Linda Radko Shaw

Partner, Knauf Shaw LLP

Years in current role: 27

What is one legal issue or trend you’re keeping a close eye on this year?

I primarily focus my environmental legal practice in the brownfield redevelopment arena, and this year there may be legislative and regulatory changes that will make remediation of brownfield sites more challenging, Therefore, I have been focused on facilitating discussions in Albany about these issues and how to improve the planned legislative and regulatory proposals.

What skills do you think are most crucial for new attorneys entering the field today?

Paying attention to details. Legal work is very detailed oriented, and too many new attorneys fail to pay attention to little details that are frequently very important later in the legal transaction.

What’s one misconception people often have about your area of law?

One misconception that often occurs is that corporate transaction and real estate counsel think that the environmental issues will be easy to resolve, and they wait until the last minute to involve environmental counsel; however, more often than not the entire transaction hinges on the environmental liability releases or indemnification provisions, which are not easy to negotiate, particularly with respect to how to handle off-site contamination that may have migrated from the site onto other properties.

How does the Rochester community influence your work or professional philosophy?

The Rochester area has a history of industrial and commercial uses, which left a legacy of contamination behind; therefore, the area is ripe for more brownfield redevelopment, which has started to occur due to the state’s lucrative tax credit and favorable liability release incentives. The recent Canal Street brownfield redevelopment project for East House, in which our firm helped to transform an old factory building into new supportive, and affordable housing, is a good example of how the community, municipality, developer, and the state came together to work on the remediation and redevelopment of this historic factory building.

What’s your ideal way to spend a weekend in the Finger Lakes or Western New York?

My ideal way to spend a weekend in the Finger Lakes, which I do every weekend, is to stay at my lake house in Naples, overlooking Canandaigua Lake, and canoeing or kayaking on the lake; hiking the waterfalls in the area, including Grims Glen; and maintaining our growing gardens and hiking trail on the property.

This profile is part of our Tax Law Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at nydailyrecord.com.