Owners of real property, or folks looking to purchase real property, often have a need for legal representation. This representation can take many forms – a qualified land attorney assists with due diligence processes, determining how property can be used, assisting with property disputes, to name a few. A land attorney deals with land law, a form of law related…
If you are an entity subject to stormwater regulation, you should be aware of an update to one of the state’s environmental regulatory compliance initiatives, the Rhode Island Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP). The 2019 Rhode Island Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) became effective on May 3, 2019. This means that even those entities covered by the existing permit, who wish to…
In Rhode Island, activities along the coast are regulated by a state agency called the Coastal Resources Management Council. That’s “CRMC” for short. The CRMC is tasked with preserving and protecting coastal areas through management plans and by the issuance of approvals for work in the council’s jurisdictional area. That area of jurisdiction is as follows: “[T]he area extending from…
Desautel Law’s Managing Attorney Marisa Desautel was recently nominated by fellow Rhode Island attorneys for Professional Excellence in Law in the June edition of Rhode Island Monthly magazine, as an environmental lawyer. This distinction is the result of a voting process by only licensed Rhode Island attorneys in the state. Marisa was selected for professional excellence in “Environmental and Land…
Importantly, environmental policies are reviewed and changed often. This means that your business may be impacted often, without you even knowing it! Having knowledge of what types of permits or approvals you need is critical. As a business owner, you first need to know if your practices trigger the requirements of any environmental laws for businesses. If you are not…
The corporate world faces all types of legal issues on a regular basis, from employment law to mergers and acquisitions. A business law attorney customarily assists with any of these issues, depending on their area of expertise. Oftentimes, however, environmental issues arise in the corporate context that are different from typical corporate legal considerations. Hiring an environmental business law attorney…
There are many federal and state statutes that exist to protect this country’s natural resources, from air to water and resources in between. The different environmental laws were enacted at various times in United States history, but a majority were enacted in the 1970s. This article provides an overview of some of the most well-known federal laws. THE CLEAN AIR…
Within every municipality exists a zoning regime that governs residential, industrial, and commercial land use and redevelopment. Climate change is playing a major role with respect to land use. Over the past few decades, storms and rising ocean levels have impacted our state’s shorelines, sometimes unearthing contamination. Liability may arise in any of these contexts, and commercial land use is…
You probably know what a criminal attorney’s job is, even if you’ve seen them played on any of the popular television or Netflix dramas. But what about the job of a civil attorney? Like criminal lawyers, a civil attorney must advocate zealously for her client. Beyond that, though, criminal and civil lawyers have vastly different practices. Oftentimes, clients receive a…
Land use planning refers to the practice whereby land owners, developers, municipalities, environmental attorneys, and other professionals collectively work to approve a land-based project in accordance with principles and engineering that promotes an appropriate social and environmental effect, while also employing resources efficiently. The benefits of land use planning are myriad: environmental protection, avoidance of urban sprawl, departure from impacts…