Anne E. Viner

Anne E. Viner

Anne E. Viner
Principal
Phone: 312.521.2713 vCard
Fax: 312.521.2813
aviner@muchshelist.com

PRACTICE GROUPS

AT WORK

Anne E. Viner heads the firm's Environmental, Regulatory & Redevelopment Law practice. She represents corporate clients in a broad range of environmental and products liability matters, including federal and state litigation, regulatory compliance, permitting and operational issues, and finance. Anne has extensive experience at the intersection of real estate and environmental law, and regularly counsels manufacturers, consultants, developers, banks, financial institutions and other clients regarding the impact of environmental issues on transactions, investments and other strategic initiatives. An experienced negotiator and litigator, she takes a proactive approach to the complex issues involved in government investigations, law enforcement actions and other scientifically challenging business conflicts.

Anne has prosecuted and defended a number of environmental disputes (including class actions) on behalf of manufacturing clients in a wide range of industries. She has represented Superfund potentially responsible parties (PRPs) and has served as common counsel for a CERCLA PRP group with respect to remedy negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, implementation of landfill remedies, operations and maintenance activities, allocation determinations and contribution litigation. Anne advises clients in the manufacturing, chemical, fuel and other industries on regulatory and compliance matters, including day-to-day operational issues, responses to violation notices and "no further remediation" letters.

Anne regularly counsels real estate developers, buyers and sellers during the acquisition and sale of industrial properties, including conducting due diligence investigations and negotiating and drafting the environmental provisions of deal documents. She also negotiates and drafts environmental services contracts with consultants and supervises consultants' work on environmental projects, including closures under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Superfund remedial actions, asbestos abatements, and the removal and cleanup of underground storage tanks. She frequently advises clients regarding voluntary environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance audits.

Anne draws on her dispute resolution experience to help clients identify risks and minimize the likelihood of potential disputes. When litigation is identified as the most appropriate option, she defends products liability and complex environmental cases in federal and state courts nationwide. Anne manages all aspects of such cases, including developing litigation strategies, identifying subject-matter experts, administering product inspections, implementing internal root-cause analyses and recall evaluations and representing clients at trial. She also regularly oversees local counsel and takes the lead in discovery and settlement negotiations.

Anne is Co-Chair of the firm's Women's Initiative and serves as a Much Shelist delegate to the Coalition of Women's Initiatives in Law Firms.

IN THE PROFESSION

Anne Chairs the Chicago Bar Association's Environmental Law Committee, where she previously served as Legislative Liaison. She is also a member of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

In 2005, Anne was selected by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company as one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch." She has served as an Adjunct Professor of environmental law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She frequently speaks on real estate-related environmental issues to fellow lawyers, clients and professional groups at a variety of conferences and seminars, including programs sponsored by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Illinois State Bar Association.

While in law school, Anne served as Book Review Editor and wrote articles for the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Anne was appointed in 2009 to the Evanston Environment Board of the city of Evanston, Illinois. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Central Street Neighbors Association, a non-profit membership group formed to promote and preserve the vitality and quality of life of the Central Street Neighborhood in Evanston.

BACKGROUND

Northwestern University School of Law
J.D., 1993

Denison University
B.A., cum laude, 1990

Anne is admitted to practice in Illinois.