E. Gail Suchman

Gail Suchman is a partner in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group in the firm's New York office.

Areas of Practice

Gail has more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of environmental and energy law and policy, advising clients on transactions, litigation and regulatory matters. Her practice includes permitting and compliance, transactional due diligence, litigation and legislative matters. She works closely with real estate and industrial developers on traditional environmental and land use matters, as well as community and governmental matters, sustainability, and resilience.

Gail is a member of the firm’s ESG and Sustainability team and advises clients on disclosure rules in connection with climate impacts and “green advertising.” She works on renewable energy and energy storage projects, the conversion of traditional refineries to biofuel production, and carbon capture and sequestration.

Prior to private practice, Gail had a long career in public service, including more than ten years as an assistant attorney general in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, three years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V, in Chicago, and three years as regional director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. She taught for several years Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development Law at Columbia Law School and Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. In 2003-4, she was invited to South Africa as visiting faculty at the University of Cape Town Law School and to advise the new government on environmental legislation and regulation.

Gail also served as senior environmental counsel for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, representing communities in litigation and legislative work involving solid waste management, energy, brownfields, and environmental justice.

Honors

Power Player, Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability, PoliticsNY and amNY Metro, 2023

Martindale-Hubbell^® AV Preeminent Rating - Real Estate Law

Recommended Attorney - Environmental, The Legal 500, 2020

Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Top National Lawyer in Climate Change and Environmental Law, 2008-2024

The Best Lawyers in America, Energy Law and Environmental Law, 2018-2025

New York Metro Super Lawyer and Top Women Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013-2022

Department of Environmental Conservation’s Environmental Justice Advisory Group for 10 years

New York City Mayor Bloomberg's Task Force on Energy Policy for 12 years

Senior Specialist, Fulbright Scholarship Board/Council for International Exchange of Scholars

Articles

Energy Law Blog Posts

• "Six Key Considerations for Transitioning Existing Fossil Fuel Transport, Storage and Electricity Generation Assets to New Uses," May 9, 2023

• "IRS Issues Guidance for Inflation Reduction Act Low-Income Bonus Tax Credits," March 13, 2023
• "Offshore Wind Comes to the Gulf of Mexico," November 8, 2022
• "SheppardMullin Six: Groundbreaking BOEM Lease Sale in New York Bight Further Accelerates Offshore Wind Development in the Atlantic," January 20, 2022
• "Six Key Things to be Aware of in the Development of Floating Offshore Wind in California," May 27, 2021

• "Congress Extends Renewable Energy Tax Credits in 2021 Omnibus Spending Bill," December 23, 2020

• "Six Key Items to be Aware of Today in U.S. Offshore Wind ('OSW')," October 26, 2020

Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental Law Blog Posts

• "NYC’s Zoning for Carbon Neutrality is Here to Stay," December 7, 2023

• "Last Mile Warehouse Bills and Proposed Special Permit," February 23, 2023

• "Updated CEQ Guidance for Analysis of GHG Emissions Sidesteps Key Legal Issues," February 21, 2023

• "EPA Endorses New Standard for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments," January 11, 2023

• "Navigable Waters Protection Rule: How are the “Waters of the United States” Being Defined?"  February 6, 2020

Corporate & Securities Law Blog Posts

• "House Passes Bill Requiring SEC to Define Mandatory ESG Metrics," June 22, 2021

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, "Repurposing Fossil Fuel Assets for Renewable Energy: Legal Implications, Deal Structures, Managing Regulatory Issues," Strafford, October 18, 2023
• Speaker, "WISE: Ask Me Anything with Sheppard Mullin’s Gail Suchman," Building Energy Exchange, November 9, 2022
• Speaker, "Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration," October 2022  
• Speaker, “How climate change will impact the legal landscape in the Americas,” International Bar Association, Latin American Regional Forum Conference, Miami, December 6-8, 2021
• Speaker, "The Role of Hydrogen," Our Energy Policy, March 24, 2021

Events

Memberships

Member, New York City Bar Association

Member, Environmental Law Section, New York State Bar Association

Member, Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section, American Bar Association

Board of Directors, Environmental Advocates of New York

Board of Directors (Secretary), Green Light New York – Building Energy Exchange

Digital Media