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Karen Leo Mintzer
Karen Mintzer is an environmental lawyer with more than 25 years of experience both in private practice and in the public sector. Her clients include business owners, real estate developers, government agencies and not-for-profit institutions. She manages environmental reviews and obtains environmental permits for large and small development projects, litigates environmental cases, defends clients in environmental enforcement matters, and advises on regulatory compliance, contaminated site remediation, brownfield redevelopment, and business transactions involving environmental issues.
Karen is skilled at providing her clients with strategic, results-oriented advice. She knows how to manage and work cooperatively with interdisciplinary teams and varied constituencies, both inside and outside of government, to help her clients accomplish their goals.
Through 2014, Karen was a Special Counsel in the environmental practice group at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis and Frankel LLP, where she worked closely with the firm’s land use, real estate and corporate practice groups. In 2015 she left private practice to become Regional Attorney - General Counsel to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Region 2 (covering New York City). In 2018, she was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as General Counsel for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, a position she held until becoming a founding member of Mintzer Mauch PLLC in 2020.
Karen’s work in New York State government expanded her knowledge of environmental law, and gave her additional expertise in public-private partnerships, construction, alienation, historic preservation, legislation, insurance, procurement, concessions, state finance law, government grants, public officers law and government ethics.
Karen lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two teenage sons, and their dog, Louise.
Education:
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
Lafayette College, B.A.
Bar and Court Admissions:
State of New York
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
United States District Court, Northern District of New York
Memberships:
New York State Bar Association, Real Property and Environmental and Energy Law Sections
New York City Chapter Board Member, New York League of Conservation Voters
(212) 380 6170, ext. 1
Helen Collier Mauch
Helen Mauch has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of real estate development, environmental law, land use and zoning. Client-oriented and driven to achieve her clients’ goals, Helen provides a high level of engagement, responsiveness and care to every matter.
Helen represents private and municipal clients in environmental compliance and enforcement matters before federal and state environmental agencies, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and Army Corps of Engineers, and advises on brownfield cleanup applications, wetland, solid waste management, and other environmental permits.
Helen also guides private and municipal clients through the full environmental review process under the City and State Environmental Quality Review Act (CEQR/SEQRA), and represents clients in Article 78 challenges to administrative decision-making.
In addition, Helen provides advice in connection with environmental aspects of real estate and corporate transactions, including transactions involving the redevelopment of brownfield sites, due diligence review, and negotiation of agreements to protect clients from liability. Helen’s experience also includes representation of municipalities and developers in connection with large-scale development projects, public-private partnerships, and drafting complex development agreements.
Outside of New York City, Helen prosecutes land use applications before legislative bodies, planning boards and zoning boards throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley region, in order to secure variances, zoning amendments, site plan, subdivision, and special permit approvals.
Prior to founding Mintzer Mauch PLLC, Helen was a partner at Zarin & Steinmetz in White Plains. She also spent ten years working in the Environmental Department of Rosenman & Colin (now Katten Muchin Rosenman) in New York City, working closely with the land use & zoning, real estate, corporate and litigation departments.
Helen lives with her husband in New Rochelle, where they raised their three daughters.
(212) 380 6170, ext. 2
Education:
Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
Boston College, B.A.
Bar and Court Admissions:
State of New York
State of New Jersey
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
United States Supreme Court
Memberships:
New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Energy Law Section, co-chair of Environmental Business Transactions Committee
Hudson Valley Legal Services Board Member
Monica Hafif
Monica Schroer Hafif is a transactional real estate attorney experienced in commercial and residential real estate. Her clients include landlords and tenants in commercial property matters, as well as purchasers, sellers, lenders and cooperative corporations in residential real estate transactions.
Responsive and detail-oriented, Monica has worked with owners of shopping centers and office buildings nationwide, drafting and negotiating commercial leases, cross-access agreements, terminations, amendments and related documents. She negotiates long-term leases on behalf of landlords for big box retail tenants involving construction of anchor spaces and outparcels.
In addition to commercial leasing matters, Monica also represents clients in the purchase and sale of commercial properties.
Monica reviews and negotiates commercial loan documents on behalf of her owner clients in connection with commercial real estate financing, including securitized loans.
Monica was admitted to the New York Bar in 2003, and took time off from her law practice to raise her children. She lives in South Orange, NJ with her husband, two kids and a menagerie of pets.
(212) 380 6170, ext. 3
Education:
Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
University of Chicago, B.A.
Bar and Court Admissions:
State of New York
Memberships:
New York State Bar Association, Real Property and Commercial Leasing Sections
Anthony Palumbo
Anthony Palumbo’s ability to achieve his clients’ objectives stems from his deep understanding of his clients’ businesses. Anthony has developed industry knowledge from his years of hands-on experience working in environmentally regulated sectors, particularly mining, and concrete block manufacturing.
Anthony started his career as an attorney with New York State as an Excelsior Fellow for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (Parks). During his fellowship in counsel’s office at Parks, Anthony advised staff on various environmental matters, including matters pertaining to SEQRA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and environmental self-audit initiatives. Anthony also provided legal oversight on construction projects at parks across the state, negotiated and drafted complex agreements, such as project labor agreements with local unions, and worked with large surety companies to resolve bonding disputes.
During law school, Anthony worked part-time at a boutique environmental and land use law firm in Greenwich, Connecticut, assisting in all aspects of the local land use approval process and land use litigation, and as a student attorney for the John Jay Legal Services Food and Beverage Law Clinic, where he provided transactional legal services to farmers and food justice non-profit organizations throughout New York State. In addition, he served as an editor on the Pace Environmental Law Review and received a certificate in Environmental Law from Pace’s top-ranked environmental law program.
Anthony lives in Kent, Connecticut, with his wife and dog.
(212) 380 6170, ext. 4
Education:
Pace Law School, J.D.
College of William and Mary, B.A.
Bar and Court Admissions:
State of New York
State of Connecticut
Memberships:
New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Energy Law Section
Matthew Barnett
Matthew Barnett is a skilled litigator with a growing reputation in environmental and land use law.
Client-focused and detail-oriented, Matthew draws on his litigation experience at Paul, Weiss and McDermott Will & Emery, where he represented companies and individuals in all stages of litigation, from pre-filing strategy through trial and appeals. Matthew’s litigation practice has included complex industrial, construction, finance, and insurance matters.
Matthew guides public entities and private businesses through environmental review under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act and the National Environmental Policy Act and environmental and land use permitting processes; litigates environmental and land use law claims; assists with environmental due diligence; and advises on brownfield cleanup and renewable energy projects.
Matthew began his legal career as a clerk for Hon. Donald M. Middlebrooks of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. In law school, Matthew served as a Notes Editor on the New York University Law Review.
(212) 380 6170, ext. 5
Education:
New York University Law School, J.D.
Duke University, B.A.
Bar and Court Admissions:
State of New York
Memberships:
New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Energy Law Section
