Melissa Clarke advises clients in a variety of industries in matters involving environmental permitting, counseling and litigation. She assists with the acquisition, development and siting of pipelines, power plants, solar and wind projects. Melissa negotiates and drafts environmental contractual provisions in a wide variety of corporate and real property transactions.
Melissa also navigates complex business and real estate disputes. She routinely represents commercial developers, lenders, title insurance companies and other clients in title related disputes, foreclosure actions and other real property litigation.
Melissa’s practice includes:
- Environmental due diligence and remediation liability risk assessment in real estate transactions.
- Compliance with the New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA).
- Cost recovery and contribution claims under CERCLA and the New Jersey Spill Act.
- Defense of New Jersey Spill Act, Environmental Rights Act and common law claims.
- Assessment and defense of natural resource damages (NRD) claims under federal and state law.
- Drafting site access agreements and environmental provisions in commercial real estate and corporate agreements.
- Environmental land use compliance and permitting under federal and state law, including wetlands, waterfront development, coastal areas (CAFRA) and flood hazard areas.
- Riparian (tidelands) rights and approvals.
- Administrative law matters challenging and defending permit decisions.
- Green Acres diversion application process.
- Pinelands development credits.
Melissa is included in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch lists for Environmental Law and Real Estate Litigation.