Lea assists clients with a wide range of environmental matters. She advises clients on regulatory compliance, environmental permitting and remediation under state and federal law, including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, RCRA, M.G.L. 21E and New Jersey's Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA). In her litigation practice, Lea has responded to EPA information requests under Section 114 of the Clean Air Act and has experience litigating under the citizen suit provisions of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. She has also helped clients submit filings and identify applicable exemptions under New Jersey's ISRA statute.
Before joining Foley Hoag, Lea clerked for the honorable F. Dennis Saylor IV in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. During law school, she was a note editor of the Boston College Law Review and an officer of the Boston College Environmental Law Society. She also worked as a legal intern at the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 Office of Regional Counsel, where she assisted in trial preparation by interviewing potential witnesses, researching liability issues, and preparing potential lines of questioning for use at trial. She was also a legal intern at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Division, where she worked on cases involving Equal Protection, Due Process, and cost recovery issues. In addition, Lea has interned at both the Conservation Law Foundation in Providence, Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Professional / Civic Involvement
· Boston Bar Association, Environmental Section, Member
· American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, Member
· Wakefield Conservation Commission, Associate Member
Publications
· Lea J. Heffernan, Application of the Remedial Purpose Canon to CERCLA Successor Liability Issues after U.S. v. Bestfoods: Why State Corporate Law Should Be Applied in Circuits Encompassing Substantial Continuity Exception States, 30 N. Ill. U. L. Rev. 387 (2010)
· Lea J. Heffernan, James P. Lassoie & Nelson Bills, An Assessment of the English Farm Woodland Premium Scheme and its Ability to Promote and Sustain Environmental Improvements in Agricultural Landscapes, 30 J. of Sustainable Forestry 441 (2011)
Industries
Energy and Regulated Industries
Energy Technology and Renewables
Real Estate/Land Use & Development
Honors/Awards
Note Editor, Boston College Law Review