Susan M. Franzetti
Susan Franzetti was formerly a partner and chair of the environmental practice at a large Chicago law firm. She has extensive experience in compliance counseling, regulatory and litigation matters. She is an experienced litigator who has successfully represented clients in both civil and criminal jury trials in federal and state courts, including a $41.7 million federal jury verdict.
Ms. Franzetti also has achieved successful results through negotiated settlements with U.S. EPA and state environmental agencies in environmental enforcement cases under CERCLA, RCRA, EPCRA, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act in various U.S. EPA regions and under equivalent state statutes and regulations, as well as persuading environmental regulators not to pursue criminal investigations against clients. She has successfully pursued NPDES permit appeals and defended against third-party NPDES appeals as well as citizen suits under the Clean Water Act. Ms. Franzetti has served as a mediator to assist in resolving environmental disputes without the need for litigation.
Ms. Franzetti also has extensive experience in administrative water pollution matters, including the negotiation of NPDES and industrial pretreatment discharge permits, effluent toxicity issues, TMDLs, use attainability analyses, CSO’s and SSO’s issues, rule-making proceedings, variances and other forms of site-specific relief, mixing zone demonstrations, antidegradation and other wastewater issues.
On solid waste matters, Ms. Franzetti has counseled clients on RCRA permit and compliance issues, including the negotiation of consent agreements regarding RCRA corrective action matters. She has assisted clients in obtaining NFR determinations under state site cleanup programs, as well as supervising environmental due diligence assessments and negotiating environmental issues in connection with real estate and corporate transactions. She has represented companies in numerous federal and state CERCLA matters on a national basis, including acting as PRP Group counsel on several sites.
Ms. Franzetti received her J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago in 1979, and her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1976. She is admitted to the Illinois Bar, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a member of the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Franzetti is also an elected Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). She also volunteers her legal services to the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, as well as serving on its Board of Directors.
Chicago, Illinois 60603
