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Amy
Cassidy

Associate

Amy
Cassidy

Associate

Amy’s practice focuses on environmental and land use litigation, regulatory compliance counseling, and municipal law.

Before joining the Firm in 2022, Amy was Senior Counsel in the Environmental Law Division of the New York City Law Department, where she provided counsel to the City and its agencies on legal issues involving land use, zoning, wetlands protection, parkland and open spaces, underground storage tank compliance, Superfund sites, stormwater controls, watershed protection, and environmental justice.

Amy is also an experienced litigator.  She has handled litigation involving the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the City Environmental Quality Review process (CEQR), the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR), and the New York City Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).  Amy has also handled adjudicatory hearings challenging agency decisions regarding environmental permits and has tried jury cases to verdict.

Prior to joining the Environmental Law Division, Amy was in the Legal Counsel Division, where she drafted and reviewed City and State legislation, board resolutions, and agency rules and regulations. She also provided legal counsel to City agencies, the Mayor’s Office, and City Council and served as the Department’s Legislative Affairs liaison, helping to develop and promote the Department’s legislative initiatives.

In January 2020, Amy was promoted to the Law Department’s Deputy Chief of Staff position and was later named the Department’s COVID-19 project manager, which involved providing legal counsel to City Hall and New York City agencies on a variety of issues, including vaccine administration, COVID-19 safety requirements, and risk management. Amy was recognized by the Frederick O’Reilly Hayes Foundation for her contributions to City government programs and processes that addressed individual and community needs during the pandemic.

Since 2015, Amy has regularly served as an adjunct professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law as a trial team coach.

NYSDEC Publishes Proposed Guidance Incorporating Environmental Justice Considerations into Existing Permit Processes

On September 27, 2023, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) published a draft policy aimed at implementing Section 7(3) of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

Governor Hochul Approves Changes to Environmental Justice Amendments

On March 3, 2023, Governor Hochul approved the New York State Legislature’s “chapter amendment” (S01317/A01286) to the environmental justice law that was enacted in December 2022 (S8830/A2103-D). The original legislation amended the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process ...

Governor Hochul Approves Environmental Justice Amendments to SEQRA

On December 30, 2022, Governor Hochul approved a bill passed by the New York State Legislature (S8830/A2103-D), ...

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 2014, cum laude, Dean's Scholarship

Iona University, B.A., 2011, summa cum laude, Presidential Scholarship

New York, 2014

U.S. District Court for the South District of New York

New York City Environmental Law and Leadership Institute, Member (2022)

New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Energy Law Section, Member

Adjunct Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (2018-present)