Profile: Judith M Praitis

Environment

Biography: Environment

Judith M Praitis has broad experience in counselling clients on environmental transactional issues and on air, water and waste management permitting, compliance, release reporting and enforcement issues under California and federal law. She has helped clients develop and implement environmental management systems and audit protocols.

Ms Praitis also routinely advises clients on compliance with and, if necessary, litigation of, Proposition 65 matters, particularly those involving the food and supplement industries.

Her particular area of focus is hazardous waste management and site remediation, including brownfields. She has assisted clients in a variety of industries (including aerospace, petroleum, chemicals, hotels, food products, real estate development, electronics, solar energy, metal finishing and health care) with permitting, remediation, waste classification and general compliance issues. As California imposes a variety of complex hazardous waste taxes and fees, she has assisted clients in petitioning the State Board of Equalization to resolve fee disputes.

Increasingly, Ms Praitis is involved in counselling clients on climate change issues, such as those arising under California's landmark global warming legislation.

Ms Praitis has been active in a wide variety of transactional matters involving environmental due diligence and risk mitigation counselling. These matters include filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a review of environmental provisions in leases, loan documents, sale contracts and other contracts on behalf of lenders, borrowers, issuers, buyers, sellers and investors.

Ms Praitis is a graduate from the University of Chicago, where she received her AB with honours in 1985. In 1988 she received her JD cum laude from Harvard Law School.