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Christopher Rizzo

Christopher Rizzo

Associate

Wall Street Office
2 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
rizzo@clm.com
phone: 212-732-3200
fax: 212-732-3232 download v-card

Practice Areas

Environmental, Litigation, Energy Project Development and Finance

Practice Description

Environmental, Land Use, Litigation

Education

  • B.A., 1997 Manhattan College (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa)
  • J.D., 2001 Pace University School of Law School (cum laude; Articles Editor, Pace Environmental Law Review; Certificate of Environmental Law)

Admissions

  • 2001 New Jersey
  • 2002 New York
  • 2002 U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • 2002 U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • 2004 U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • 2007 District of Columbia

Affiliations

  • Adjunct Professor at Pace University School of Law
  • Co-chair of the Parks and Historic Preservation Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association
  • Member of the Law Committee of the Municipal Art Society of New York
  • Member of the Pace University School of Law Alumni Board

  • U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®), Green Associate

Publications Available on this website...

"New York Legislature Directs Public Authorities to Rein in Urban Sprawl and Promote Smart Growth," Client Advisory, July 29, 2010; "New York City Local Brownfield Cleanup Program," Client Advisory, May 24, 2010; "Risks and Rewards for Building Sustainable Hotels," Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, August 2009; "Federal Incentives for Sustainable Development," Client Advisory, March 31, 2009; "New York State Adopts a New Clean Air Act Permit Program," Client Advisory, February 19, 2009; "New Reforms Will Allow the Public to Challenge Department of Buildings Approvals with Greater Ease," Client Advisory, February 17, 2009; "Landlords Must Disclose Contaminated Indoor Air," Client Advisory, October 23, 2008; "Courts Split on Eligibility Guidance for N.Y.’s Brownfield Program," Client Advisory, September 23, 2008; "New York Moves Forward with Three Important Environmental Initiatives on Climate Change, Property Taxes and Brownfields," Client Advisory, July 7, 2008; "New York and Other States Accelerate Efforts to Address Climate Change," Client Advisory, November 2007; "Overview of the Role of Renewable Energy in Legal Efforts to Address Climate Change," October 20, 2007; "N.Y.'s Neighbors: Recognizing Same-Sex Couples Is Norm," New York Law Journal, July 13, 2007; "Governor Spitzer Proposes Changes to Brownfield Tax Credits," Client Advisory, June 19, 2007; "Overlapping Rules Confuse Many in Brownsfield Program," Real Estate Weekly, April 19, 2006; "IRS Solicits Applications for Qualified Green Building and Sustainable Design Project Bonds," Client Advisory, July 27, 2005

Additional Publications

"Historic Preservation Law 101 for New York Lawyers," New York State Bar Associaiton's N.Y. Environmental Lawyer, Spring 2009; "RCRA's 'Imminent and Substantial Endangerment' Citizen Suit Turns 25," American Bar Associaiton's Natural Resources & Environment, Fall 2008 “N.Y. Brownfield Redevelopment in 2006: More Clarity and Tax Deductions,” Real Estate Weekly, February 7, 2006; “Diseañdo un Rol Global para los Amici en los Casos Referidos a la Material Ambiental y de los Derechos Humanos,” Revista de Derecho Ambiental, October/November 2005, Lexis Nexis Argentina Publisher; (“Charting a Global Role for ‘Amici’ in Environmental and Human Rights Cases,” Environmental Law Journal); “New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation Sets Tougher Brownfields Rules,” Long Island Business News, July 8, 2005; “New York’s Brownfield Law: Relief For Innocent and Not So Innocent Landowners,” American Bar Association, Environmental Litigation and Toxic Torts Committee Newsletter, July 2005; “Local Applications Narrow Eligibility in Brownfield Program,” New York Law Journal, June 28, 2005; “Zoning Variances and the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals,” 20 Columbia Environmental Law Journal 3, Spring 2005; “Brownfield Redevelopment Opportunities in NYS,” Real Estate Weekly, February 2, 2005; “After Sosa: Claims Under the Alien Tort Claims Act- Part III,” New York Law Journal, December 23, 2004 (co-authored); “After ‘Sosa’: Claims Under the Alien Tort Claims Act- Part II,” New York Law Journal, October 26, 2004 (co-authored); “After Sosa: Claims Under the Alien Tort Claims Act- Part I,” New York Law Journal, August 27, 2004 (co-authored); “Enhancing the Protection of Parkland in New York,” 15 Environmental. Law in New York 6, June 2004 Matthew Bender Publisher; “Protecting the Environment at the Local Level, New York City’s Special District Approach,” 13 Fordham Environmental Law Journal 2, 2002 (Reprinted in The New York Environmental Lawyer, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2003); “Banning State Recognition of Same Sex Relationships: The Constitutional Implications of Nebraska’s Initiative,” 416, 11 Brooklyn Journal of Law and Policy, Vol. 1, 2003; “Environmental Law and Justice In New York City, Where a Park is not Just a Park,” 18 Pace Environmental Law Review 167, 2000 (NYSBA, Municipal Law Section, James A. Coon Award)

Presentations

  • National Association of Home Builders, 2010 Lands Conference, “Greening Zoning, Building and Energy Codes,” April 24, 2010
  • New York State Bar Association's Environmental Law Section Annual Meeting, "Historic Preservation Law 101 for New York Lawyers," October 24, 2009
  • Pace Law School, "Update on New York State's Efforts to Address Climate Change in 2009," October 15, 2009
  • New Yorkers for Parks, "Parkland Alienation and Environmental Impact Review," February 14, 2008
  • Municipal Art Society, "Studies of the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals," December 5, 2007
  • Pace Law School: 30th Anniversary of the Environmental Law Program, October 20, 2007 “The Legal Implications of Climate Change: The Future of Renewable Energy in the United States”
  • New York State Bar Association: Environmental Law Section Meeting, October 13, 2007 “SEQRA and the Alienation of Parkland"
  • 37th Annual Advanced ALI-ABA Course Study: Environmental Law, February 8-9, 2007 and February 6, 2008, (Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environment Response Compensation and Liability Act)
  • Environmental Law Institute: “Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act," July 28, 2005, July 27, 2006, July 19, 2007 and July 17, 2008 
  • Preservation 2004 Conference: “Using Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 4F of the Department of Transportation Act to Preserve the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport,” Skidmore College, March 2004

Prior Experience

  • 2002-2004 Menapace Fellowship, Municipal Art Society of New York, Inc.
  • 2001-2002 Associate, Environmental Department, Law Firm of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman and Leonard LLP

Languages

Working knowledge of Spanish and Italian

Illustrative Matters

  • Advise clients on climate change legislation, including state and local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and implement requirements for green buildings and LEED certification.
  • Develop guidance document for hotel builders and operations regarding requirements and incentives fore green buildings and sustainability.
  • Represent state agencies and public benefit corporations carrying out environmental impact review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and State Environmental Quality Review Act, including transit-oriented development.
  • Represent land owners, developers and community members in local land use and zoning matters.
  • Advise clients on redevelopment of “brownfields,” management of hazardous materials and defense against “contribution” claims under hazardous substance laws.
  • Assist clients with their due diligence prior to acquisition of real property.
  • Advise clients on compliance with historic preservation laws such as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the New York State Historic Preservation Act, local preservation laws and archeology laws
  • Arbitration and litigation in state and federal courts regarding contract disputes, such as a contract for construction and sale of a cruise ship, breach of a real estate contract, breach of contract for shipment of goods by sea, and breach of a contract for sale of Mississippi-grown timber to Italian customers.
  • Advise clients on state wetland permits and water supply permits.
  • Advise government and nonprofit organizations on the protection and use of parkland and open space.