Firm Profile
In this era of regulatory reform, clients need environmental lawyers who can make effective use of the new tools and approaches that are now available under recently revamped state and federal environmental laws. With the Schnapf Environmental Law Center, clients will have access to some of the most experienced environmental lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Because of our depth of experience and because we do not assign inexperienced attorneys who must be supervised by partners, we are able provide clients with practical and cost-effective solutions to their environmental problems at affordable legal rates.

We view ourselves as facilitators who can eliminate obstacles that prevent clients from achieving their business objectives. Our  mission is to provide clients with practical and common sense approaches that will minimize their environmental liability while maximizing their business opportunity.

Another service we can provide law firms and corporate law departments is legal research expertise and litigation support.

Founder Profile

The Schnapf Environmental Law Center was founded in 1998 by Lawrence P. Schnapf. He has over 15 years of national environmental experience with Fortune 500 corporations and a number of major New York-based law firms.  He is also and adjunct professor of environmental law at the New York Law School

He has counseled corporate and industrial clients on compliance with the regulatory requirements of federal and state environmental laws such as RCRA,  CWA, CAA and their state counterparts, has represented clients in federal and state environmental litigation, enforcement matters, administrative proceedings and CERCLA private cost recovery actions, and has assisted clients in developing corporate environmental compliance procedures.

He has extensive experience performing environmental due diligence and negotiating environmental issues associated with corporate acquisitions, commercial lending and financing, real estate transactions and brownfield redevelopment. He also assisted clients with environmental disclosures for SEC and private placement offerings. 

He heads the NYSBA Brownfield Task Force which issues periodic reports on the New York State Voluntary Cleanup Program and is co-chair of the NYSBA Hazardous Site Remediation Committee. He is also a Vice Chair of the ABA Superfund and Hazardous Waste Committee and a member of the ASTM Task Force on Access and Institutional Controls.

He is widely published and is the author of "Environmental Liability:  
Managing Environmental Risk in Corporate and Real Estate Transactions and Brownfield Redevelopment" which is published by Lexis Law Publishing and a contributing author to "Brownfield Law and Practice".