Heidi Minuskin is a Partner in the Firm's Environmental and Toxic Tort Group. 

Heidi's practice concentrates in the areas of environmental law, commercial and real estate transactions. She counsels clients on the impact of environmental law on real estate and business transactions, helping them assess and address potential liabilities under federal and state environmental laws, and providing solutions to allow development and transactions to proceed. Her practice encompasses all aspects of environmental law, including Superfund Brownfields redevelopment, ISRA, due diligence, disclosure obligations, environmental insurance matters, site remediation, and regulatory compliance and permitting issues.

Heidi represents a broad range of clients, from Fortune 100 major corporations to individual clients, in environmental litigation, penalty and enforcement matters, and cost recovery actions, involving federal and state statutes and regulations including CERCLA, RCRA, New York Environmental Conservation Law and New Jersey’s Spill Act. She has negotiated significant Superfund, Spill Act and remediation settlements with various federal, state and local agencies.

Prior to joining Coughlin Duffy at it's inception in March 2004, Heidi served as Of Counsel to McElroy, Deutsch & Mulvaney, LLP. 

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Represented clients in Newark Bay Complex litigation and Lower Passaic River, Newark Bay, and Berry's Creek Superfund matters.
• Developed procedure for addressing environmental insurance claims and negotiated substantial settlements.
• Negotiated significant federal Superfund and state law environmental Settlement.
• Performed due diligence reviews of real property and major corporations and undertook emergent ISRA submissions to allow transactions to be consummated.
• Negotiated significant NRD settlements and environmental property damage claims.
• Aided numerous lending institutions in assessing environmental risks associated with various financing arrangements and developing risk assessment policies.
• Negotiated significant private party cost recovery settlements. 

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "Avoiding Costly Environmental Pitfalls Associated with Purchasing or Leasing Commercial Real Estate," Northeast NJ Chapter of the Appraisal Institute (September 19, 2019)

Speaker, "Lower Passaic River and Berry’s Creek Clean Up and Litigation," New Jersey State Bar Association Insurance Law Section (January 31, 2019)

Speaker, "The Reanaissance of Urban Areas: Woodbridge and Beyond," CIANJ (September 15, 2017)

Moderator, "New Life to Old Cities: Urban Redevelopment," CIANJ Real Property Roundtable (June 10, 2016)

Moderator, "How will Valuations, Tax Changes & Rate Environment Impact you in 2016?," CIANJ Real Property Roundtable (January 29, 2016)

Lecturer, PIA (2014)

Lecturer, NJSCPA (2014)

Lecturer, NJSCPA (2008)

Lecturer, Majess Lecture Series (1995)

Lecturer, Monmouth County Board of Realtors (1990)

Lecturer, HazMat International (1989-1990)

Lecturer, New Jersey Real Estate Commission (1989)

Publications and Presentations

Co-Author, "Keeping Your Neighbor in the Loop: Public Notice of Site Remediation" CIANJ Magazine (2008) 

Co-Author, "In Hot Pursuit of NRD Claims," Environmental Claims Journal, 19(4):219-238 (2007)

"NRD Claims: What's Recoverable, What's Not?", NJPA Real Estate Journal (2006)

Co-Author, “Cleaning Your Neighbor’s Property,” New Jersey Law Journal (2002) 

Co-Author, “ECRA Compliance,” Mathew Bender New Jersey Transaction Guide (1989)

Co-Author, "The Hidden Costs of a Home Purchase," Garden State Woman Magazine (Issue 47) 

Awards and Honors

Listed in Best Lawyers in America©, Environmental Law & Litigation-Environmental (2021), (This list is published by Best Lawyers.  Their selection methodology is available here.  No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.)

New Jersey Super Lawyers - Environmental (2009, 2011-2020)

Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Law Firms - Environmental (2008-2020)

Selected as on of the 2019 Top Rated Lawyers in Real Estate Law by ALM

Selected as one of New Jersey’s Women Leaders in the Law (2012)

Rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale Hubbell

Memberships

Member, American Bar Association (Section on Natural Resources)

Member, New Jersey State Bar Association (Sections on Environmental, Corporate and Business Law)

Member, New York State Bar Association (Section on Environmental Law)

Member, Industrial/Commercial Real Estate Women of New Jersey (ICREW)

Member, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)

Member, Commercial Real Estate Alliance United Industrial Group (CREA United)

Member, Environmental Business Council of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (EBC)

Master, Justice Stewart G. Pollock Environmental Inn of Court

Chairperson, Real Property Forum of the Commerce and Industry Association of NJ

Member, Chemical Council of New Jersey

Member, New Jersey License Site Remediation Professional Association

Committee Member, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Near-Term Priorities Committee

News

• April 30, 2020 NJDEP Provides Temporary but Limited Relief of Site Remediation Deadlines Due to COVID-19 Impacts
  April 30, 2020

  In response to the concerns raised by parties about their inability to meet regulatory and mandatory timeframes for completing remedial...

• March 23, 2020 The COVID-19 Pandemic May Significantly Impact Environmental Requirements
  March 23, 2020

  The United States is facing a disease outbreak that is unprecedented in the modern world.  The spread of the novel...

• March 13, 2020 Coughlin Duffy Attorneys Named to New Jersey 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars List
  March 13, 2020

  Coughlin Duffy LLP is pleased to share that ten of the Firm's attorneys have been selected to the 2020 Super...

• November 21, 2019 New Jersey Appellate Panel Rules Municipal Courts Can Enforce Pollution Cleanup Orders
  November 21, 2019

  On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, a three-judge panel for the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed a Middlesex County State Court’s...

• October 30, 2019 New Jersey Continues Aggressive Enforcement Actions For Environmental Harms
  October 30, 2019

  On Friday, October 25, 2019, State Attorney General Grubir S. Grewal (“Grewal”) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”)...

• August 15, 2019 6 Coughlin Duffy Partners Recognized in 2020 Edition of Best Lawyers in America®
  August 15, 2019

  Coughlin Duffy LLP is pleased to announce that 6 of the firm's partners have been selected by their peers for inclusion in...

• May 3, 2019 Coughlin Duffy Named as an Environmental Leader by CIANJ and COMMERCE Magazine
  May 3, 2019

  Coughlin Duffy LLP is honored to be selected as a finalist in the first annual Commerce and Industry Association of New...

• April 25, 2019 Chambers USA 2019 Recognizes Two Coughlin Duffy Attorneys and One Practice Group
  April 25, 2019

  Coughlin Duffy is proud to share that Kevin Coughlin and Heidi Minuskin, along with the Firm's Insurance practice, have been recognized in Chambers USA 2019’s legal...

• March 12, 2019 Coughlin Duffy Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in Super Lawyers 2019 List
  March 12, 2019

  Coughlin Duffy LLP is pleased to share that eight of the Firm's attorneys have been selected to the 2019 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list...

• August 9, 2018 NJDEP Ramps Up Claims for Natural Resource Damages
  August 9, 2018

  The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) appears to be taking a new aggressive approach against businesses and corporations...

• May 23, 2018 Coughlin Duffy LLP Receives Recognition in Chambers USA 2018
  May 23, 2018

  Two Coughlin Duffy partners and one practice group have been recognized in Chambers USA 2018’s legal directory published by Chambers...

• April 1, 2018 Partner Heidi Minuskin Featured in CIANJ Commerce Magazine
  April 1, 2018

  Coughlin Duffy Partner Heidi Minuskin was featured in CIANJ's Commerce Magazine's Annual Environmental Business Roundtable, April 2018 edition. Heidi commented on New Jersey's growing...

• November 6, 2017 NJDEP Proposes New Rules for Underground Storage Tanks
  November 6, 2017

  New amendments raise the question if the storage of materials in Underground Storage Tanks just got more costly in New...

• March 17, 2017 Hackensack River Expected to be Named Superfund Site
  March 17, 2017

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) investigation into the lower Hackensack River is continuing.  Indeed, the USEPA is likely to...

• December 7, 2016 Access Issues During Environmental Investigations/Remediation
  December 7, 2016

  Property access issues frequently arise in environmental matters.   A client may be conducting an investigation on its property and detect...

• September 23, 2015 Can a State Environmental Law Resurrect a CERCLA Contribution Claim?
  September 23, 2015

  State statutes designed to compel private parties to spend their money to cleanup contaminated sites typically mirror the federal Comprehensive...

• May 15, 2015 NJDEP Offers Guide to Obtaining Off-Site Access
  May 15, 2015

  The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) has unveiled an update to the agency’s Site Remediation Program online forms,...

• March 14, 2015 Coughlin Duffy LLP is pleased to announce that 20 of its attorneys were selected for inclusion in New Jersey Super Lawyers® and New Jersey Rising Stars®
  March 14, 2015

  New Jersey Super Lawyers® is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and...

• March 12, 2015 No End in Sight for Parties Subject to Contribution Claims
  March 12, 2015

  The New Jersey Supreme Court has unanimously held that private claims for contribution made pursuant to the New Jersey Spill...

• January 6, 2015 The Extent of Recoverable Damages for Migrating Contamination Remains Uncertain
  January 6, 2015

  Property owners suffering from migrating contamination from an adjacent property are often faced with a variety of damages in addition...

• August 6, 2014 The Wait is Over: A Party Can Now File a Contribution Claim Prior to the Completion of a Cleanup
  August 6, 2014

  One of the most valuable tools in a responsible party’s arsenal, a contribution claim, can now be used to take...

• January 23, 2014 Remedial Investigation Deadline Extension Signed into Law
  January 23, 2014

  As advised in our January 17, 2014 E-Alert, a bill proposing to extend the deadline for completion of required environmental...

• January 17, 2014 Relief from the Remedial Investigation Deadline is in Sight
  January 17, 2014

  There is good news for parties with cleanup obligations and a May 7, 2014, deadline to complete their remedial investigation...

• May 13, 2009 New Site Remediation Reform Act Significantly Changes Remediation of Contaminated Sites in New Jersey
  May 13, 2009

  On May 7, 2009, New Jersey Governor John S. Corzine signed into law the Site Remediation Reform Act, also known...

Events

• September 18, 2019 Heidi Minuskin to Speak at Appraisal Institute on September 19, 2019
  

  Heidi Minuskin will be speaking on a panel entitled, "Environmental Pitfalls Associated with Purchasing or Leasing Commercial Real Estate" at...

• January 31, 2019 Karen Moriarty and Heidi Minuskin to Present at New Jersey State Bar Association Insurance Law Section
  

  Karen Moriarty and Heidi Minuskin will present on a panel entitled, "Lower Passaic River and Berry’s Creek Clean Up and Litigation"...