Overview

Lara is an Associate in our Real Estate and Environmental groups. Lara concentrates her practice on general commercial real estate, land use, environmental permitting and compliance, as well as green business on behalf of the firm’s real estate developer and energy clients.

Lara most recently served as in-house counsel for a large international public utility. As a member of the utility’s real estate legal team, she provided counsel on a range of property rights issues, fee and easement acquisitions for substation expansions and transmission line upgrades in New York and throughout New England, as well as the placement of conservation easements and restrictions. Lara handled negotiations with the US Army Corps of Engineers to comply with Clean Water Act permit requirements.

Prior to law school, Lara worked as an environmental scientist for Epsilon Associates, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm, where she drafted environmental permit applications for development projects, as well as assisted in wetlands delineations and wildlife habitat assessments. She also worked as an environmental scientist on several Superfund sites in Montana, and for local and state regulatory agencies in New York and Vermont.

Representative Experience

• Provision of dedicated real estate legal support to National Grid in connection with numerous capital improvement projects across its Northeast service territory, including property acquisitions for new transmission line rights-of-way.
• Representation on power purchase agreements for solar generation and advice on renewable energy tax credits and government grant funding.
• Negotiation and drafting of commercial office leasing and service agreements.
• Representation of clients in connection with coastal land use regulations, including Chapter 91, and variances for grandfathered property rights.
• Representation of clients on wastewater discharge compliance matters in connection with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
• Advice to clients regarding potential liability for hazardous waste site cleanup costs.