Bio
Steven T. Senior is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Environmental Group.
He has developed extensive expertise in complex regulatory and transactional matters, including brownfields redevelopment, site remediation and ISRA, permitting and counseling, due diligence, and enforcement defense. His practice serves a wide array of industries and businesses, including brownfields redevelopers, the energy, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors and environmental consulting and engineering firms.
Steve has been a leading attorney involved in the development of the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) program and the New Jersey Site Remediation Reform Act. He participated in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Legislative Reform Stakeholder Process for the Site Remediation Program.
Steve has published and given presentations on various environmental topics, including brownfields, site remediation, natural resource damages, cost recovery issues and Superfund, and environmental compliance.
Prior to joining Riker Danzig, Steve was an environmental consultant with ICF Kaiser Engineers, Inc., where he conducted site assessments and audits, policy analysis, and community outreach for public and private sector clients.
Steve is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, former Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Co-Chairperson of the Technical Regulations Advisory Coalition (TRAC) and co-founder of the Justice Stewart G. Pollock Environmental American Inn of Court. Steve also has been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America®.
In addition to his J.D., Steve has an LL.M. from New York University. He is a former member of the New York Law School Journal of Human Rights.
Areas of Emphasis
Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
Transactions
Permitting and Compliance
Enforcement Defense
Cost Recovery
Litigation
Bar Admissions
New Jersey
New York
United States District Court, District of New Jersey
Education
New York University School of Law, LL.M., 1995
New York Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1994
Rutgers University, B.A., 1988
Professional Activities
Fellow, American College of Environmental Lawyers
Immediate Past Chair, Environmental Law Section, New Jersey State Bar Association
Co-Chair, Technical Regulations Advisory Coalition
Founding Member, Justice Stewart G. Pollock Environmental American Inn of Court
Former Board Member, New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association
Rankings & Recognitions
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has included Steve in its Client’s Guide for Environmental Law attorneys in New Jersey since 2009. Ranked in Band One since 2019, Chambers notes Steve’s experience advising large corporations on site remediation, redevelopment issues and environmental regulatory compliance.
Steve has also been included in The Best Lawyers in America®, a peer review of U.S. lawyers, in the fields of Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation since 2012. In addition, Steve received the Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” award in the area of Environmental Litigation in the Newark region for 2023; this is an honor given to a single attorney in a particular practice area in each region, annually. In 2014 and again in 2019, Steve received the “Lawyer of the Year” award for Environmental Law in the Newark region.
In 2023 and again in 2024, Steve was named an Environment Influencer by ROI-NJ in its first Influencers: Environment list, which highlighted those individuals across sectors whose work impacts environmental issues and initiatives in the state. Steve was noted for his involvement in the development of the LSRP program and the NJ Site Remediation Reform Act. ROI-NJ recognized Steve’s expertise in complex regulatory and transactional matters, including brownfields redevelopment, site remediation and ISRA, permitting and counseling, due diligence and enforcement defense. It also commended his representation of clients in a wide array of industries and businesses, including brownfields redevelopers, the energy, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors and environmental consulting and engineering firms.
Thomson Reuters has included him on New Jersey’s “Super Lawyers” list for Environmental Law since 2008.
See Awards and Honors Methodology.
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