Ruth H. Silman Partner rsilman@nixonpeabody.com 617-345-6062 Fax: 866-947-1897 Boston, MA Download vCard

Practice Areas

Energy
Energy and Environmental
Environmental
Climate Change
Project Finance
Real Estate & Community Development

Experience

Ruth Silman concentrates her practice on complex environmental and land use matters. She leads Nixon Peabody’s Climate Change Team, a group of lawyers and environmental scientists/engineers who are assisting the firm’s energy, industrial and financial clients to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities emerging from legislative, regulatory and judicial responses to the issue of climate change.

Ruth’s extensive environmental experience includes addressing air quality, hazardous waste assessment and remediation, brownfields redevelopment, wetlands protection, stormwater, wastewater, septic system and water quality issues at the federal, state and local level. She advises clients regarding environmental management systems and environmental audits. Ruth represents clients concerning the land use implications of complex real estate transactions, including zoning, environmental impacts, permitting and compliance. 

Ruth provides support to real estate transactions, including due diligence and advice regarding appropriate contractual protections and environmental insurance. Ruth has represented clients before state and federal courts and administrative agencies in environmental and land use litigation matters. She is involved in renewable energy efforts, including representing wind power developers. Her experience spans various subjects including the development, permitting, construction and operation of renewable energy facilities.

Ruth has written and lectured on the Clean Air Act, climate change, renewable energy, brownfields, zoning, regulatory takings, insurance coverage in environmental cases, underground storage tanks, wetlands, the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act, and environmental audits.

Ruth previously worked for the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Division and analyzed the legality of potential policies under the federal Clean Air Act for the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM).

Admissions

Ruth is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and before the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.

Education

Boston University School of Law, J.D.
Cornell University, B.A.

Affiliations

Ruth is a member of the Boston Bar Association (co-chair of the Air Quality and Climate Change Committee of the Environmental Law Section), the Environmental Business Council of New England (Board Member and Chairman of the Air Quality Committee), the Air and Waste Management Association (Board Member and New England Section Membership Chair), the Real Estate Bar Association, and the American Bar Association (Environment and Natural Resources Section). In her community of Harvard, Massachusetts, Ruth serves on the Board of the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden which provides integrative therapies to breast cancer patients and their families.