Chicago Office
300 N. LaSalle Street Suite 4000
Chicago,
Illinois
60654
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Professional Experience
Sanford M. Stein is a partner who concentrates his practice in energy, environmental, land use, zoning and government relations law. Sandy is a recognized energy, environmental and land use lawyer, having been elected as a “Leading Attorney” in those fields by the American Research Corporation. He was involved in some of the first decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act and, as an attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was responsible for numerous enforcement and policy matters. His practice today encompasses a broad array of energy, environmental and related land use, zoning and regulatory issues in Illinois and across the country. He has also been awarded recognition by Best Lawyers® and Illinois Super Lawyers®.
For more than 30 years, Sandy has served governmental and private sector clients in an array of legislative, regulatory and judicial activities in a multistate area. His land use and zoning practice is highlighted by his work for land developers in Brownfields redevelopment, annexation, urban development, zoning and land use litigation. He has been successful in complex mixed-use developments and commercial, industrial and residential projects. He is also skilled in municipal tax incentive programs including tax increment financing (“TIF”), sales tax sharing programs and special service area financing. He has represented clients in urban redevelopment projects utilizing municipal incentives in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and other places.
Sandy’s experience in energy and environmental law reaches all of its aspects, including emerging issues such as biofuels and biomass conversion, waste-to-energy technology and energy finance, wind turbine and photovoltaic siting, battery technology, carbon reduction and green buildings. He is an authority on water, air and toxic substance regulations and experienced in legislation, rulemaking proceedings, compliance litigation, CERCLA and RCRA matters, hazardous waste management policies and procedures, and Brownfields redevelopment. He is involved in counseling clients on the environmental and energy aspects of mergers, acquisitions and property matters, as well as day-to-day operational matters and finding means for implementation of alternative energy systems.
He has served as an attorney for federal, state and local governments and represents numerous parties in obtaining governmental benefits or resolving conflicts with governmental units. He has researched, drafted, negotiated and successfully steered legislation to passage. He is a registered lobbyist, representing clients in the energy, environmental, advertising, health care, pharmaceutical, financial and real estate industries. He advises clients on legislative strategy in several state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. He is active in complex land use and siting issues involving regional pollution control facilities, power plants and alternative energy facilities. Sandy has extensive litigation experience, including two landmark environmental decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures (“S.C.R.A.P.”) v. The United States and The Steel Company v. Citizens for a Better Environment. S.C.R.A.P. helped establish federal courts jurisdiction to hear complaints by parties affected by the environmental decisions of the U.S. government. The Steel Company, which he argued before the Supreme Court, limits jurisdiction to those cases where the Court’s intervention is warranted.
Sandy served as a Member of the Obama for America Energy and Environment Policy Committee and is a Member of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s Taxpayer Action Board. He is a former commissioner on the Lake County (IL) Regional Planning Commission, a founder and member of the executive board of the Illinois Chapter of the National Brownfields Association, serves on the Board of the Uptown Community Development Corporation, and is a member of the City Club of Chicago, the International Council of Shopping Centers, Lambda Alpha International and the American Bar Association. He served as an adjunct professor of law at the John Marshall Law School, where he taught a course on “The Energy and Environmental Aspects of Real Estate Transactions.”
Education and Honors
- George Washington University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1974)
- University of Illinois (B.A., 1970)
Bar Admissions
Illinois,
1975
Court Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Professional Recognition
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2012: Government Relations Law/Land Use & Zoning). Selected for inclusion in the 2005-2009 Illinois Super Lawyers lists (Environmental, Land Use/Zoning, Government Relations).
Professional and Civic Activities
- Lake County (IL) Regional Planning Commission (Commissioner, 1991-1996, 1999-present).
- Regional Planning Commission (Board Member, Uptown Development Corporation - Chicago, 2003-present).
- American Bar Association (Member).
- International Council of Shopping Centers City Club of Chicago (Member).
- City Club of Chicago (Member).
Selected Presentations/Publications
Speaking Engagements
- Radio Interview, “A Look Back at 2011 and Ahead to 2012 in Transportation, Government, Environment and Energy,” Green$ense Radio, January 2012.
- “What’ Next for High-Speed Rail in the US?” The Bond Buyer’s 12th Annual Transportation Finance/P3 Conference, Chicago, IL, November 14-16, 2011.
- “Bringing High Speed Rail to America,” High Speed Rail Conference, New York City, November 7, 2011.
- “Kratovil Conference on Real Estate Law and Practice,” John Marshall Law School (Sponsor), September 29, 2006.
- “Navigating the Regulatory Rapids in a Changing Environment in Illinois,” Lorman Education Series, March 16, 2006.
- “Land Use Law: Issues in Planning & Development,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Education, Springfield, IL.,
May 14, 2004.
- “Land Use Law: Issues in Planning & Development,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Education, Chicago, IL,
April 30, 2004.
- “Municipal Development Incentives,” Lake County Partners, Libertyville, IL, October 7, 2003.
- “Water As an Economic Resource: More Precious Than Gold, More Valuable Than Oil, Water Is the Most Important Resource on Earth,” Waukegan City Club, Waukegan, IL, January 28, 2003.
- “Zoning and Land Use: Complex Facilities Siting, Transportation Policy and Governmental Incentives,” Lorman Educational Services, Rosemont, IL, September 27, 2002.
- “Inverse Condemnation of Property by Third-Party Local Governments,” OAAA/2002 Legal Seminar,
Washington D.C., September 23, 2002.
- “Mold Mania? Looking Ahead: Legislation, Regulation, Litigation or Just Proliferation,” Toxic Mold Seminar, Lisle, IL, June 20, 2002.
- “Illinois Land Use: Current Issues in Subdivision, Annexation and Zoning Law,” National Business Institute,
Chicago, IL, June 12, 2002.
- “Mold Problems in Real Estate Transactions: Dealing with the Fungus Among Us,” Lake County Bar Association, Waukegan, IL, April 11, 2002.
- “Current Issues and Trends in Illinois Land Use and Environmental Laws,” Lorman Educational Services,
Chicago, IL, January 22, 2002.
- “Environmental Issues Affecting the Construction Industry: Worker Exposure, Toxic Mold, Site Remediation,” National Association of Women in Construction, Schaumburg, IL, January 15, 2002.
- “Strategic Planning,” Lake County Partners, Waukegan, IL, November 1, 2001.
- “Effective Community Presentations,” Brownfields 2001 Conference, Chicago, IL, September 24, 2001.
- “Legal Ethics for Environmental Lawyers: Real Problems or Much Ado About Nothing,” Great Lakes Water Law Conference, Chicago, IL, August 3, 2001.
- "Major Land Use Laws in Illinois," National Business Institute, Willowbrook, IL, February 6, 2001.
- “‘What's Going Down’ Downzoning in Chicago: Lifestyle Demands in a Changing Environment,” Federal Reserve Bank, Chicago, IL, November 29, 2000.
- “Brownsfields & Peakers,” Economic Development Seminar, Lisle, IL, September 27, 2000.
- “Still Standing, But For How Long? Constitutional Issues in Citizen Suits/ Qui Tam Actions,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ, April 6, 2000.
- “Environmental and Land Use Law Update,” Lake County Bar Association, Lake County, IL, March 8, 2000.
- “Environmental Standing,” American Iron and Steel Institute, Washington D.C., October 13, 1999.
- “Citizen Suits! Do They Stand A Chance After CBE v. The Steel Company,” Environmental Law Super Symposium, Los Angeles, CA, March 24, 1999.
- “Implications of the Steel Company v. Citizens for a Better Environment on Future Environmental Cases,”
American Bar Association National Brown Bag Lunch Seminar, June 3, 1998.
- “The Steel Company v. Citizens for a Better Environment,” American Bar Association Annual Conference on Environmental Law, Keystone, CO, March 10, 1998.
- “Environmental Laws: Do They Affect Your Business?,” Environomics Seminar, June 15, 1995.
Published Articles
- Author, “Financing Fast Track,” Energy + Infrastructure, Winter/Spring 2011.
- Co-author (with Kathleen Cunningham), “New Eminent Domain Act in Illinois,” Midwestern Report, June 20, 2006.
- Co-author (with Kathleen Cunningham), “Illinois General Assembly Passes Eminent Domain Bill,” May 11, 2006.
- Co-author (with Kathleen Cunningham), “Illinois House of Representatives Passes Eminent Domain Bill,”
April 25, 2006.
- Co-author (with John Simon), “Illinois Appellate Court Rules That Amortization Is Not Just Compensation,”
April 13, 2006.
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