Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP’s headquarters in Morristown
By Joshua Burd
Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP has named new co-chairs in its environmental law practice, who will take the reins from the department’s founder and longtime leader.
The law firm, which is based in Morristown, announced that partners Jeffrey B. Wagenbach and Steven T. Senior have assumed leadership of the group from Dennis J. Krumholz, effective January 2020. Both are longtime attorneys with the firm, while Krumholz founded the environmental practice in the mid-1980s and built it into one of the largest of its kind in the state.
“Riker Danzig entered the environmental arena in the early days of New Jersey environmental law, and so we have had the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of environmental regulation and litigation,” Wagenbach said. “Our practice today reflects that deep and broad understanding of the issues affecting the state, giving us the tools to understand these complex requirements and know the best way to get things done in our regulatory environment.”
Riker Danzig noted that Chambers USA has described Krumholz as a “founding father” of New Jersey environmental law. The firm added that he will continue as an active partner in the practice.
“It is an exciting time for the group,” Senior said. “Under Dennis’s leadership we’ve built a practice with a tremendous reputation, deep expertise in environmental issues across the board and top-rate clients. We look forward to continuing this legacy and to helping our clients effectively respond to the changing environmental risks and requirements they confront each day.”
Wagenbach joined Riker Danzig in 1985 as part of its new and growing environmental practice, according to a news release. He now boasts substantive experience in virtually every environmental program, ranging from the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to wetlands regulation and the handling and discharge of hazardous materials.
He has represented major corporations, midmarket companies and family businesses in transactions and high stakes cost recovery claims in both state and federal courts. Wagenbach is a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law, where he was executive editor of the Law Review, and of Dartmouth College.
Senior joined Riker Danzig in 1998 and has extensive experience with complicated regulatory and transactional matters, including brownfields redevelopment, site remediation and ISRA, permitting and counseling, due diligence and enforcement defense, the news release said. He also is involved in hazardous substance and cost recovery litigation.
Riker Danzig also noted that Senior played a lead role in the development of the state’s Licensed Site Remediation Professional program and the New Jersey Site Remediation Reform Act. He also helped launch the New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association and served on its board of trustees for a decade.
Senior earned his law degree from New York Law School and an LLM from the New York University School of Law. Prior to law school, he earned his bachelor’s from Rutgers University and was an environmental consultant with ICF Kaiser Engineers Inc.
