phone (518) 438-9907 (Ext. 249)
fax (518) 438-9914
ldarling@youngsommer.com
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Since joining the firm in 2013, Laura has focused her practice primarily in the areas of renewable energy and electric transmission siting, development and compliance, with additional experience in land use and zoning, administrative and environmental law. She assists municipal and private sector clients with litigation, provides counsel on matters of environmental and regulatory compliance and due diligence, and represents individuals, large developers, and small businesses in obtaining permits and approvals at the local and state levels, before such agencies as the New York State Public Service Commission, New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting, and the New York State Liquor Authority. As a member of the firm’s energy and telecommunications practices, Laura is also involved in emerging energy and utility matters across New York State, including transmission, utility-scale renewable energy, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), wireless telecommunications, and distributed energy generation.
Laura received her J.D. from Albany Law School, and her Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, with a concentration in Literature, from Bard College. She spent three years working as a small-town journalist in Upstate New York before enrolling at Albany Law. Laura has published and contributed to research articles on such topics as renewable energy, surface mining, environmental and land use law, and urban agriculture.
Bar Admissions
New York, 2014
Education
Albany Law School of Union University, Albany, NY
J.D., Magna Cum Laude
Law Review: Albany Law Review, Associate Editor, 2011-2013
Student Co-Editor-in-Chief, New York Environmental Lawyer, 2012-13
Honors: Gary M. Peck ’79 Memorial Prize; Government Law Center Prize; Justinian Society; Pro Bono Honors; Oral Advocate Award/Quarterfinalist, Dominick Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Competition, Albany Law School, 2011
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
B.A., Philosophy, with Literature Concentration
Publications
The Judicial Mind: A Cognitive Theory of Jurisprudence, Center for Judicial Process (Nov. 25, 2013)
Dynamite, Disaster and Disappearing Options: How EPA is Losing the Battle Against Destructive Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Practices, 6 Alb. Gov’t L. Rev. 224 (2013)
Tribes Get A New Lease on Renewable Energy Development: Regulatory Reform in Surface Leases for Indian Trust Lands, New York Government Law and Policy Journal (Summer 2013)
Aid to the Needy in State Constitutions: State Court Treatment of Positive Rights Affirmative Duty Provisions, Center for Judicial Process (Aug. 11, 2012).
Contributing Student Writer, New York State Bar Association’s New York Environmental Lawyer (2011 – 2013)
Professional Associations and Memberships
New York State Bar Association, Member
Albany County Bar Association, Member
Women’s Energy Network – Greater Albany Chapter, Treasurer (2018-2020), Member (2018-present)
Past Employment Positions
Adjunct Faculty (Administrative Law, Business Law, Legal Research and Estates and Trusts courses), SUNY Schenectady (Jan. 2020 to Dec. 2023)
New York State Office of the Attorney General, Environmental Protection Bureau, Legal Intern, Spring 2013
New York State Department of Public Service, Office of Hearings and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legal Intern, Spring 2012
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of General Counsel, Legal Intern, Summer 2011
Government Law Center at Albany Law School, Research Assistant to Dean Patricia Salkin, 2011-12
Legal Assistant Information
Savanah Ledermann, 518-438-9907 x. 240
slendermann@youngsommer.com