Michele T. Tantalla

Associate, Roseland Office

85 Livingston Avenue

Roseland, New Jersey 07068

Phone:  (973) 535-0500

mtantalla@connellfoley.com

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Publications

Representative Experience
Professional Activities

Michele T. Tantalla focuses her practice on environmental related issues and has assisted in matters involving site remediation, federal and state cost recovery and contribution claims, natural resource damages, insurance coverage and regulatory and compliance issues, and has extensive knowledge of state and federal regulations.  Using this knowledge base, Ms. Tantalla assists clients with investigation and remediation activities, permitting and compliance with state and federal environmental laws and regulations.  She works with state and federal regulators on projects requiring environmental permitting and has represented parties challenging adverse rulings by regulators.

 

As an active litigator in state and federal courts, Ms. Tantalla has represented clients in a variety of matters, including commercial disputes, product liability claims, mass litigation, as well as environmental litigation, regulatory and compliance matters.

 

Ms. Tantalla received her Juris Doctor degree and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.  While attending law school, Ms. Tantalla served as a Managing Editor of the Vermont Law Review.  Upon graduation, from 2000 through 2001, she served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Eugene D. Serpentelli, Assignment Judge, Ocean County, Superior Court of New Jersey. 

 

Ms. Tantalla joined Connell Foley in 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice Areas:

Environmental Law

Real Estate Law and Land Use

Business Litigation

Insurance Law

 

Admitted to Practice:

State of New Jersey

State of New York

United States District Court for the District  of New Jersey

 

Education:

Seton Hall University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1996)

Vermont Law School (J.D., 2000; Master of Studies in Environmental Law, magna cum laude, 2000)

 

Affiliations:

New Jersey State Bar Association

    Environmental Law Section

New York State Bar Association

    Environmental Law Section

 

 
 
 

Publications

Co-author, "NJDEP Jurisdiction Expanding: Proposed revisions to stream encroachment permit rules" published in the New Jersey Law Journal (2007)

Co-author, "Rapanos: The feds and intrastate waters" in In Re: The Magazine from New Jersey Lawyer (2007)

Note Author, “The Precautionary Principle in Marine Fisheries Conservation and the U.S. Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996” 24 Vt. L. Rev. 1351 (2000)

Representative Experience

 

Representation of parties impacted by adverse environmental conditions at a property, including investigation and remediation of CERCLA/Superfund and sites in various states;

 

Representation of various developers in purchase and sale of industrial properties with respect to environmental concerns, including drafting environmental contract provisions, conducting environmental due diligence and counseling on ISRA compliance;

Representation of an environmental consulting firm in multi-party environmental litigation arising from decommissioning of automobile assembly plant;

Representation of an environmental engineering consulting firm in CERCLA cost recovery litigation brought by the United States involving a CERCLA site;

Representation of parties challenging adverse permitting rulings by NJDEP;

Representation of various potentially responsible parties at CERCLA/Superfund sites;

Representation of a national homebuilder in a suit by homeowner alleging fraud;

Representation of a potentially responsible party in NJDEP hazardous waste enforcement action pursuant to RCRA arising from a garbage truck fire and emergency response;

Representation of a major petroleum company in defense of environmental contamination and toxic tort claims, including personal injury, medical monitoring, property damage, and remediation claims;

Representation of a pharmaceutical manufacturer in PPA product liability class actions and 100 plus individual cases.

Professional Activities

Moderator, “Government Legislation for Eco-Friendly Building Construction2nd Annual Green Buildings Summit 2010 (June 2010)

Certified Mediator, State of New Jersey (2000)