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Craig A. Slater

 

Craig Slater knows environmental law from every angle.

He offers a unique career background combining work as Assistant Attorney General in New York State with a long career in private practice involving complex environmental litigation cases.

This combination of experience enables Mr. Slater to understand environmental issues from both sides of the aisle, resulting in creative solutions and efficient resolution on even the most challenging cases. Clients work directly with Mr. Slater, ensuring personal service that is sometimes lost in larger environmental law firms.

Prior to forming the Slater Law Firm, he was a managing partner of Harter, Secrest & Emery’s Buffalo office where he led the firm’s Environmental Law and Land Use Group. Prior to that, Mr. Slater was a New York State Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Branch of the Environmental Protection Bureau in Buffalo. He also worked as a Senior Trial Counsel for a firm engaged in multi-state mass and toxic tort and products liability litigation, including such high-profile cases:

  • Bhopol
  • Times Beach
  • Love Canal
Education
  • State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law LLB 1981
  • State University of New York at Buffalo, BA 1978
Admissions
  • All Courts in the State of New York
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Second District
  • United States District Court for the Western District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Pro Hac Vice Admissions in States of Illinois, Connecticut and Michigan
  • Approved by the U.S. Department of Justice for a Public Trust Position (U.S. Bankruptcy Court Trustee)
Professional / Civic Memberships
  • Board Member – Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (2004 – Present; Chair of Real Estate Committee, 2006 – Present)
  • Board Member – Buffalo Brownfields Restoration Corporation (2008 – Present)
  • Former Chair – Erie County Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee and Member (1982 – Present)
  • Member – New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section (1982 – Present)
  • Frequent public speaker on a broad range of environmental issues. Click HERE for listing of topics.
Professional Career
  • The Slater Law Firm, PLLC – Founder – May 2012 to Present
  • Harter, Secrest & Emery – 1995-2012 – Environmental Law and Land Use Group
  • Saperston & Day, P.C. – 1991-1995 – Director of Environmental Practice Group
  • New York State Attorney General’s Office – 1988-1991 – Assistant Attorney General
  • Private Practice – 1981-1988 – Senior Litigation Associate

Craig Slater has represented a wide variety of clients on environmental law issues including leading developers, builders and corporations such as:

  • Beauty Pools, Inc.
  • Benderson Development
  • Benson Construction & Development
  • Buffalo Crushed Stone, Inc.
  • Buffalo Urban Development Corporation
  • Calamar
  • Cascades Tissue Group
  • Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.
  • Creative Structure Services, Inc.
  • Delta Sonic Carwash
  • Duke Realty Corporation
  • Ellicott Development Company
  • First Amherst Development Group, LLC
  • Forbes Homes, Inc.
  • Greenpac Mill, LLC
  • Iskalo Development Corp.
  • J.W. Danforth Company
  • Kenyon’s Variety
  • Marrano/Marc Equity Corp.
  • Mensch Capital Partners, LLC
  • Merani Hospitality
  • New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc.
  • Niagara Construction Company
  • Niagara Metals, LLC
  • NOCO Express Properties, LLC
  • Norampac, Inc.
  • Praxiis Business Advisors
  • Sinatra & Company Real Estate
  • TRW Automotive
  • Uniland Construction Corp.
  • The Krog Corp.
  • South Buffalo Charter School
  • LPCiminelli
  • Schneider Development, LLC

Notable Projects

Former Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital Project

Mixed use; Commercial; Senior Housing; grocery; health club

Remedial Costs:
$3 MM

Capital Costs:
$140 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; Contract Review; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Canalside

Mixed-Use, includes Offices, Restaurants and Hotel/Urban Redevelopment

Remedial Costs:
$4 MM

Capital Costs:
$120 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition review; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

HealthNow Building

HMO Office Building

Remedial Costs:
$15 MM

Capital Costs:
$120 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquistion review and contract negotiations; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; and Environmental Easement

Central Park Plaza (Highland Park Village)

Residential and Commercial Development

Remedial Costs:
$5 – $7 MM

Capital Costs:
$150 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition review; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement

South Buffalo Charter School

New Charter School Construction

Remedial Costs:
$2 MM

Capital Costs:
$25 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition review; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

500 Seneca Street

Mixed Commercial, Office and Residential Adaptive Reuse

Remedial Costs:
$3 MM

Capital Costs:
$35 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition review and contract negotiations; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Lending and Tax Filing Assistance

441 Ohio Street

Residential/Urban Redevelopment

Remedial Costs:
$2 MM

Capital Costs:
$400 MM

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition review; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Greenpac Mill

New State-of-the-Art Boxboard Liner Mill

Remedial Costs:
$18 MM

Capital Costs:
$450 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

WNY Rail

Museum

Remedial Costs:
Undetermined

Capital Costs:
$40 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight

858 E. Ferry Street Project

Residential

Remedial Costs:
Undetermined

Capital Costs:

Services Rendered:
Pre-Acquisition Review; Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; and Remediation Oversight

Uniland Construction Corp.

Office Building/Urban Redevelopment

Remedial Costs:
$12 MM

Capital Costs:
$150 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Westwood Project

Suburban Gold Course Redevelopment – Mixed Use; Residential; Office

Remedial Costs:
Over $5 MM

Capital Costs:
$200 MM+

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Merani Hospitality Project

Hotel

Remedial Costs:
$1 MM

Capital Costs:
$15 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistanceownfield Cleanup; DEC

Former Garrett Leather Project

Mixed Commercial, Office and Residential Adaptive Reuse

Remedial Costs:
$1 MM

Capital Costs:
$15 MM

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Benson Constrution Olean Project

Industrial

Remedial Costs:
$12 MM

Capital Costs:
TBD

Services Rendered:
Brownfield Cleanup Agreement; DEC Negotiations; Remediation Oversight; Environmental Easement; and Tax Filing Assistance

Contact the Slater Law Firm

The Slater Law Firm, PLLC.

500 Seneca Street
Suite 504
Buffalo, NY 14204

Phone: 716.845.6760
Fax: 716.845.6764
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