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James B. Witkin chairs the Environmental Practice Group at Linowes and Blocher LLP. Mr. Witkin's area of concentration is commercial real estate, with an emphasis on environmental aspects of real estate and commercial transactions, including the law of brownfields, underground storage tanks, mold, asbestos, contaminated properties, and lender liability. His practice concentrates on transactions impacted by environmental issues and client representation before environmental regulatory agencies. Mr. Witkin is a frequent author and lecturer on environmental issues. He has chaired and participated in national and local bar seminars on underground storage tanks, mold, asbestos, lead-based paint, and voluntary cleanup programs, and has spoken to industry groups on a wide range of environmental and real estate topics. He is former co-chair of the Environmental Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and has served as vice chair of that Section’s Indoor Air Committee. He is the editor and contributing author of the book Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commercial Transactions, published by the American Bar Association, which was the ABA’s first book on this topic. He has served on the editorial boards of The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, published by the American Law Institute-American Bar Association (ALI-ABA), Real Estate/Environmental Liability News, published by LRP Publications, and The Underground Storage Tank Guide, published by Thompson Publishing Group. For several years he edited the Environmental Law Update column in Probate & Property magazine, published by the ABA. Educational Background Juris Doctor, Harvard University Law School, 1980 Cum Laude Master's Degree, London School of Economics, 1977 With Distinction Bachelor of Arts, Harvard College, 1976 Bar Memberships American Bar Association District of Columbia Maryland Massachusetts Professional Background Linowes and Blocher LLP, Partner, 1993-Present Content, Tatusko & Patterson, Partner and Associate, 1987-1993 Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, Associate, 1981-1987 Business and Professional Affiliations Maryland State Bar Association The District of Columbia Bar American Bar Association ALI-ABA Environmental Law Advisory Panel, Member Awards and Distinctions Greater Washington Legal Elite, Washington SmartCEO, August 2005 Professional Lectures and Publications Books: Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commercial Transactions, Editor and contributing author, American Bar Association, Third Edition, 2004 Panelist: Brownfields 2006 Conference (Boston, MA), Nov. 14-15, 2006 o To Lien or Not to Lien (Dealing with the Windfall Lien Under Superfund) o Mission Impossible: Redeveloping The Most Complex Brownfield Sites American Bar Association Teleconference, February 2006, Moderator and Panelist Environmental Due Diligence in the Age of All Appropriate Inquiries o Available on Audio CD or as an Online Course Articles: Hot Properties, Washington Lawyer, February 2007 2004 Maryland General Assembly Revitalizes Brownfields Law, Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin, June 15, 2004, with Melissa B. Derwart; Maryland Harvesting Brownfields for Growth, Washington Business Journal, May 14-20, 2004, with Melissa B. Derwart; Dealing With Dirty Dirt: The District of Columbia Voluntary Cleanup Program, Washington Lawyer, January 2004; There's a Fungus Among Us: Mold Attacks Real Estate, Washington Business Journal, June 14, 2002; New Law a Boost to Developers of Brownfields Sites, Washington Business Journal, April 12, 2002; Get the Lead Out: Federal Regulations Analyzed Regarding Disclosure Of Lead-based Paint Hazards, Real Estate/Environmental Liability News, September 5, 1997, with Duane J. Desiderio; Maryland Passes Brownfields Legislation, Maryland Builder, July/August 1997, with Lawrence R. Liebesman; Underground Storage Tanks: The EPA's Deadline Looms, The Compleat Lawyer, Spring 1997, with Duane J. Desiderio; reprinted in The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, September 1997;Restoring Brownfields: Senate, House Bills Aim at Liability for Polluted Sites, Legal Times, week of April 21, 1997, with Carriellen Crowell; Safe Harbors for Lenders: EPA's New UST Rule, Probate & Property, May/June 1996, with Duane J. Desiderio; Owners Face New Asbestos Rules, Legal Times, October 16, 1995; UST Leak Planning,und Storage Tank Guide (Thompson Publishing), July 1994; Subterranean Storage Tank News, The Washington Lawyer, November/December 1993. |
