Ian A. Shavitz

Mr. Shavitz is the Team Leader of the firm’s Environment and Energy Practice Team, and has more than 20 years of experience counseling and advocating for clients on environmental and land use issues associated with developing large-scale infrastructure, energy, and commercial projects; securing federal, state and local governmental permits and approvals; advising sellers, purchasers, lenders, and investors on environmental issues associated with corporate, real estate and energy transactions; and advocating for favorable policy decisions and legislation before Congress. Mr. Shavitz’s clients have included corporations, municipalities, developers, investors, state and local governments, private equity funds, and Indian tribes.

While Mr. Shavitz’s practice is national in scope, he has particular expertise advising clients on projects, transactions and legal issues in New York State, where he has practiced for his entire career, and on federal issues in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining Lippes Mathias, Mr. Shavitz practiced law at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Washington, D.C., in the Environmental and Public Law and Policy practice groups.

Representative Matters

Mr. Shavitz assists clients in navigating the myriad regulatory and political issues that are essential to plan and develop projects of all types and sizes. Drawing on almost two decades of experience advising project developers and other stakeholders on major infrastructure, energy, commercial, real estate and transportation projects, Mr. Shavitz crafts and implements multipronged strategies to meet his clients’ development needs—from project planning through construction and operations—by working closely with clients’ teams of professionals; project regulators (both local and in Washington, D.C.); federal, state and local elected officials; and project supporters.

Mr. Shavitz regularly advises clients on permitting and completing environmental studies and securing approvals required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the Clean Water Act, New York’s Protection of Waters and Freshwater Wetlands laws, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. He successfully integrates legal experience into all phases of the project planning and development process to reduce delays and project costs, and minimize litigation risks. Mr. Shavitz has also represented state agencies and developers in environmental litigation, counseled developers and property owners regarding compliance with land use laws, and served as counsel to a town planning board and zoning board of appeals. 

Mr. Shavitz provides environmental advice on a broad range of commercial and real estate transactions, where he counsels buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers and investors on evaluating environmental liabilities and risks, structuring transactions to minimize risk, and negotiating the allocation of environmental risk between parties in transactions.

For his tribal clients, Mr. Shavitz has assisted in securing required approvals for development projects located on and off tribal lands, advised on the environmental aspects of land-to-trust applications and leasing of tribal lands, and drafted provisions of tribal codes and regulations. When a nontribal project will impact or threaten tribal lands, Mr. Shavitz ensures that private developers, state agencies and municipalities follow the laws that protect tribal lands, interests and cultural resources.

Mr. Shavitz works regularly with members of Congress and senior government resource agency officials. Mr. Shavitz has represented clients before the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, United States Air Force, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Department of Transportation.