Practice Focus

Michael Gerrard is Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and Director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. Until late 2008, he headed the New York office of Arnold & Porter LLP and its environmental practice, and he is currently Senior Counsel to the firm. He has practiced environmental law in New York since 1979. He has tried numerous cases and argued many appeals in federal and state courts and administrative tribunals, and handled the environmental aspects of many transactions and development projects.

He was the 2004-2005 chair of the American Bar Association's 10,000-member Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources.  He has chaired the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar, and the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Environment Lawyers, based on 4,000 questionnaires, reported that Mr. Gerrard "received more personal nominations for this guide than any other lawyer in the world." He has also been rated by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, and Who's Who Legal as the leading environmental lawyer in New York, and he has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2007 for Environmental Law, The Lawdragon 500, Corporate Board Member Magazine, and New York Super Lawyers. Environmental Advocates of New York gave him its 2007 Advocate Award.

Mr. Gerrard has written or edited seven books, two of which were named Best Law Book of the Year by the Association of American Publishers: the twelve-volume Environmental Law Practice Guide (Matthew Bender 1992) and the four-volume Brownfields Law and Practice: The Cleanup and Redevelopment of Contaminated Land (Matthew Bender 1998). His most recent book is Global Climate Change and U.S. Law (American Bar Association 2007), which a review from The Environmental Forum described as "an impressive work of legal scholarship ... [a] magisterial volume." Since 1986 he has written an environmental law column for the New York Law Journal, and since 1989 he has edited a monthly newsletter, Environmental Law in New York.

In addition to his domestic practice, Mr. Gerrard has advised numerous foreign investors on the environmental aspects of US properties, and he has handled several cases concerning transboundary and marine pollution. He has lectured on environmental law in Great Britain, France, Canada, China, and India, as well as throughout the United States.