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Greenberg Traurig, LLPShare Holder
Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice
Pro

Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice

5.0
1 review

101 East College Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Environmental, Land Use, Government Law & Policy and 3 more

About Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice

Backed by 30 years of multidisciplinary expertise spanning environmental, land use, brownfields, environmental justice, real estate and corporate transactions, with a proven record of negotiating and resolving high stakes environmental permitting and due diligence issues to close deals, Maribel serves as environmental and land use counsel on capital-intensive real estate, corporate, and M&A projects and transactions. Maribel’s key clients include property owners, energy company investors, private equity companies, lenders and real estate developers. She advises lending institutions on environmental liability, including permitting and remediation projects associated with collateral property in foreclosure. For structured finance commercial real estate loans in default and distressed debt, Maribel conducts critical environmental reviews of complex environmental reports and property conditions, including contaminated properties undergoing or requiring remediation. She performs collateral-asset environmental risk analysis for real estate lending, foreclosure management, and resale/auction processes. She also conducts supplemental, independent research on environmental risks associated with real estate.

Her practice includes environmental due diligence review, counseling and litigation on complex environmental aspects in real estate transactions, commercial foreclosure proceedings, bankruptcy cases, environmental investigations, remediation projects, brownfields development, environmental justice, and corporate transactions, and evaluating risks and costs associated with potential environmental cleanup and third-party liability, as well as on regulatory and permitting technical aspects of complex contamination remediation projects. Maribel was a primary participant in drafting Florida’s environmental justice legislation and served on the Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Study Commission. Maribel advises corporate clients and developers on environmental justice matters, cleanup, and redevelopment of contaminated properties with community benefits, and businesses that identify their brands and operations with social and environmental sustainability. She has been an annual speaker on this topic before the Florida Chamber of Commerce since 1995.

Prior to joining the firm, Maribel served as Assistant City Attorney of the City of Tallahassee. There she earned two gubernatorial appointments with unanimous, bipartisan, confirmation from the Florida Legislature, co-chairing the Florida Environmental Regulatory Commission, and representing the regulated community on the Florida Environmental Equity and Study Commission. Additionally, she significantly contributed to the Cascades Cleanup Project, a successful initiative to transform a former Superfund site into a vibrant urban park in Tallahassee.

Concentrations

•Environmental law
•Environmental due diligence
•Brownfields redevelopment
•Complex environmental litigation
•Environmental counsel to Chapter 11 debtors in bankruptcy
•Environmental counsel to lenders financing and foreclosing on real property
•Waste regulation
•Cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated real property
•Submerged lands and coastal regulation
•Water resources
•Real estate, corporate, and M&A transactions
•Land development
•Energy
•Governmental and administrative law

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Listed, Lawdragon, “Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law,” Environmental & Land Use Law, 2023-2026
•Listed, Lawdragon 500, Leading U.S. Environmental & Energy Lawyers guide, 2021
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2010-2026
•Environmental Law, 2010-2026
•Natural Resources Law, 2021-2026
•Recognized, ONYX magazine, 'Woman on the Move,' 2022
•Team Member, a Law360 “Environmental Practice Group of the Year,” 2022
•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, 2017-2018
•Recipient, Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, Award of Appreciation for 14 years of Dedicated Service
•Recipient, Tallahassee Leon Planning Commission, Award in Recognition of 9 years of Community Service
•Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms Edition, 'Law Firm of the Year,' Environmental Law, 2016
•Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers 'Government Relations Law Firm of the Year,' 2014
•Ranked, Tier 1 - Government Relations, Tallahassee Metropolitan Area
•Recipient, The Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section's 'Judy Florence Memorial Outstanding Service Award'
•Rated, AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0

 

Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice (Tallahassee, Florida) View website

Awards

AV Preeminent Peer Rated
This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.
Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV

Client Champion Awards

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Champion Badge Silver

At least three reviews and a score of 4.0 or higher.

Champion Badge Gold

At least six reviews and a score of 4.2 or higher.

Champion Badge Platinum

At least ten reviews and a score of 4.5 or higher.

Martindale Peer Awards

A lawyer who receives a minimum threshold of qualifying responses from fellow attorneys can qualify for one of three prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:

Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV Preeminent Rating

AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice got this award in 2021

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Distinguished Rating

Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Notable Rating

Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.

Avvo Awards

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Services

Areas of Law

  • Other 6
    • Environmental
    • Land Use
    • Government Law & Policy
    • Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
    • Environmental & Toxic Tort Litigation
    • Complex Torts

Practice Details

  • Languages
    Spanish
  • Firm Information
    Position
    Shareholder
    Firm Name
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  • Representative Cases & Transactions
    Cases
    Experience: Environmental Law: Negotiated a Consent Decree
    settlement of federal
    state environmental liability, fines,
    penalties under the Clean Water Act on behalf a financial institution seeking to foreclose on collateral property. Following foreclosure, she also helped the client resolve numerous environmental permit violations
    avoid significant fines
    penalties.
    Negotiated with the state regulatory agency to assess the nature
    extent of petroleum contamination
    remediation under Florida's petroleum cleanup program on behalf of a financial institution seeking to foreclose on collateral property contaminated from underground gas storage tanks. Following the property foreclosure, obtained state cleanup funding for a portion of the contamination
    a No Further Action Letter enabling the client to resell the property.
    Performed environmental due diligence for client seeking to foreclose on collateral property containing NPDES stormwater violations
    significant adverse impacts to wetl
    s associated with debtor's development of a golf course. Also negotiated with the state regulatory agency to mitigate wetl
    impacts
    resolve stormwater violations under the Clean Water Act, while helping the client to avoid enforcement action
    any related fines
    penalties.
    Provided environmental due diligence consultation to a lender financing a multimillion-dollar acquisition of gas stations located throughout the Southeast United States.
    Provided environmental
    l
    use due diligence consultation, including environmental permit transfers, terminations,
    new permit applications, for 14 plastic manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States.
    Provided international cruise ship line with environmental permitting
    policy services for marina expansion project located in South America.
    Environment Litigation: Defended speaker plant siting decisions against environmental justice claims.
    Led in negotiating
    resolving a number of cases under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection cleanup programs such as the Brownfields, dry cleaner,
    petroleum cleanup programs.
    Energy Industry: Represented solar energy development companies.
    Oversaw environmental remediation
    redevelopment of a former city coal-gasification plant to a city park.
    Represented ConocoPhillips in class action lawsuits arising from Superfund Site.
    L
    Development: Negotiated state l
    s leases, state submerged l
    s disclaimers,
    private claims in submerged l
    s in conjunction with the development of docking facilities serving luxury condominiums projects.
    Represented $620M private equity fund in purchase of contaminated properties for cleanup
    redevelopment into substantial mixed-use commercial development
    livable downtown centers, i.e., student housing, hotel/restaurant,
    other integrated mixed-uses including neighborhood,
    historic buildings.
    Government
    Administrative Law: Served as special legal counsel to Blueprint 2000 Intergovernmental Agency consisting of the Tallahassee City Commission
    the Leon County Commission.
    Represented emergent clean technology companies before the Florida Legislature
    the Executive Office of the Governor.
    Led passage of statutory language contained in a comprehensive growth management legislation to renew
    extend for two years certain permits issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
    water management districts, as well as build-out dates for certain developments of regional impact.
    Led in drafting
    establishment of the Broward County Brownfields Program.
    Primary participant in adoption of Florida's Unified Building Code.
    Primary participant in adoption
    subsequent amendments to the Florida Brownfields Redevelopment Act.
    Government Experience: Special Counsel, Blueprint 2000 Intergovernmental Agency, 2003-Present
    Former Chair, Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Commission, 2003-2012
    Member, Governor Crist's Energy Supply
    Dem
    Technical Work Group, 2008-2009
    Former Member, Florida Environmental Equity
    Justice Study Commission, 1994-1995
    Assistant City Attorney, City Tallahassee, 1991-1994
    Former Vice-Chair, Florida Environmental Regulation Commission, 1995-2001
    Previous Experience: In 1999, served on the EPA's National Justice Advisory Council, Air
    Water Subcommittee's Urban Air Toxics Working Group.
    In 1998, lobbied the Florida Legislature for state funding to establish the Center for Environmental Equity
    Justice at FAMU's Environmental Science Institute.
    In 1994, lobbied the Florida Legislature for state funding to establish the Environmental Science Institute at Florida Agricultural
    Mechanical University to help increase the number of minorities entering into the environmental law profession.
  • Additional Links
    http://www.gtlaw.com/People/Maribel-N-Nicholson-Choice

Experience

  • Bar Admission & Memberships
    Admissions
    1990, Florida
    U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
    U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
    Memberships

    Professional & Community Involvement

    •Board Member, Tallahassee Environmental, Advisory Board
    •Chair, Tallahassee-Leon Planning Commission
    •Member, American Bar Association
    •Former Vice-Chair, Florida Environmental Regulation Commission
    •Former Member, Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Commission
    •Former Member, The Florida Chamber of Commerce Committee on Natural Resources and Growth Management
    •Former Chair, Florida Bar's Environmental and Land Use Law Section, 2002-2003
    •Former Chair, Florida Chambers' Subcommittee on Brownfields and Environmental Justice

  • Education & Certifications
    Law School
    University of Miami School of Law
    Class of 1990
    J.D.
    Other Education
    Barry University
    Class of 1987
    B.S.
    with distinction
  • Personal Details & History
    Age
    Born in 1966
    New York, N.Y., April 7, 1966

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Attorneys FAQs

  • What year was this attorney first admitted to the bar?
    Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice was admitted in 1990 to the State of Florida.
  • Is this attorney admitted to practice in any U.S. Federal Courts?
    Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida and United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
  • Is this attorney Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review rated?
    Yes, Maribel N. Nicholson-Choice has a 5.0 Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
  • How many attorneys are in this law firm?
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP has 2750 attorneys at this location.
  • What year was this attorney's law firm established?
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP was established in 1967.

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