Firm News
MD Attorneys to Present at Ohio Stormwater Conference
The 2018 Ohio Stormwater Conference is an annual conference dedicated to advance the knowledge and understanding of comprehensive stormwater management for those dealing in all aspects of planning, design, implementation and regulatory compliance. This year’s conference is being held May 9-11, 2018 at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center located in Sandusky, Ohio.
MD attorneys Lou McMahon, Andrea Salimbene, Erin McDevitt-Frantz will present on a variety of topics including Ohio Water Law 101, Managing Liability by Keeping the Peace in the Utility Corridor, Stormwater Litigation and Legal Hot Topics, and host the annual Legal Roundtable. Law Clerk Lauryn Kitchen will present The Acts of God Defense in the Face of Flooding.
Ohio EPA Releases Legislative Initiatives
Ohio EPA recently released an Omnibus Fact Sheet containing “Common Sense Environmental Legislative Initiatives” for 2018. These initiatives focus on taking practical steps to improve Lake Erie, promote job growth and economic development while safeguarding the environment, help businesses and communities navigate the complex regulatory process, and protect Ohio’s environment.
Specific initiatives include instituting a statewide phosphorus permit limit for wastewater treatment plants, accelerated air permit process for companies and developers, elimination of rulemaking for defining best available technology (BAT) in air pollution sources, agency authority to pursue civil penalties for odor nuisances, redefining the term “open dumping” to include inside areas/spaces, redefining the state discharge level to protect water quality, and providing first responders in emergencies with trade – secret chemical information. Learn more.
Winner of 9th Annual OSBA Environmental Law Award Announced
On Thursday April 12, the Ohio State Bar Association announced Taylor Waters as the winner of its 2018 Environmental Law Award. Taylor’s winning paper focused on utilizing the Endangered Species Act as an existing legislative framework that could be modified to protect newly, scientifically resurrected species. Taylor is a third year law student at Michigan State University College of Law.
The OSBA Environmental Law Award call for papers sought manuscripts that advance the application and practice of environmental, energy or resources law in Ohio. As the winner of this contest, Taylor received the OSBA Environmental Law Award and a prize of $1,000, donated by McMahon DeGulis LLP.
MD Law Clerk Recognized at Moot Court Competition
Lauryn G. Kitchen received the award for Best Overall Oralist at the 2018 August A. Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition. The competition, held March 23-24, 2018, is the only national competition devoted to products liability law and honors Mr. August A. Rendigs, Jr. (1895-1988), one of Cincinnati’s most respected trial lawyers. This year, twenty teams from ABA-accredited law schools competed.
Lauryn is currently a second year law student at the University of Akron, where she is a member of the Akron Law Review and the Akron Moot Court Honor Society. A graduate of Cedarville University, Lauryn joined the MD team in 2013. As a Law Clerk, Lauryn supports the attorneys at MD in a wide variety of environmental matters, including permit compliance and enforcement, cost recovery, and environmental litigation.
Environmental Law Network recognized by Chambers Global
The Environmental Law Network (ELN) received a Band 1 ranking in Environment in the Chambers 2018 Global Guide. The Environmental Law Network is the only environmental law network to be globally recognized by Chambers and Partners.
ELN is the first environmental law firm network that makes local environmental legal representation available nationwide. ELN also has foreign affiliates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. Greg DeGulis, Partner at McMahon DeGulis, currently serves as Chair. ELN provides significant benefit to MD clients, especially when the situation calls for an attorney in another jurisdiction with strong local connections.