Blake Donewar
Associate
Blake Donewar represents companies in the manufacturing, transportation, energy, agricultural and industrial sectors in commercial disputes, environmental litigation, toxic tort matters and regulatory proceedings. He helps clients manage risk in disputes involving environmental contamination, CERCLA cost recovery, products liability, permitting, enforcement, alleged occupational exposures and large-scale industrial or infrastructure projects.
Blake also counsels clients on environmental compliance, regulatory developments and environmental due diligence for commercial transactions. He works closely with businesses operating in highly regulated industries and helps them evaluate risk, manage environmental liabilities and address federal and state regulatory requirements.
Before entering private practice, Blake served as a law clerk to a federal judge and represented plaintiffs in complex litigation. Those experiences gave him insight into how courts evaluate high-stakes disputes and how claimants develop and pursue claims. As a result, he is able to anticipate litigation strategies and identify practical paths to obtain favorable results.
Experience
- Successfully resolved complex commercial disputes, including bet-the-company contract litigation for a valve manufacturer and a vendor dispute for an oil-and-gas commodities trading business.
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of an OSHA enforcement matter on behalf of an industrial manufacturer.
- Secured dismissals and favorable settlements on behalf of industrial, agricultural, manufacturing and energy clients in complex environmental and toxic tort litigation involving alleged releases of hazardous substances, occupational exposures and contamination claims.
- Conducted environmental due diligence and regulatory risk assessments for transactions involving manufacturing, mining, waste management, transportation, forestry products and private equity acquisitions and divestitures throughout the United States.
- Represents Class I railroads in environmental litigation, Superfund matters, CERCLA cost recovery actions and contamination incidents arising from rail operations.
- Represents private water utilities, manufacturers and a solar farm owner in disputes involving drinking water, wastewater, herbicide impacts and other environmental compliance issues.
- Represents industrial clients and a major port authority in federal and state permitting disputes, including challenges involving Clean Water Act Section 404 permits and large-scale industrial development projects.