Marissa L. Curran

There are several thousand pages of state and federal chemical, environmental, health, and safety regulations that affect clients in the day-to-day operation of their businesses. Marissa provides a road map for navigating those regulations, and their implications, in a wide range of business and real estate transactions, from selling a vacant gas station to funding a wind farm to acquiring a health care system to responding to an emergency chemical spill.

Marissa advises a diverse set of clients—from well-known pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies to universities, farms, and small businesses—on a full range of real estate redevelopment, chemical, environmental, health, and safety issues. She helps clients avoid (or minimize) environmental enforcement actions, both administrative and judicial, under a variety of federal and state statutes including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, TSCA , RCRA, CERCLA, FIFRA, EPCRA, OSHA, HMTA, and the Endangered Species and Migratory Bird Treaty Acts. 

Marissa also has experience in food and agriculture matters, homeland security regulations, chemical import and export laws, natural resource damages, and state voluntary cleanup, brownfields, and other environmental tax incentive programs.

In addition to providing regulatory, real estate, and transactional advice, Marissa directs environmental site assessments, Phase II testing, and compliance audits, and works extensively with consulting and engineering firms. Marissa routinely partners with chemists, real estate assessors,  and environmental consultants to present a “full package” of solutions to her clients. 

Marissa was the editor of Harvard Law School’s Environmental Law Journal and president of its Animal Law Section. 

• Negotiated purchase agreements, leases, credit agreements, and environmental escrows for companies of all sizes
• Directed investigations and environmental remediation projects for dozens of profit and not-for-profit corporations 
• Coordinated Phase Is, Phase IIs, property condition reports, noise studies, traffic studies, and geotechnical assessments for schools, hospitals, shelters, industrial parks, retail shops, restaurants, and offices
• Drafted sponsorship and media agreements 
• Coordinated health and safety audits 
• Drafted supply chain, NDAs, and white label agreements
• Advised on employment, trademark, contract, and construction matters
• Lead emergency preparedness response team for hazardous releases
• Prepared EPA registration applications for anti-microbials, disinfectants, sanitizers, and pesticides 
• Advised on NEPA, Endangered Species, and Migratory Bird regulations for wind and solar projects
• Counseled companies on Prop 65, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Hazardous Waste regulations 
• Negotiated dozens of OSHA settlements for small business through fortune 100 companies
• Advised companies on FTC’s truth in advertising laws, especially as they related to “green” and “organic” claims
• Counseled companies on compliance with international product labeling regulations 
• Drafted guidance DOT and FAA shipping and labeling requirements for truck, train, ship, and air travel
• Defended companies against environmental property damage lawsuits and personal injury claims
• Settled civil and criminal asbestos, mold, and radon violations against small business owners