George F. Curran, III
George F. Curran, III is an attorney and the Practice Group Leader of Kotz Sangster Wysocki P.C.’s Environmental Law and Insurance Risk Management/Litigation Practice Groups, working primarily from the firm’s Detroit office. A former insurance underwriter, he is a graduate of the Detroit College of Law (J.D.) and Wayne State University (B.A.) and has attained post-graduate Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Masters Level Certification from the Institute of Hazardous Materials Managers, and Hazardous Waste Management Certification from the Chemical Engineering Masters program at Wayne State University.
Mr. Curran has extensive experience in the areas of environmental and insurance law and is involved with virtually all aspects of the firm’s environmental and insurance practices.
He counsels and represents the firm’s corporate, insurance, reinsurance and municipal clients in Michigan and nationwide on environmental compliance and insurance issues in business transactions and litigation; evaluating coverage and negotiating insurance and risk management mechanisms in complex mergers and acquisitions; counseling clients in the evaluation of environmental due diligence in business and real estate transactions; providing 1st and 3rd party defense under Property and Casualty Policies including No-Fault, Products/Completed Operations, Builders Risk and Construction Liability Coverage, as well as Professional Liability, E&O and D&O claims.
Mr. Curran negotiates facility siting and operating permits under state and federal environmental programs, represents firm clients before regulatory bodies including OSHA/MIOSHA, and counsels firm clients on wetlands, land use, liability and emerging energy issues. Appointed to the Michigan Climate Action Council Residential Commercial and Industrial Workgroup by gubernatorial Executive Order, Mr. Curran counsels firm clients on bio fuel, alternative fuel, alternative energy, “Green” building codes, and economic development incentives, including pollution prevention grant and assistance programs, Brownfield Redevelopment funding and other incentives to assist clients in competing in the current economy.
As national Coordinating Counsel for the largest program of Environmental Impairment Liability Insurance ever written in North America, Mr. Curran has also successfully represented clients in complex environmental contamination litigation. He also counsels firm clients in connection with captive, self-insurance and reinsurance programs.
Mr. Curran is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and has been admitted to practice in Federal Courts in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Connecticut and Oklahoma, and has been admitted to practice law pro hac vice in numerous states and has represented and counseled clients in complex litigation across the country.
Business:
- Agriculture
- Environmental Law
- Insurance Coverage/Risk Management/Captives
- Maritime and Recreational Boating
Real Estate
Construction
Litigation
J.D., Detroit College of Law, 1980
B.A., Wayne State University, 1975
Department of Chemical Engineering Masters Program, Wayne State University, Hazardous Waste Management Certificate, 1992
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, (CHMM) Masters Level Certification, Institute of Hazardous Materials Managers, 1992
State Bar of Michigan, 1980
State and Federal Courts in Michigan
Federal Courts in Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Connecticut and Oklahoma
Pro Hac Vice in Courts in Ohio, Florida, Louisiana and West Virginia
Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers of Michigan:
- Past President and Member of Board of Directors
American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
Michigan Association of Defense Trial Counsel
Michigan Climate Action Council Industrial, Commercial and Residential Work Group Appointee
Michigan Manufacturers Association
State Bar of Michigan:
- Co-Chair Sustainability and Climate Change Committee
Various Civic and Charitable Organizations
Wayne State University Chemical Engineering Graduate Department, Adjunct Professor:
- Environmental Law and Administration
- Environmental Auditing
- Real Estate Due Diligence
- Risk Management and Insurance
“Will German Recycling Legislation Serve as a Model for the European Community?” – Detroit College of Law Journal of International Law and Practice, Volume 3, Issue 1, pps. 7-19.
“Pacific Rim Environmental Regulation – A Western Perspective of Several Countries’ Environmental Liability Laws” – Detroit College of Law Journal of International Law and Practice, Volume 3, Issue 1, pps. 47-85.
“Behind the Wheel of the Green Car: EPA’s New Direction After the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990” – paper and speech delivered as a panelist at the “Auto Recycle ’93” Conference, Frankfurt, Germany, at invitation of Minister of the Environment.
Panelist at the “1993 ThermoPlastic Elastomers Conference” Regarding Government Regulation of Plastics Industry, Recycling Initiatives and ISO 9000/14000.
“CERCLA Nanotechnology Issues” - co-authored paper published by American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources as requested guidance for USEPA, June, 2006.
“EMS/Innovative Regulatory Approaches” - co-authored paper published by American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources as requested guidance for USEPA, June 2006.
“RCRA Regulation of Wastes From the Production, Use and Disposal of Nanomaterials” – co-authored paper for American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, as requested guidance for USEPA, June 2006.
Direct: (313) 259-8723
Fax: (313) 259-1451
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Detroit Office
400 Renaissance Center
Suite 3400
Detroit, Michigan 48243-1618
