Michelle N O'Brien

Practice Areas

Michelle O'Brien handles permitting and related litigation for various types of developments including residential homes, commercial buildings, and industrial properties such as solid waste facilities. She frequently defends companies in environmental enforcement matters at the federal, state, and local levels, bringing her experience as a government lawyer to bear.

Michelle represents private parties in cost recovery and property damage claims involving releases of oil and hazardous materials, and assists companies with regulatory compliance under cleanup laws. She also assists clients with real estate transactions involving contaminated properties and other environmental issues. Michelle often conducts environmental due diligence for real estate and business transactions, including the financing and development of renewable energy facilities such as battery energy storage systems and solar farms.

An accomplished litigator, Michelle obtained one of the highest trial verdicts in Massachusetts in 2005. She has also appeared before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and in 2014 obtained a victory before the Supreme Judicial Court in a case of first impression.

Career

Michelle was a Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Division, where she brought cost recovery and enforcement actions under M.G.L. Chapter 21E, and the Trial Division, where she represented state agencies and employees in state and federal courts.