Education

  •  J.D., George Washington University, 1974
  •   B.A., Dickinson College, 1971

Professional / Civic Activities

  • Member, Chester County Bar Association
  • Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Chair, Environmental Law Section, Chester County Bar Association
  • Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee, Chester County Bar Association
  • Member, City of Philadelphia Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee
  • Member, Malvern Borough Planning Commission, 1984 – 1989
  • Secretary, Paoli Troop 1, Inc. (supports Boy Scouts of America)
  • Former Corresponding Secretary, Paoli Troop 1, Boy Scouts of America
  • Top Environmental Lawyers, 2013, 2014, Main Line Today
  • Philadelphia's Top Rated Lawyers of 2015, ALM Legal Group

  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating™ (highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards)

Bar / Court Admissions

  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
  • District of Columbia
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Representative Clients

  • Mr. Embick has had a long career in the environmental law field.  He has represented individuals, non-profit entities, municipalities, municipal authorities, and corporations in numerous and diverse environmental law matters:

 

Transactions

  • Represented municipality in connection with purchase of open space with associated hazardous waste disposal site.
  • Represented municipality in connection with performance of All Appropriate Inquiry evaluation and due diligence investigation in connection with purchase of property with previous hazardous waste disposal activities.
  • Represented major paper manufacturer in connection with sale of manufacturing facilities and related property located in Pennsylvania.

Regulatory Compliance Counseling

  • Represented municipal authority in defense of Clean Water Act enforcement action seeking penalties and injunctive relief concerning NPDES discharge violations caused municipal sewage treatment plant.
  • Represented certified operator in defense of civil penalty enforcement action brought by PaDEP for violations of Pa Water and Waste Water Systems Operator’s Certification Act.
  • Created compliance program for municipal waste water treatment works.
  • Prosecuted enforcement actions by municipal authority in connection with industrial waste water permit program.

Solid and Hazardous Waste

  • Served as liaison counsel for a large group of generators in the defense of a landfill cost recovery suit brought by the state of New Jersey under the NJ Spill Act.
  • Served as liaison counsel for a large group of municipalities in the defense of a contribution action under CERCLA concerning a landfill in Eastern Pennsylvania. This matter was litigated in a lengthy trial and involved one of the first decisions rendered by a federal district court addressing equitable allocation of responsibility.
  • Represented an out of state trucking company in a civil penalty enforcement action brought by PaDEP alleging violations of the PA Solid Waste Management Act.
  • Represented chemical company in defense of RCRA and CERCLA Unilateral Administrative Orders issued by EPA.
  • Represented foundry company in defense of CERCLA cost recovery action brought by US EPA regarding smelting site located in New Jersey.

Mining

  • Represented non-coal surface mining company in connection with cessation orders issued by PaDEP alleging disruption of domestic and municipal water supplies.

Insurance

  • Represented insurance carriers in defense of claims for indemnity brought by General Electric for pollution caused by company operations in New York and Massachusetts, including the Hudson River PCB Superfund Site.

Land Use

  • Represented municipality in connection with the defense of a curative amendment proceeding seeking approval for location of large non-coal surface mine.