Partner

Lawrence W. Falbe is a partner in the Environmental and Real Estate practice groups.  Larry's practice focuses on environmental transactional support (both real estate and corporate), environmental defense and litigation, Brownfields issues and environmental compliance matters.

Larry works closely with the Corporate and Real Estate practice groups to oversee environmental due diligence and contractually allocate environmental liabilities for real estate and corporate sales/acquisitions.  Larry has considerable experience reviewing and analyzing Phase I and Phase II assessments to satisfy due diligence requirements, obtaining No Further Remediation Letters, evaluating the cost/benefit of transactions and advising clients on potential liability and remediation issues.  He also focuses on endangered species and wetland issues and is experienced in obtaining Incidental Take Authorization from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for development projects that impact endangered and threatened species.

Larry also has substantial litigation experience involving environmental issues, including CERCLA (Superfund), hazardous waste, toxic torts, Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, underground storage tanks and nuclear fuel processing.  He has represented clients involved in enforcement actions by federal, state and local authorities (including the Illinois Pollution Control Board), and negotiated numerous compliance programs, consent decrees and settlements.  Larry is admitted to practice in the state courts of Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and numerous U.S. District Courts, including the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Larry has represented a large manufacturing company in connection with claims brought by the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois EPA related to alleged contamination of private drinking water wells; various industrial clients related to alleged toxic tort injuries; a municipality in defense of Clean Water Act claims concerning the city's operation of a trap shooting facility; and many former industrial property owners in connection with CERCLA claims and other environmental claims.

Larry has also published a number of articles on a wide variety of environmental issues, and is a frequent lecturer on due diligence and environmental liability concerns.  Larry is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law, where he currently teaches “Environmental Considerations in Commercial and Real Estate Transactions,” as part of NU’s “Structuring Transactions” course series.

In General.  Prior to joining the firm, Larry was a partner with Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP.  He also completed internships with the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Enforcement Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5. Larry earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where he was editor of the DePaul Environmental Law Digest and on the writing staff of the DePaul Law Review.  Larry received his bachelor's degree cum laude, from Augustana College, with a double major in English and history.  At Augustana, Larry was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.