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Frances Stella is Chair of Brach Eichler's Environmental & Land Use Practice Group and has 20 years of experience in federal and state environmental litigation and regulatory compliance counseling. Her environmental practice includes handling CERCLA and New Jersey Spill Act claims and compliance issues, natural resource damage claims, cost recovery/contribution litigation and mediation, environmental insurance coverage litigation, environmental enforcement defense, permitting, and environmental investigations and audits. She handles site remediation negotiations with both state and federal environmental agencies and contracts with and supervises environmental consulting firms to develop and implement remedial activities. She also counsels clients on environmental regulatory and compliance matters in real estate transactions and ongoing business operations. In addition, she serves as common counsel for PRP groups at Superfund sites.

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES

• "New Licensed Site Remediation Professional Program Raises Practical Issues," New Jersey Law Journal, December 13, 2010
• "Regulatory Uncertainty in Climate Change Initiatives," International Legal News, August 15, 2008
• "Vapor Intrusion: Investigations and Mitigation Issues," New Jersey Lawyer, June 11, 2007.
• "New York's Comprehensive Legislation Reforms For Contaminated Sites-Part ll," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, May 1, 2004
• "New York's Brownfields Legislation For Contamination Sites," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, April 1, 2004

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Counsel for property owner and property manager of buildings surrounding Ground Zero in defense of building service personnel injury claims arising from alleged contamination resulting from the World Trade Center Terrorist attacks.
• Common counsel for PRP Group at the Caldwell Trucking Superfund Site in Fairfield, New Jersey.
• Common counsel for PRP Group at the Barceloneta Landfill Superfund Site in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
• Counsel for environmental consultants to EPA in an EPA-lead clean-up of a New Jersey Superfund site in defense of property owner's claims for property value diminution and contamination stigma damages attributable to errors and omissions by the consultant in its conduct of the federal cleanup.
• Counsel to purchaser of a Newark, NJ hospital with respect to its assumption of an ongoing environmetnal remediation at the purchased hopsital property. Counsel for major oil company on various facets of environmental compliance related to gas stations' operations and remediations.
• Handle negotiation to resolve Title V Air Permitting enforcement action against oil company.
• Defended former tenant, which historically conducted manufacturing operations at landlord's property, to defeat former landlord's efforts to secure NJDEP re-opener of a No Further Action determination in order to assert New Jersey Spill Act claims.

ADDITIONAL NOTEWORTHY INFORMATION

Francie was named in 2009 as a Women of Influence in Real Estate by Real Estate New Jersey. She was also profiled as an Executive Woman in Business by the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal in 2009.