Roberta G. Gordon

  1. People /

Roberta G. Gordon

Roberta G. Gordon

Of Counsel

  1. People /

Roberta G. Gordon

Roberta G. Gordon

Of Counsel

Roberta G. Gordon

Of Counsel

New York

T: +1 212 541 2076

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Biography

Ms. Gordon’s practice focuses on managing environmental risks in corporate, real estate and other business transactions, and on environmental insurance, brownfield redevelopment and lender environmental liability matters.  She has litigated environmental cases and routinely counsels clients on environmental compliance and remediation. 

Ms. Gordon has worked in federal, state and local government in enforcement, regulatory and policy-making capacities.  Ms. Gordon developed environmental policies and rules on lender liability, remediation and environmental justice 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 and Bronze Medal for Commendable Service.  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.  Ms. Gordon clerked for the Hon. Leonard B. Sand of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.

Accounts of Ms. Gordon’s extensive pro bono work with families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack have appeared in news and other publications, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  She was awarded membership to the City Bar Pro Bono Society in 2002.

Ms. Gordon manages a foundation focused on responsible and impact investing.

Civic Involvement & Honors

  • Awarded membership in the City Bar Pro Bono Society of the Bar Association of the City of New York for year 2002, for work with families of victims of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack
  • Listed in Chambers and Partners USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2006-2017
  • Chambers USA Environment, 2014 - 2017
  • Listed in New York Super Lawyers, 2006 — 2016
  • Listed in New York Super Lawyers, the Top Women Attorneys in the New York Metro Area, 2014-2016
  • Listed in the International Who's Who Legal: Environment, 2012-2016
  • Pro Bono Counsel, Tri-State Resiliency Project  (to develop tri-state climate resiliency plan), 2014-present
  • International Who's Who of Environment Lawyers 2013

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Advisory Board of the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance, 2017-present
  • Member, Bar Association of the City of New York, International Environmental Law Committee, 2012-2015
  • Member, Bar Association of the City of New York, Environmental Law Committee, 2009-2012
  • American Bar Association, Section of  Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law; Section of Litigation
  • New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section
  • Board of Directors and Vice President, New York City Brownfield Partnership, 2009-2016
  • Board of Directors, American Friends of  Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam (the Oasis of Peace) 1988-2014
  • President, 108 Owners Corp and the Manhasset Condominium., 2012-present; Board of Directors, 2009-present
  • Board of Advisors, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, 2016-present
  • Editor, Yale Law Journal

Admissions

  • 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

Related Practice Areas

  • Energy & Natural Resources

  • Redevelopment

  • Reinsurance Transactions & Disputes

  • Commercial Real Estate

  • Real Estate

  • Complex Coverage & Claims Disputes

Resources

Publications

  • Environmental Insurance for Contractors, Professionals and Products (Chapter 19), in ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY AND INSURANCE RECOVERY (American Bar Association 2012).
  • Climate Change Adaptation: Fostering Progress Through Law and Regulation, 18 N.Y.U. ENVTL.. L.J. 55 (2010) (contributing author).
  • The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market, in NEW SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE DEALS 2004 (Practicing Law Institute 2004) (faculty member and author).
  • The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market, in NEW SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE DEALS 2003 (Practicing Law Institute 2003) (faculty member and author).
  • Risk Management Techniques: Tools Applied to Assess Business Transactions Reach New Maturity, N.Y.L.J., Oct. 25, 1999, at Environmental Law Section, S4.
  • 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).

Speaking Engagements

  • Panel Speaker, “Sustainable Investing—Evolving Landscapes,” Alliance for Regional Development’s Fifth Annual Summit on Regional Competitiveness, Oct. 16, 2017
  • Moderator, “New Directions in Sustainable Investing: Using Innovative ESG Metrics to Reinforce the Paris Climate Change Agreement,” Sept. 20, 2017
  • Facilitator, "The Corporate Sustainability Movement:  The Flood of Data, Breakout Session: Sustainability Data Standards," Fordham Law School, May 1, 2017
  • Convener, Responsible and Impact Investing Symposium, November 2016
  • Faculty Member, "Legal Ethics in Brownfield Redevelopment,"  New York State Bar Association, November 2015
  • Panel Speaker, “Innovative Strategies for Creating Sustainable Communities,” Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop, April 2015
  • Moderator, New York City Bar: "Feeding Ourselves, Sustaining the Planet," May 2012
  • 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, Practicing Law Institute, Nov. 2004
  • Faculty Member, "The Emerging Environmental Insurance Market," New Solutions to Environmental Problems in Business and Real Estate Deals 2003, Practicing Law Institute, Nov. 2003
  • Panel Speaker, "New Brownfield Redevelopment Programs," sponsored by Women in Housing and Finance, March 2003
  • Moderator, Great Hall Symposium: "Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment," Feb. 1999

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