Overview
Kirstin Etela assists clients with complex environmental and regulatory matters in Connecticut, New York and nationally, including compliance, transactions, permitting, remediation, risk mitigation and emerging issues, including ESG initiatives, environmental justice challenges and the regulation of PFAS. She has successfully structured strategies to facilitate deals and mitigate regulatory and legacy environmental liabilities. Kirstin has experience developing and implementing EHS compliance programs, brownfields redevelopment projects, internal investigations, and crisis management planning and communications to address matters of public interest. She has substantive knowledge and experience with all major federal environmental, health and safety statutes and regulations, and many state requirements, as well as experience is several foreign jurisdictions regarding chemical regulation and remedial obligations.
Prior to Day Pitney, Kirstin was the U.S. general counsel for a global environmental services company providing solid waste management, hazardous waste management, emergency response, and technical and field services to the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries, as well as to municipal, state and federal agencies.
Kirstin served in a legal externship with Judge Barrington D. Parker in the Federal District Court of New York and as an intern at the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President, where she focused on U.S. policy toward illegal logging in the developing world.
Experience
Conceptualized and led a global effort to address the transfer of thousands of product registrations in the stock sale of a Fortune 500 company's crop protection business and devised and successfully implemented a strategy to deliver a contractually required percentage of product registrations upon closing
Strategized, successfully negotiated and implemented an incremental approach to a vapor intrusion issue in an environmental justice area and managed communications through a local public relations firm to avoid a citizen suit, penalties and fines for non-compliance and achieving significant cost savings for a Fortune 500 company
Structured multiple transactions for a Fortune 500 company to dispose of real property and transfer related remedial obligations culminating in over $20 million cash sales and the reversal of significant environmental reserves
Education and Credentials
Education
- Pace University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude; Pace Environmental Law Review, Managing Editor
- The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), M.S.; Graduate Diploma, Business
- Tulane University, B.A., magna cum laude
Admissions
- U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
- State of New York
- State of Connecticut
Recognition and Community
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the highest court of any state. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. See Awards Methodology.
Recognitions
Selected to the list of Connecticut Super Lawyers Rising Stars (Thomson Reuters), Environmental Law, 2009-2010
Recipient of the Isaac Rubin Clinical Lawyering and Environmental Law Scholar Award from the White Plains Bar Association
Recipient of the Bohn Vergari Public Service Law Student Award for Environmental Law from the White Plains Bar Association
No aspect of these advertisements have been approved by the highest court of any state. See Awards Methodology.
Community Involvement
Solid Waste and Recycling Commission of Fairfield, CT, Commissioner, Appointed, 2022-Present
Susan B. Anthony Project, Personnel Committee Chair, Board of Directors, 2017-Present; Advisory Council, 2016-2017
Lawyers for Children America, Board Member, 2016-2019
Fairfield First Selectman's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Chair, 2010-2012
Fairfield Bike Walk Coalition, Co-Founder
In The Media
Media Mentions
- ESG Builds New Avenues in Environmental Law for Day Pitney, Connecticut Law Tribune, July 20, 2023
- Etela Joins Day Pitney, Hartford Business Journal, November 30, 2022
- Day Pitney Expands Environmental Practice With New Partner, New Haven Biz, October 26, 2022
- Fairfield Resident Expands Law Firm's Environmental Practice, CT Insider, October 28, 2022
- The Daily Docket – Industry Moves, Thomson Reuters, October 20, 2022
- Day Pitney Expands Environmental Practice With New Partner, Westchester & Fairfield County Business Journals, October 20, 2022
- Day Pitney Adds Ex-Tradebe Environmental GC in Conn., Law360 Pulse, October 19, 2022