Kendra S. Sherman

Partner

About Kendra

Kendra Sherman has more than 25 years of experience advising and counseling public and private companies in all areas of environmental law. She is a creative, practical, strategic and business-focused environmental lawyer who works closely with her clients to meet their objectives and minimize environmental risk. As part of the firm’s leadership team, Kendra also serves as the US national hiring chair where she guides talent acquisition and associate recruitment and development for all of the firm’s US offices.

Kendra represents a broad spectrum of clients in a wide range of industries, including mining, iron and steel, chemicals, waste management and public law clients, including cities, villages and airports. She successfully defends her clients in federal and state enforcement actions, environmental litigation, environmental tort claims and citizen suit challenges before a wide range of federal and state courts and administrative tribunals in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Washington DC.

Kendra also has significant experience counseling sellers, lenders, investors and real estate developers on environmental issues in complex commercial and real estate transactions, including brownfields redevelopment and revitalization, brownfields funding, Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program, project siting and permitting before the Ohio Power Siting Board, and matters involving impacts to jurisdictional waters and wetlands before the US Army Corps of Engineers.

In addition, Kendra advises clients in the US, the UK and Asia on compliance and enforcement matters related to California Proposition 65 and issues related to consumer product warning, labeling and packaging.

Kendra is a member of the firm’s Legal Personnel Committee, where she is responsible for advising on the review, evaluation, compensation and advancement of associate lawyers. She also serves on the Columbus office Hiring Committee.

Kendra actively represents many clients in pro bono matters. She also received the Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award from the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School for her community service efforts in the field of adoption law.

Most recently, Kendra was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation and identified as the 2023 and 2026 Lawyer of the Year in Environmental Law in Columbus. She was also named a key lawyer for Environment: Litigation by Legal 500 US 2023 and is recognized in Chambers USA since 2022 for Natural Resources & Environment in Ohio.

Experience

  • Representing iron and steel, chemicals and landfill clients in a wide range of environmental, litigation, compliance, permitting, and state and federal enforcement matters and appeals for facilities located in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, South Carolina and Texas.
  • Successfully defending steel facilities and landfill clients in class action suits filed in several federal and state courts involving nuisance and trespass claims associated with alleged odors and emissions.
  • Advising clients in numerous Title V air permit and NPDES permit appeals in administrative tribunals in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania and successfully resolving the appeals following complex permitting negotiations with environmental regulators in those states.
  • Counseling real estate developers throughout the US on environmental issues and due diligence for commercial and residential property development, including drafting contract provisions, reps and warranties, indemnities and negotiating with lawyers, sellers and lenders on transactional issues.
  • Counseling one of the country’s leading developers of large, complex, mixed-use projects on property redevelopment matters related to environmental covenants and Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program.
  • Advising clients throughout the US, the UK and Asia in matters regarding California Proposition 65, including defending clients in Proposition 65 notice of violation claims and in litigation filed in California courts; negotiating successful settlements with private parties in Proposition 65 matters; developing and implementing compliance programs and facilitating investigations and testing of products.
  • Representing an ethanol production plant in defense of its air and water permits in appeals filed by a citizen group and successfully resolving all issues in the appeals.
  • Representing an independent power producer in connection with obtaining a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need from the Ohio Power Siting Board for construction of an 850 MW combined cycle natural gas fired electric generating facility in Ohio and related environmental permits.
  • Representing several solid waste landfills and other environmental services companies in Ohio in permitting and enforcement matters, including counseling on disclosures and approvals from the Ohio attorney general’s Environmental Background Investigations Unit.
  • Representing real estate developers and other clients in jurisdictional waters and wetlands permitting matters, including successfully obtaining a remand of a jurisdictional waters determination by the Corps of Engineers and defending clients in jurisdictional waters enforcement matters.

Credentials

Education
  • The Ohio State University, J.D., managing editor, Ohio State Law Journal, 1997
  • Stanford University, B.A., 1992
Admissions
  • Ohio, 1997
Courts
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
Memberships & Affiliations
  • Member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
  • Member of the Columbus Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
  • Member of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, Energy and Environment Subcommittee

Recognitions

  • Ranked for Environmental Law in Ohio by Chambers USA 2024-2026

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2023 and 2026 for Lawyer of the Year in Environmental Law in Columbus

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for Environmental Litigation (2023, 2025 and 2026) and Environmental Law (2023 and 2025)

  • Named a key lawyer for Environment: Litigation by Legal 500 US 2023 and 2024

  • Recognized in Chambers USA 2022 and 2023 for Natural Resources & Environment in Ohio

  • Selected to serve on Law360’s 2021 Environmental Editorial Advisory Board

  • Selected as 2020 Columbus Lawyer of the Year for Environmental Law in The Best Lawyers in America

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2018-2022 for both Environmental Litigation and Environmental Law, an honor based on an extensive peer-review process

  • Recognized in Columbus CEO magazine’s Top Lawyers list for Environmental Law (2024), Environmental Health & Safety law (2016) and Environmental/Natural Resources law (2015)

  • Recognized for five years as a Rising Star in Ohio Super Lawyers

Expertise

Services
Environmental, Safety & Health
Industries
Energy & Natural Resources Chemicals