Akerman would like to congratulate Robyn Neely, Silvia Alderman, and Rick Leland on being named to "The Lawdragon Green 500: The 2024 Leaders in Environmental Law." All three partners made last year's list as well. The list recognizes outstanding lawyers for work ranging from sustainable finance to greenwashing claims and environmental regulation. Lawyers were selected through journalistic reporting, nominations, and vetting with peers and experts in environmental law.
Neely is the chair of Akerman’s Environment and Natural Resources Practice and based in the firm’s Orlando office. Her practice is focused 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 chairs Akerman's Water Task Force and 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 environmental counsellor and litigator. 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 for developers, institutions, and lenders in the areas of environmental impact review and 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.