Alice M. Shanahan is a shareholder in the Environmental Law group at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., where she brings extensive experience in complex environmental law and various aspects of real estate law. Her practice encompasses a broad spectrum of environmental issues, including regulatory compliance, regulatory and third-party settlements, cost allocation, investigation and remediation, large property and equipment transfers, corporate divestments, liability transfers, redevelopment, Superfund matters, and environmental risk assessments.
Prior to joining Wilentz, Alice worked in the Northern New Jersey office of a large Philadelphia law firm where she specialized in high-profile environmental sites, managing complex matters involving contamination and regulatory compliance for major industrial clients. Alice has functioned as both outside and secondment counsel to a Fortune 10 company. Alice also has extensive experience negotiating with all levels of City, State and Federal regulatory bodies, including, but not limited to, NYSDEC, NJDEP, and USEPA.
With over two decades of environmental experience at some of the nation’s most challenging environmental and Superfund sites in New York, New Jersey, and the Midwest, Alice has a distinguished track record in addressing contamination from downstream petroleum operations, soil and groundwater contamination, and sediment sites. She served as lead counsel for the petrochemical and gasoline industries in major environmental remediation matters and in cost-recovery claims involving environmental agencies and third parties. Her role often involves leading multidisciplinary teams—comprised of hydrogeologists, chemists, consultants, and engineers—to develop and execute effective case strategies. Alice also consults on large environmental litigation, including formulation of case strategy, coordination of the expert case, and preparation of corporate witnesses for deposition.
In addition to her litigation and remediation work, Alice negotiates and drafts various environmental agreements and settlements. This includes negotiating and managing consent decrees, orders, stipulations, cost allocation agreements, release, indemnification, and reimbursement agreements, restrictive covenants/use restrictions, and transactions, divestments, and liability transfers related to contaminated properties such as former refineries, terminals, and retail service stations. Additionally, Alice regularly advises in-house counsel and trains corporate clients and personnel on emerging environmental laws, regulatory compliance, and best practices, which includes the development of training materials and presentations, template agreements, and handbooks.
Alice earned her J.D., cum laude, from The George Washington University Law School in 2001, where she was a member of The Environmental Lawyer Law Journal. She also holds a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.) from George Washington University and a B.A., cum laude, from The College of the Holy Cross, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Alice is actively involved in various civic and charitable activities. Among other things, Alice contributes to her local community as a Troop Leader for the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.
