“Understanding what all parties in a matter want allows workable solutions to be developed for our clients.”

Jonathan entered the legal profession with an educational background in the sciences and natural resources, and with professional experience as an environmental consultant.  As a partner at the firm, Jonathan advises clients on issues ranging from wetlands, endangered species and cultural resources to those involving brownfields remediation, sewage facilities, and real estate transactions and permitting.  Jonathan was lead environmental counsel to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development in its acquisition of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, an approximately 1,400 acre former military base in south Philadelphia, a representation that continues today as he assists in its redevelopment as a vibrant mixed-use development.  Early in his career, Jonathan was a guest on-air commentator on “Court TV” discussing a citizen’s suit regarding a claim of harm to the American bald eagle.  More recently, Jonathan has been counsel to industrial clients and real estate development firms in avoiding and resolving enforcement actions regarding the management of stormwater, an area of recent and rapid regulatory change.

Outside of the office, Jonathan serves as Chairman of the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Board, and continues to work to improve his community by serving on the Board of the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy. Jonathan bikes, kayaks and plays golf with his wife Carla and enjoys time with his two adult sons and their families.

He has represented clients ranging from real estate and commercial developers to municipalities on a number of matters including the following:

• counseling the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development ("PAID") on all environmental aspects of the transfer and redevelopment of two former military sites—the Philadelphia Navy Yard and the Defense Personnel Support Center;    
• negotiating a Consent Decree on behalf of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. to settle allegations by the USEPA regarding stormwater practices at its development sites nationwide,  including ongoing counseling on their stormwater compliance issues;
• counseling numerous residential, commercial, and industrial developers to obtain state and federal wetland permits, and resolve issues related to land development impacts to waters and wetlands, such as (1) assisting several national homebuilders in obtaining a Pennsylvania Chapter 105 and federal Section 404 wetland permit for a large-scale residential community in Chester County, Pennsylvania, (2) assisting a regional healthcare institution to obtain wetland permits for its new health care center in central New Jersey, (3) obtaining state and federal wetland permits on behalf of a Chester County,  Pennsylvania, developer of a mixed use residential-commercial project, (4) prosecuting one of the few successful administrative appeals of a jurisdictional determination issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and (5) negotiating resolution of several alleged violations of wetlands laws, regulations, and permits with the state and federal government resulting in the issuance of after-the-fact permits, voluntary settlement agreements, and performance of Supplemental Environmental Projects;
• representing several municipalities and municipal authorities with respect to their sewage treatment plants and discharge permits issued for these plants, including Pennsylvania Act 537 sewage plans;
• assisting a regional developer to challenge, and ultimately reverse, a determination made by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ("PADEP") at the request of a watershed association to upgrade the classification of a stream abutting the developer's property, allowing the project to proceed in a more timely manner;
• preparing and submitting a "private request" to PADEP resulting in the agency ordering a municipality to revise its Act 537 sewage plan to include a client's development project (Jonathan subsequently defended the municipality's appeal of PADEP's order);
• advising numerous clients on their rights and obligations with respect to state and federal threatened and endangered species, including bald eagles, bog turtles, red bellied turtles and Indiana bats; and
• counseling various developers on compliance with stormwater permits associated with earth disturbance activities, typically for land developments.

• Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business (environmental law), since 2017. The Chambers list is issued by Chambers and Partners. Click here to view the selection methodology.
• Best Lawyers® in America listing (environmental law), since 2009. The Best Lawyers list is issued by Woodward/White Inc. Click here to view the selection methodology.
• Pennsylvania Super Lawyers listing (environmental law), since 2011. The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters.  Click here to view the selection methodology.
• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated through Martindale-Hubbell®. Click here to view the selection methodology.  
• Main Line Today “Top Lawyer” listing (environmental law), 2015
• No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or any other jurisdiction.

"Natural Resources and Wildlife Update" presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Environmental Law Forum in Harrisburg, April 5, 2017

"Dirty Dirt and Development in Pennsylvania: New Act 2 Standards and Their Impact on Cleanups and the Management of Fill" presented by MGKF in Philadelphia, PA, November 15, 2016

"Rain, Rain, Go Away," presented at 2015 Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors' Educational Conference in Hershey, PA, April 21, 2015

"Successful Wetland Permitting for Oil and Gas Pipelines - The State of the Law and a Primer of Proper Wetland Permit Application Preparation," for the Air & Waste Management Association in Pittsburgh, PA, May 13, 2014

"Current Issues in Stormwater Regulation in Pennsylvania," sponsored by Lorman Education Services in Allentown, PA, November 20, 2013

"Current Trends in Stormwater Management," sponsored by The Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) in Mechanicsburg (October 25, 2013), Pittsburgh (November 1, 2013) and Philadelphia (November 5, 2013) respectfully

"Implementing DEP's Permit Decision Guarantee," presented by MGKF in Williamsport, PA, November 14, 2012

"Current Issues in Stormwater Regulations," sponsored by Lorman Education Services in Mechanicsburg (February 1, 2012) and Philadelphia (February 27, 2012), respectfully

"Current Issues in Stormwater Regulations," sponsored by Lorman Education Services in Philadelphia, PA, January 10, 2012

“Environmental Issues Associated with Real Estate Development in the Marcellus Shale Region,” presented by MGKF, November 2011

"Threatened and Endangered Species," presented at the 15th Annual Environmental Law Forum sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, April 23, 2010