Overview
Melissa S. Brown focuses her practice on environmental law, assisting clients on a wide variety of environmental issues. Her clients regularly benefit from her ability to:
- counsel them on environmental compliance issues involving both federal and state statutes and regulations that span all aspects of air, water, and land regulation
- offer advice on developments in environmental statutes and regulations
- represent them in rulemaking proceedings, challenges to regulations, and proceedings for regulatory relief
- assist in all phases of environmental permitting, including preparing permit applications and negotiating permit terms and conditions with the permitting agency
- represent them in permit appeals
- defend them in environmental litigation and enforcement matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies
- negotiate settlements in courts and in Illinois Pollution Control Board and USEPA enforcement proceedings
Ms. Brown was previously an associate with the environmental law firm Hodge, Dwyer, & Driver. In 2016, Hodge, Dwyer, & Driver merged into HeplerBroom.
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2014
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, B.A. in Political Science, 2010
LAW SCHOOL HONORS/INVOLVEMENT
- DePaul Journal of Art, Technology, and Intellectual Property
- Environmental Law Society
- Dean’s Certificate of Pro Bono Service
- Dean’s List
Admissions & Affiliations
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
Practices
Honors
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers' list of “Ones to Watch” (2021-2024)
Insights
News
Events & Speaking Engagements
- “Unpacking West Virginia and Sackett II: Key Impacts for Environmental Practitioners,” Illinois State Bar Association’s 21st Annual Environmental Law Conference (Chicago, 2023). (Co-presenter)
- “Environmental Hot Topics,” Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association Meeting (2022).
- “Illinois Environmental Regulatory Updates,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs Committee (2022).
- “Environmental Violations and Enforcement,” and “Illinois EPA Bureau of Land Update,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education webinar (2021). (Co-presenter)
- “Environmental Enforcement: Avoid if Possible, Navigate if Necessary,” Environmental Basics Conference sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Springfield IL, 2019). (Co-presenter)
- “Coal Ash Update: What It Is, Where It Is, and What To Do About It,” Illinois State Bar Association’s 18th Annual Environmental Law Conference (Chicago, 2019). (Co-presenter)
Blog Posts
Publications
- “The Impact of West Virginia v. EPA on Illinois,” The Illinois Manufacturer (Fourth Quarter 2022).
- "U.S. Supreme Court Limits USEPA Authority in West Virginia v. EPA," Environmental Law Newsletter, Illinois State Bar Association (2022). (Co-author)
- "PFAS Investigations at Manufacturing Facilities and Industrial Sites in Illinois,” The Illinois Manufacturer (Fourth Quarter 2021). (Co-author)
- “Update on the Respirable Crystalline Silica General Industry and Maritime Standard,” Energy and Environment Blog, Illinois Manufacturers’’ Association (July 2018).
- “U.S. EPA Amends the Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule,” The Illinois Manufacturer (Winter 2018). (Co-author)
- “How Will OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Rule Affect Construction and General Industry Employers?” The Illinois Manufacturer (Spring 2017). (Co-author)
- “How Will OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Rule Affect Construction and General Industry Employers?” The Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, FDCC Blog (January 2017). (Co-author)
- Case Summary, In Re Beineke, 690 F.3d 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2012), 23 DePaul J. Art, Tech. & Intell. Prop. L., 511 (2013).