White & Case LLP - Lawyers - Douglas M. Halsey

Practice Experience

Mr. Halsey’s practice covers all aspects of environmental and land use law, including litigation, transactional advice and regulatory matters. During the last twenty-five years, Mr. Halsey has tried numerous cases in state and federal court with a special emphasis on cost recovery claims and land use disputes. He has represented manufacturers, developers, and property owners in complex civil litigation and defended enforcement actions brought by the EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and local government agencies under CERCLA, RCRA, CWA, CAA, TSCA, FIFRA, NEPA, and parallel state and local government regulatory schemes. In 2003, following 11 years of litigation in federal and state courts, Mr. Halsey obtained for property owners in Monroe County, Florida, the largest recovery in U.S. history for a “temporary taking.” Mr. Halsey has also defended numerous toxic tort cases based on alleged exposure to a variety of hazardous substances, including creosote, perchloroethylene and mercury.

Mr. Halsey frequently appears before environmental agencies on regulatory and permitting matters for industrial and developer clients including the nation’s largest solid waste company. He coordinates wetlands and endangered species permitting and complex land use matters in highly regulated environments throughout the State of Florida. In addition, he regularly advises corporate clients and financial institutions on environmental risks associated with business transactions.

He is the former chairman of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar. In 1990, Mr. Halsey was the recipient of The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for his legal work on behalf of children in foster care.

Mr. Halsey is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” Chambers & Partners USA Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers, and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite.

Bars and Courts
Florida State Bar
US District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
US Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits

Education
JD, University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, Research Editor, University of Miami Law Review, 1979
BA, Columbia University, 1976

Professional Associations and Memberships
Past Chairman and Executive Council Member, Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar
Fellow, Florida Bar Foundation
Member, Alexis de Tocqueville Society, United Way of Miami-Dade County
Past Chairman of the Board, Children’s Home Society of Florida
Past President and Member, Board of Directors, Foster Care Review, Inc.

Speaking Engagements
For over 20 years, Mr. Halsey has lectured on a wide range of environmental and land use topics for the American Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations:

“Strategies for Defending Toxic Tort Litigation,” 19th Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Marco Island, Florida, July 20-22, 2005.
“Takings Law Update,” 2003 Environmental and Land Use Law Annual Update, The Florida Bar, Amelia Island, Florida, August 21-23, 2003.
“Consultant Liability and Malpractice,” Fifteenth Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School, The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Marco Island, Florida, July 18-20, 2001.
“Lenders and Environmental Laws,” Enforcing Commercial Loans in Florida, Lorman Education Services, October 19, 2000.
“The Measure of Damages in Takings Cases,” Regulatory Takings, CLE International, Tampa, Florida, May 4-5, 1998.
“RCRA and Brownfields: New Frontiers,” Annual Environmental and Land Use Law Update, The Florida Bar, Naples, Florida, August 7-9, 1997.
“Environmental Insurance and Cost Recovery,” Environmental Regulation in Florida, California State University Institute of Business Law, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 15-16, 1995.
“Allocating Liability Risks in Corporate and Real Estate Transactions,” Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Litigation and Settlement Briefing, CLE International, Miami, Florida, February 4, 1993.
“Wetlands: Recent Developments In The Southeast,” Annual Meeting, American Bar Association, Toronto, Canada, August 8, 1988.

Languages
English

Citizenship
United States