New Environmental and Energy Law Chair Michael Hecker: NYSBA Is a Value-Add to My Practice
8.1.2024
Michael Hecker knows the value that New York State Bar Association membership has brought to his practice. In his new role as the chair of the Environmental and Energy Law Section, he wants to make sure other attorneys receive those benefits as well.
Hecker first got involved in NYSBA through his colleagues.
“I identified it to be useful for a number of reasons,” he said. “First, the content and the programming is very applicable to what I do. Second, the opportunity to network with other attorneys in my field… it’s a great opportunity to get to know folks better. It’s a value-add to my practice. I started getting involved and I found it to be very useful and interesting. I’ve made a number of great relationships, both personally and professionally. It’s something that I think is worth every young attorney taking an opportunity to do to get a better sense of what the community is like.”
He added that in the Environmental and Energy Law Section, getting to know fellow lawyers – including private practitioners and government regulators – is helpful, especially for young attorneys.
“On the environmental side of the practice, it tends to be a smaller bar,” he said. “So, getting to know folks is useful, because you’re getting to know people that are involved in the matters for which you are as well.”
Hecker also said that one of his goals is to keep members informed about changes to regulations and enforcement.
“The nature of the environmental practice is that it’s consistently changing,” he said. “Things evolve over time. The issues of concern change… regulations are changing… and day-to-day remedial obligations change. So, it’s really just being able to make sure that our membership is at the forefront of things and understands what’s going on. And being able to have a relationship and a dialogue with the regulators. To be able to have a seat at the table with those sorts of discussions. That’s something we spend a bunch of time working on.”
Hecker is looking forward to the section’s upcoming fall meeting on Sept. 25 to 26 at the Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont.
“It’s going to be a diversified agenda that’s intended to draw people with number of different interests,” he said. “We’re really trying to make sure we’re offering content that people find to be different and distinct from what you typically see.”
Based in Buffalo, Hecker is a partner at Hodgson Russ and the leader of its Real Estate, Environment, Energy and Finance Practice Area. He also sits on the firm’s board of directors. In his wide-ranging practice, he advises clients on environmental issues and administrative matters related to state and federal regulations. He also assists renewable energy clients on brownfields, landfills, and Superfund sites.
Hecker has a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter. “I care deeply about them and try to spend as much time as I can with them,” he said.
He received his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law and is the immediate past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law School Alumni Association.
