, graduate studies, and research focused on macromolecular chemistry, environmental technology, and toxicology. Ms. Vackova graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in May 2012 with a Juris Doctor degree. During her law school studies, she earned five certificates of merit and served as an Assistant Board Editor on the Cooley Law School Law Review as well as a Secretary for the Student Intellectual Property Law Association and Veterans Organization. Besides English, Alena is fluent in Czech, Slovak, and has a working knowledge of German and additional Slavic languages. In her free time, she’s an avid photographer who loves to spend time with her family exploring Michigan and the rest of the world or running 5K races.

Ms. Austin Dominick joined Pearson & Paris, P.C. as an associate attorney in December 2020, and will focus her skillset in the areas of family law, probate, and general civil litigation. She received her Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law. While in law school, Ms. Dominick served as president for the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, and was a member of the Environmental Law Society, Health Law Society, International Law Society, and the Women’s Law Caucus. Ms. Dominick also participated in the Washington Moderate Means Practicum where she worked on matters related to family, housing, and consumer law for those who cannot afford a full fee attorney yet exceed the low-income qualifications for free legal assistance. Having been born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Ms. Dominick is an ardent supporter of the Colorado community. She comes from a long line of distinguished lawyers and is eager to continue the family legacy of helping those in need. Ms. Dominick has experience working with diverse clients at the Seattle Civil Rights Office, the Washington Moderate Means practicum and has experience in workers compensation as well as personal injury law. Ms. Dominick understands the complex nature of the law, has an exceptional eye for detail, and will work hard to ensure her clients receive the legal representation and compassion they deserve. Ms. Dominick is passionate about protecting the environment, defending animals, and advocating for meaningful change that will promote social equity. When Ms. Dominick is away from the office, she enjoys spending time outdoors skiing, traveling, swimming, and playing with her cat and other animals. Ms. Dominick is also an avid wooden jigsaw puzzler.

Thomas Stagg, managing partner at Stagg Wabnik Law Group, LLP, focuses his practice on commercial, general and appellate litigation. He represents clients in federal and state courts in New York and New Jersey, as well as in Connecticut federal court, and has argued before New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, on behalf of international banking clients. Each year since 2003 Thomas has achieved an "AV" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, which is assigned to lawyers who have reached the height of professional excellence and who are recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. He has also been selected annually as a New York Metro Super Lawyer since 2012. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected to Super Lawyers, which is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement made after a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews. In 2012, Thomas was named by the New York State Bar Association as an Empire State Counsel® for providing more than 50 hours of free legal services to low-income individuals and in 2016 was awarded Top Legal Eagle in Litigation for Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which is assigned annually to only ten attorneys. Thomas has represented the firm's banking and credit clients in connection with Uniform Commercial Code matters and federal and state consumer credit statutes, including the Truth in Lending Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. On behalf of corporate, municipal and private clients, he has successfully litigated numerous actions involving federal and state environmental laws, class action constitutional and land use issues. He has also served as counsel to a large municipality in its negotiations with New York State for a multimillion dollar grant and regularly represents clients in trust and estates litigation and administration matters. Thomas completed advanced commercial mediation training and is an active member of the Southern District of New York Mediation Panel and the New York State Commercial Division Mediation Panel in New York, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. He has also been certified as a guardian ad litem by New York State. In addition, Thomas is registered with and has volunteered hundreds of hours to the American Bar Association's Military Pro Bono Project, a nationwide program that connects junior-enlisted servicemembers in need of pro bono legal help with volunteer attorneys throughout the nation. He is a 2015 recipient of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award. After graduating from the State University of New York at Binghamton and St. John's University School of Law, where he was Associate Notes and Comments Editor of St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary, Thomas began his legal career with the Washington, D.C. based firm of Beveridge & Diamond. His publications include, as coauthor, "Contractual Protection: An Existing Remedy for Bondholder Distress." 4 St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary 2. He lectures on environmental lender liability and has served on the Long Island Sound Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee.