Kathleen A. Hirce

Katie focuses her practice on environmental counseling, advising on a full range of environmental matters, including regulatory compliance, site investigation and remediation, cost recovery and allocation, environmental risk assessment, and the redevelopment of environmentally impacted properties. She represents clients across a range of industries, with particular experience in the petrochemical and gasoline sectors.

Katie has served on secondment as environmental counsel to a Fortune 50 petroleum company, where she managed complex environmental claims, investigations, and remediation matters. In that role, she developed and implemented strategies for responding to third-party claims, managed outside counsel, and pursued cost recovery actions. She regularly negotiates with both regulators and adverse parties, including claimants and third party property owners, on matters of access, investigation and remediation scope, and project implementation.

She advises clients on matters arising under key federal and state environmental laws, including CERCLA (Superfund), RCRA, and the Clean Water Act, as well as similar state statutes such as the New Jersey Spill Act and the New York Navigation Law.

Katie also regularly counsels clients on the environmental aspects of corporate and real estate transactions, including due diligence, environmental site assessments, negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, liability transfers, divestitures, and related provisions. Her approach is practical and business-focused, helping clients manage risk while advancing project objectives.

In addition, Katie has extensive experience guiding clients through environmental litigation by supporting environmental litigation strategy development. Her experience  includes working with technical experts, such as hydrogeologists, chemists and engineers, to develop and implement both liability strategies and provide cost recovery action support.