Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Kramer Levin is a full-service law firm with extensive capabilities and substantial experience. From our offices in New York, Silicon Valley and Paris, we represent clients from Global 1000 companies to emerging growth entities across a wide range of industries. In addition to our well-known litigation and corporate capabilities, we have top tier practices in many other areas including corporate restructuring & bankruptcy, intellectual property, real estate, land use, mutual funds, tax, employment law, individual clients, employee benefits and business immigration.

Our clients regard us as a true business ally. We enjoy long-term relationships with many companies, institutions, and individuals, who trust us to provide practical counsel that looks beyond the immediate legal issues to larger business implications. Through periods of rapid change—through shifts in political, economic, and regulatory climates—these clients have valued our ability to understand their goals and bring the right resources to meet the challenges they face.

We prize efficiency, bringing a sensible cost-benefit approach to every project. In staffing matters, we favor quality over quantity, with small teams characterized by an unusually high level of senior involvement. Our approach is dynamic and flexible, and we often reach across practice areas to assemble the most effective interdisciplinary team for the matter at hand.

Creative thinking, pragmatic solutions, nimble efficiency, and the ability to adapt to shifting circumstances are qualities that characterize Kramer Levin. We value these qualities in our people, and our clients value them in us.

PRO BONO AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Pro bono and community service are integral to Kramer Levin’s practice and culture. We routinely rank highly in the annual AmLaw 200 pro bono survey. Our pro bono achievements have been recognized with major awards from the American Bar Association, the National Law Journal, New York’s Legal Aid Society, and others.

In several areas, including corporate, tax, real estate, and intellectual property, Kramer Levin has provided pro bono assistance to a wide variety of nonprofit secular and religious organizations. Many of these activities arise from ongoing representations or board service, and many reflect the community or religious interests of individual lawyers. Kramer Levin has also provided transactional assistance to low-income persons launching for-profit businesses through its microenterprise program.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE

At a time when environmental concerns can have a “make or break” impact on virtually every type of transaction, our Environmental group provides advice and counsel to clients in connection with a wide variety of transactions. In addition to providing counsel to clients in connection with environmental and regulatory matters, the Environmental group also assists with Land Use, Real Estate, Corporate, and Bankruptcy transactions and the litigations that can arise from them.

The Environmental group is known for its ability to navigate the complicated regulatory environment that changes both in character and substance with each new administration. We maintain excellent relationships with the various federal, state, and local agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York City’s Department of Evironmental Protection and Department of City Planning.

We draw on these relationships to solve all manner of complex problems for our clients. When bankruptcy and restructuring negotiations hinge—as they frequently do—on the disposition of environmental matters involving properties in question, clients rely on us for pragmatic, cost-effective solutions. Similarly, when the environmental components of M&A transactions present possible obstacles to a successful deal, we become vital contributors to the due diligence, routinely evaluating environmental reports and negotiating environmental provisions of various agreements. We also conduct environmental reviews associated with major development projects and guide clients through the redevelopment of contaminated sites known as brownfields.

Our services include:

– Counseling in project development, with an emphasis on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), New York State’s Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), and New York City’s Environmental Quality Review
– Litigation arising under federal and state environmental laws on behalf of property owners and operators, developers, lenders, and insurance companies
– Due diligence evaluations and negotiation of merger, acquisition and other agreements
– Regulatory compliance counseling of air, water, solid and hazardous waste, lead, asbestos and wetlands issues, as well as workplace health and safety concerns
– Environmental permitting processes
– Counseling regarding environmental issues in bankruptcy proceedings and workouts