People
Aaron D. Levy

Aaron D. Levy

Partner

Aaron Levy is a partner in the firm’s Environmental Practice Group. Aaron's practice involves providing environmental regulatory compliance and transactional business counseling with respect to a wide range of federal and state environmental, health and safety laws. Aaron is a trusted advisor to clients across diverse industries, including manufacturing, real estate, private equity, technology and energy. With a specific focus on understanding each client’s values and risk tolerance, he provides strategic advice delivered in a practical, business-minded manner.

Aaron has developed extensive experience advising clients on complex and sensitive matters in both the environmental regulatory and transactional arenas. Through his focus on high-quality, effective service he has fostered the development of strong relationships, advising buyers, sellers, borrowers and lenders on environmental risks and liabilities associated with mergers and acquisitions, including asset and stock deals, lending arrangements and corporate reorganizations. Aaron’s experience also includes negotiating environmental insurance programs (e.g., pollution legal liability, secured creditor) and other risk allocation and liability transfer/exit strategy agreements to creatively “box in” environmental risks and liabilities. Aaron also counsels clients with respect to internal environmental, health and safety audits, voluntary self-disclosures and mandatory reporting requirements.

Aaron also regularly advises clients on matters related specifically to the Connecticut Property Transfer Act, including in connection with evaluating its potential applicability to a proposed transaction and in connection with navigating the regulatory requirements associated with complying with the Transfer Act. Aaron is currently a member of the legislatively created joint CT DEEP/CT DECD Work Group tasked with developing recommendations for the creation of regulations to support a new risk-based cleanup program to eventually replace the Transfer Act.

Aaron also regularly counsels private and public entities regarding compliance with other remediation requirements under federal and state laws, as well as the management and abatement of hazardous materials (e.g., PFAS, asbestos, lead, PCBs).

Aaron’s experience also includes representing clients involved in state and federal environmental cost-recovery litigation and agency enforcement-related matters.

Aaron is a co-author of the Asbestos chapter of the Environmental Law Practice Guide published by Matthew Bender and has been selected to co-author and periodically update the environmental, health and safety provisions included in the model transaction documents (e.g., Asset Purchase Agreement, Stock Purchase Agreement) published by the Practical Law Company, Inc.

Prior to joining the firm, Aaron was a member of the Environmental, Health & Safety practice group at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.

Credentials

Education

Colorado College, 2002, cum laude
University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., 2006

Bar Admissions

Massachusetts, 2006
Connecticut, 2007
New York, 2007

Distinctions

Listed in Chambers USA, Environment (2017-2024), Band 1 (2024)
Listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer®: Environmental (2021-2024)
Listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer Rising Star®: Environmental (2013-2020)
Listed as a New Leader in the Law, Connecticut Law Tribune (2018)
Judicial Clerk, Massachusetts Superior Court (2006-2007)
Connecticut Law Review, Notes & Comments Editor

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association: Environmental Law Section, Executive Committee
Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)

Community Involvement

Leadership Greater Hartford: Member, Board of Directors (2017-present)
Leadership Greater Hartford: Quest Class of 2016
Fred D. Wish School Volunteer Tutor Program
Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity Student Mentor Program

Experience

Environmental

Advised Commercial Property Owner in Connection with Response to Release of PFAS-containing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) From Exterior Fire Suppression System

We counseled a commercial property owner in connection with its response to a PFAS-containing release of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) from a helipad fire suppression system due to a mechanical malfunction. As part of our involvement, we advised the client with respect to applicable (and evolving) state and federal environmental reporting and remediation requirements, insurance coverage issues and forward-looking risk management strategies. Our engagement involved coordinating with the client’s third-party spill response/cleanup team, state regulators and the client’s inhouse environmental, legal and engineering departments.

Financing

New Markets Tax Credit Financing for Federally Qualified Health Center

Represented Federally Qualified Health Center in the leasing and financing of real property in downtown Winsted, Connecticut, through a New Markets Tax Credit structure, providing necessary funds to construct a health center and related facilities through a phased-in up to 39% tax credit with respect to an equity investment made. This financing will enable the client to expand and meet the growing need of the medically-underserved living in the area so that they may have access to quality, affordable and comprehensive primary and preventive health services, through the opening of this new health center.

Land use approvals and litigation

Acquisition and Land Use Approvals for Federally Qualified Health Center

Represented Federally Qualified Health Center in the acquisition and development of real property in downtown Winsted, Connecticut, enabling the client to expand and meet the growing need of the medically-underserved living in the area so that they may have access to quality, affordable and comprehensive primary and preventive health services. The Center will serve a racially and economically diverse population, many of whom have limited employment, transportation, housing and financial resources by adding additional exam rooms, providers, support staff, and equipment in a convenient location, dramatically reducing the number of adults who have no care, or have delayed or not sought care. Over the course of eighteen months, our team handled the negotiation of the purchase transaction, related land use approvals including the successful appeal of a denial by the local planning and zoning commission, as well as related historic, regulatory and environmental matters, allowing for closing of the transaction in early 2018.

Represented Toll Brothers, Inc. in Acquisition of Property for Large Mixed Use Developments in Stamford and Norwalk

Represented this leading national developer in the acquisition of four parcels along Summer Street, Bedford Street and North Street in Stamford, Connecticut, which will be developed into a new, seven-story, mixed-use development with ground-floor retail, parking garage and several-hundred apartments with related amenity space. Our team assisted with several aspects of the transaction, including reviewing and confirming land use approvals, examining and advising on title matters, advising on environmental matters, and preparing and negotiating closing documents and agreements.

General

Successful Affiliation of Two Major Healthcare Organizations

A team of Shipman & Goodwin attorneys, led by Joan Feldman, assisted Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in the negotiation of its affiliation with Yale New Haven Health, and jointly represented both L+M Corporation and Yale New Haven Health in obtaining all the needed regulatory approvals from the State of Connecticut to complete the transaction, including certificate of need approval from the Office of Health Care Access for the system affiliation and the combination of the affiliated medical foundation. The affiliation process extended over an eighteen-month period with many complex regulatory hurdles, along with coordinated corporate, transactional, labor and employment, and environmental legal counsel.

Environmental Remediation of Contaminated River and Property

Successful representation of Exide Group, Inc. which formerly operated a battery manufacturing facility in Connecticut, in obtaining federal, state and town approvals to remediate contaminated river sediments. Working with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) and agencies at the local and federal levels, our environmental lawyers assisted Exide on a project for removing more than 27,000 cubic yards of lead-contaminated sediments, by participating in facilitated meetings with stakeholders to develop consensus on implementing a state-of-the-art remediation plan.

Settlement Negotiations in Response to U.S. EPA Enforcement Action

Represented bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing company in settlement negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 1) in response to an enforcement action alleging over 1,800 separate violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and seeking a civil penalty in excess of $12 million.

Represented Aerospace Products Manufacturer During Negotiation of $84 Million Stock Purchase Agreement and Provided Strategic Business Counseling Regarding Environmental Risk Transfer Strategies

Advised privately held company and its shareholders during the negotiation of a stock purchase agreement whereby the buyer, a NYSE traded company, agreed to purchase all of the outstanding shares of the company for $84 million. Successfully negotiated a deal structure to favorably protect the shareholders of the privately held company with respect to historic environmental contamination and negotiated agreements that established strict parameters and procedures by which environmental escrow funds may be used post-closing to address historic environmental contamination.

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October 9, 2024