Respected legal industry news site Lawdragon has named three Akerman lawyers to its Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law list. Robyn Neely, chair of Akerman's Environment and Natural Resources Practice, Silvia Alderman, chair of the firm's Water Task Force, and Partner Richard G. Leland are among the publication's list of the most significant legal minds working in environmental law today.
Neely is based in Akerman's Orlando office where she focuses her work on environmental site contamination issues related to real estate and corporate sales and acquisitions, and leases, including pre-acquisition, pre-leasing and pre-foreclosure due diligence analysis. Her practice also includes managing the investigation and remediation of contaminated properties and brownfield redevelopment including innovative solutions to risk management with risk based corrective actions. Neely has been recognized by legal Chambers USA and Best Lawyers of America, which named her a Lawyer of the Year for Environmental Law.
Alderman is well known throughout Florida, having served as a deputy general counsel of the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, now D. E. P. . Based in Akerman's Tallahassee office, she is known for her work with water supply, water resources, wetlands, solid waste, wastewater and groundwater discharge and threatened and endangered species regulation. She regularly represents regulated interests such as developers, agricultural businesses, industrial companies, public utilities and other governmental entities in environmental and land use law matters. Alderman has also been recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, and is listed in Florida Trend's "Legal Elite Hall of Fame."
Based in New York and Florida, Leland is a veteran litigator with a focus on land use and environmental law disputes. His work has been central in gaining approvals for – or defending lawsuits against – multiple billion-dollar developments. He works with clients nationwide on a range of matters, including environmental impact review, regulatory and transactional counseling, as well as counseling operators and lenders in litigation arising under the Federal “Superfund” Law on a nationwide basis. Leland has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Super Lawyers, and The Best Lawyers in America.