Roberta Gordon has considerable experience in the practice of environmental law.  In private practice, she has represented clients on the environmental aspects of business transactions, litigated environmental cases and counseled clients on environmental compliance and remediation issues.  Ms. Gordon’s practice currently focuses on managing environmental risks in domestic and international corporate and real estate transactions, brownfield redevelopment, environmental insurance and legal issues arising from climate change.  She is a member of Bryan Cave’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Team.  While in government, Ms. Gordon helped develop legal policies and rules in areas such as lender liability and Superfund, as an Attorney Advisor at the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel, where she was awarded a Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, Bronze Medal for Commendable Service and other awards.  She represented the State of New York in environmental litigation in federal and state courts as an Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Department of Law’s Environmental Protection Bureau.  From 1986 to 1987, Ms. Gordon clerked for the Hon. Leonard B. Sand of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.

Ms. Gordon was awarded membership to the City Bar Pro Bono Society for year 2002, due to her extensive work with families of victims of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, including as a lead case attorney for one of 16 cases handpicked by Trial Lawyers Care to pave the way for future claimants under the federal Victim Compensation Fund.

Bar and Court Admissions

New York, 1987

United States District Courts for the Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of New York

Education

Yale University, J.D., 1986

University of California-Santa Cruz, B.A., with highest honors, 1981

New York City Bar Certificate of Completion for Basic Mediation Training, 2005

Publications

• "Environmental Insurance for Contractors, Professionals and Products" (Chapter 19), Environmental Liability and Insurance Recovery, American Bar Association, forthcoming 2012
• Contributing Author, “Climate Change Adaptation: Fostering Progress Through Law and Regulation,” 18 N.Y.U. Environmental Law Journal 55 (2010)
• “The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market,” New Solutions to Environmental Problems in Business and Real Estate Deals 2003 and 2004, Practising Law Institute, Nov. 2003, revised Nov. 2004
• “Risk Management Techniques: Tools Applied to Assess Business Transactions Reach New Maturity,” New York Law Journal, Environmental Law Section, S4, Oct. 25, 1999
• Note, “Legal Incentives for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling: A New Approach to Hazardous Waste Management,” 95 Yale L.J. 810 (1986); reprinted after competitive selection in 18 Land Use & Env’t L. Rev. 465, (1987)

Speeches and Seminars

• Faculty Member, “The Redevelopment of Contaminated Property:  New York State’s Brownfield Program and Beyond,”  New York State Bar Association, June 2009
• Faculty Member, “The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market,” New Solutions to Environmental Problems in Business and Real Estate Deals 2004, Practising Law Institute, Nov. 2004
• Faculty Member, “The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market,” New Solutions to Environmental Problems in Business and Real Estate Deals 2003, Practising Law Institute, Nov. 2003
• Panel Speaker, “New Brownsfield Redevelopment Programs,” sponsored by Women in Housing and Finance, March 2003
• Moderator – Great Hall Symposium: “Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment,” Feb. 1999

Professional Affiliations

• Association of the Bar of the City of New York – Member, Environmental Law Committee, Presently, 1995-1999
• American Bar Association – Section of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law; Section of Litigation
• New York State Bar Association

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Yale University – Senior Editor, Yale Law Journal
• University of California – Valedictorian
• Received Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, Bronze Medal for Commendable Service, On-the Spot Award for outstanding work, Special Achievement Award for high performance, and Outstanding Performance Rating – United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel, 1991-1993
• City Bar Pro Bono Society For the Bar Association of the City of New York – Member, 2002
• Listed in Chambers and Partners USA – Americas Leading Lawyers for Business, 2006-2011
• Listed as New York Super Lawyer – 2006-2011
• Board of Directors, New York City Brownfield Partnership, 2009-2011