Rafe Petersen is a Partner in the Government Section and primarily practices in the area of environmental compliance and litigation, with an emphasis on the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and resource issues. Mr. Petersen is experienced in environmental litigation at both trial and appellate levels and has filed several amicus briefs before the United States Supreme Court. In addition, he assists clients in complex permitting and regulatory issues for large scale commercial, residential and mining projects. Mr. Petersen also counsels clients on transactional, due diligence and compliance matters related to the disposition and development of contaminated property.
Mr. Petersen has published numerous articles on a wide variety of topics in environmental law including; wetlands and endangered species issues, as well as liability for contaminated property. He is co-author of the ABA's Endangered Species Deskbook and is the Environmental Editor of the American Bar Association's Probate and Property Magazine, for which he writes a regular column.
In addition, Mr. Petersen also practices in the areas of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He provides advice concerning compliance with FHA and ADA issues and defends multifamily, condominium, hotel, time share, university, and commercial developers and managers against lawsuits pertaining to construction and design requirements as well as disability and accommodation claims by residents, guests and customers.