Overview
Sarah Slack is a partner and environmental lawyer in the Business Law Department at Foley & Lardner LLP. Ms. Slack is a member of the Environmental Regulation Practice and the Energy Industry and Life Sciences Teams.
Ms. Slack divides her time between development/redevelopment work, environmental compliance counseling, transactions and environmental litigation. Ms. Slack has extensive experience on the cutting edge of Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Superfund, and RCRA enforcement, as well as citizen suit litigation, settlement strategies, and related cost recovery, insurance coverage, and indemnity disputes. Ms. Slack also provides counsel to clients regarding air emissions, waste management, underground storage tank compliance, water discharge permitting and compliance, and on a variety of compliance matters related to chemicals and chemical usage, including under California’s Proposition 65.
Ms. Slack counsels clients across a variety of industry sectors, from traditional energy and infrastructure matters to renewable energy projects, and from chemical producers to manufacturing companies. She has been involved in numerous development and redevelopment projects, and has assisted with obtaining, renewing, and revising construction and operation permits, including permits related to federal and state wetlands, wastewater discharges, air emissions, and special status species.
Publications
- Co-author, “Paris or No Paris, Auto Emissions May Fall,” Daily Journal (June 22, 2017)
- Author, "When is a Pesticide Not a Pollutant? Never: An Analysis of the EPA’s Misguided Guidance," 90 Iowa L. Rev. 1241 (2005)
Recognition
Ms. Slack was selected to the 2013 - 2015 Wisconsin Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® lists. She is also listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the fields of natural resources and environmental law (2022)
Education
Ms. Slack received her B.A. in French from Grinnell College, with a concentration in Western European studies. She received her law degree, with high distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law, as well as an M.S. in urban and regional planning, focusing on environmental and land use planning. During law school, Ms. Slack was the senior note & comment editor for the Iowa Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. Ms. Slack also served on the boards of the Moot Court Program, and the Organization of Women Law Students and Staff.
Admissions and Professional Memberships
Ms. Slack is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and California. She is a board member of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.