Erie County Environmental Lawyers

Russell S. Warner is the Managing Partner of the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is the founder and past Chairman of the firm's Environmental Group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and environmental law, including matters involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as matters before the USEPA Environmental Appeals Board and the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board.

Mr. Warner's practice includes representation of businesses, financial institutions, economic development organizations and municipal entities regarding business and environmental matters, as well as acquisitions, capital...

Attorney Burroughs is primarily a civil litigator whose principal area of concentration is environmental law. He undertakes representation of parties in civil cases in the Pennsylvania state and federal courts. He is also involved in administrative proceedings, in particular those which deal with environmental law. He is also significantly involved in the counseling of individuals and companies regarding environmental compliance and remediation of environmental problems.

Attorney Burroughs has represented clients in toxic tort, products liability, personal injury and related cases. Additionally, he has an expanding practice in the fields of municipal law and municipal authority law. His clients include individual municipalities,...

Chris is a founding member of Haberl, Buell & Rice, PLLC, where he focuses on oil and gas, real estate, corporate, litigation, and estate matters. Chris represents oil and gas operators in land issues, litigation, regulatory appeals, and general commercial matters. He also regularly represents businesses and individuals in civil litigation, real estate transactions, corporate formations and counseling, and estate planning and administration. Chris has been named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® from 2012 through 2020.

David Cedar is the co-founder of Williams Cedar and prior founding member of the Cedar Law Firm, Merovitz & Cedar, L.L.P. and Merovitz, Cedar and Gruber., L.L.C. He is a graduate of Rutgers State University, School of Law, Camden (1992). He is admitted to practice in the bars of Pennsylvania (1993) and New Jersey (1992), along with various district courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. David Cedar was appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney (2001) a honor awarded to less than 1% of all attorneys...

David J. Brooman has more than three decades experience in zoning and land use development, as well as environmental law. His background includes negotiating creative solutions in complex land use and environmental disputes, during project development and litigation. He has also counseled public and private companies, developers and lenders, and municipal governments on the business risks and economic impacts of federal, state and local land use and environmental regulations. Brooman is well-versed in crisis management and controversial land uses.

Brooman’s engagements include serving as special environmental and land use counsel to a Pennsylvania municipality in its acquisition and redevelopment of a...

Ms. Friedman joined Williams Cedar as their newest associate immediately after graduating from Rutgers Law School with honors in May 2017. During law school, she received the Deans Academic Excellence Award, the Rutgers Alumni Scholarship, and the Deborah Michael Richards Memorial Family Law Scholarship. Due to her remarkable research and writing skills, Ms. Friedman was also selected to serve as a legal research and writing teaching assistant for first-year law students.

Before joining Williams Cedar as an associate, she worked as a paralegal for the Cedar Law Firm and was an integral part of the firm’s daily operations. She worked closely...

Bar Admissions
• Pa Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 2012 to Present
• United States District of Pennsylvania for the Western District of Pennsylvania 2012 to Present
• United States District Court District of Maryland 2015 to Present
o Greenbelt Division
o Baltimore Division
• Untied States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
2015 to Present
• United States Tax Court 2017 to Present
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board
2012 to Present
• West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals 2011-2012

Bar Pro Hac Vice
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida Fort Myers Division


Litigation in Experience Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas

• Allegheny County
• Armstrong County
• Beaver County
• Bradford County
• Bedford...

Rich Sokorai is a Partner at High Swartz LLP. Rich concentrates his practice in trials, appeals and related advice on behalf of business entities, municipalities and individuals in municipal, commercial, and tort matters. Significant cases that Rich has handled include disputes over control of closely held corporations, franchise disputes, claims for breach of fiduciary duty for both non-profit and for profit corporations, construction disputes, ordinance validity challenges, and large tort cases.

Rich has tried cases in state courts, federal courts and boards of view, as well as administrative courts such as the Environmental Hearing Board and the Public Utility Commission. He...

As one of the partners and co-founders of Williams Cedar, Gerald Williams concentrates on environmental toxic tort cases, whistleblower claims, and civil rights violations, as well as complex personal injury cases. His impressive legal career spans thirty-five years during which time he has practiced law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where he earned some of the highest honors in the legal community. After graduating from Temple University School of Law in 1982, he was an associate at a Philadelphia law firm before starting his own practice in 1983. He has received the “AV Preeminent” rating, the highest rating given, from...

Jared is a business, corporate, and tax attorney. Jared focuses his practice on all manner of corporate transactions and matters, including formations, liquidations, mergers, negotiating commercial agreements, non-profit entity and S Corporation compliance, and more. He particularly enjoys helping start-up clients navigate legal hurdles. Aside from general corporate expertise, his niche specialty lies in transactional tax matters, and includes tax structuring and analysis attendant to corporate transactions as well as advising clients on tax considerations in connection with debt financing, choice of entity questions, and M&A. Jared has advised clients through a wide array of commercial transactions, which have included...

Brian received his bachelor's degree in political science from Rutgers University College Camden where he graduated summa cum laude, earning the Jack Marvin Weiner award and the Armitage award for highest overall grade average. He graduated from Rutgers School of Law Camden in 2008. While in law school he performed pro bono work for the Community Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Mediation Project and completed a pro bono research project for a local maritime non-profit. Brian has over twenty years experience as a licensed mariner and over fifteen years in marine management positions, including Port Captain. He has extensive experience in...

Co-Founder, Shareholder and Department leader of major suburban-Philadelphia law firm with emphasis on skilled and passionate representation, client responsiveness and productivity, community involvement and dedication to high standards of ethical conduct. I have personally represented individuals and non-profit organizations, government and businesses that range in size and complexity from closely held to Fortune 500, in business and real estate transactions, land use entitlements, environmental and regulatory approvals and litigation.

Adjunct Professor of Law, Real Estate Transactions, Temple University Beasley School of Law

Education

LLM, Taxation, Temple University School of Law, 1986

JD, Temple University School...

Alan Sklarsky has more than 27 years experience in complex environmental, product liability, toxic tort and pharmaceutical litigation. He has handled numerous high-profile groundwater contamination cases, some of which have set national precedents, including one against Exxon regarding contamination emanating from company branded stations. He represents employees working with or around industrial chemicals like benzene, tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchloroethylene, or perc), vinyl chloride and others.

“Environmental toxic dangers are routinely downplayed by the authorities or the perpetrating source –so communities need to be concerned –even skeptical –about what they’re told. And they need an advocate.”

Mr. Sklarsky’s lawsuit settlements have recovered...

Stephen Zaffuto concentrates his practice on real estate law, environmental law, and business and commercial law. He has extensive experience with commercial and residential tax assessment appeals, real estate title opinions, easement agreements, and environmental compliance issues. Stephen has also counseled small businesses and start-ups on various matters, including business formation, trademark issues, and fundraising.

Prior to joining High Swartz in 2018, Stephen was an associate at Tucker Arensberg in Pittsburgh. He has an interest in entrepreneurship and startup culture, and is himself a co-founder of a custom menswear brand, ModaMatters, based out of Philadelphia.

Mark Wendaur serves as counsel in the firm’s Business Law & Transactions practice group. Mark maintains a broad corporate and transactional practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions, commercial agreements, corporate governance, venture capital transactions, and corporate restructurings. He also represents clients in commercial real estate and energy matters, including transactions, financing, land use, and zoning issues. Mark represents clients of all sizes, including individuals, closely held companies, investor groups, publicly traded companies, and government entities. He regularly provides strategic business counseling to these clients to help them achieve their goals and business objectives. Prior to joining Offit Kurman, Mark owned and operated...

Charles Naselsky is an accomplished professional with decades of hands-on experience as a corporate, transactional, and real estate attorney. Charles manages sophisticated transactions across a spectrum of industries and asset classes, restructuring, corporate governance, recapitalization, debt, and items related to capital raises.