Steven M. Taber regularly advises clients on environmental law, aviation and airport development law matters, corporate legal issues, complex litigation, and intellectual property law. He brings a wealth of knowledge to these seemingly disparate areas of practice through his experience as a government attorney, in-house counsel, and an attorney in private practice.
Steve has experience in both regulatory and litigation aspects of environmental law. Prior to joining Leech Tishman, he served as Owner of Taber Law Group, P.C., where he advised clients in matters arising under the National Environmental Policy Act, the California Environmental Quality Act, the Federal Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Toxic Substances Control Act, as well as the emerging regulations and statutes concerning climate change. During his time as both an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Enforcement Division and as an environmental law partner at a previous law firm, Steve acquired extensive experience in all aspects of environmental law, including litigation related to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) (CERCLA), negotiation of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Consent Decrees, Title V Air Permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, review of environmental provisions of transactions, and the resolution of air excursion issues with state regulatory agencies. Steve has been successful in litigating all manner of environmental claims in the courts and in administrative tribunals.
Steve has a vast amount of experience with aviation law and airport development matters. In his capacity as an attorney for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Steve was involved with many aspects of the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and FAA enforcement actions. He has assisted airports, municipalities, and community groups with navigating through the highly regulated world of aviation. He regularly counsels clients on numerous statutes and regulations including the Airport Noise and Capacity Act, the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act, the Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act. As a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Legal Panel, Steve assists pilots in FAA enforcement actions. He regularly interacts with air carriers concerning various aspects of the Anti-Head Tax Act, the Airline Deregulation Act, and Passenger Facility Charges. Steve was also closely involved with the implementation of the Chicago/O’Hare International Airport Modernization Program and drafting FAA Environmental Orders 1050.1E and 5050.4B.
Steve is well-versed in a wide range of intellectual property legal matters. As in-house counsel at Ameriquest Mortgage, he was responsible for applying for, maintaining, and enforcing the company’s intellectual property. In this position, Steve maintained and renewed trademark registrations, prepared corporate trademark policies, prepared secrecy and confidentiality contracts, developed corporate policy statements regarding trade secrets, and drafted provisions for employment and/or independent contractor agreements regarding maintenance of trade secrets. During the course of his career, Steve has also been involved in patent infringement litigation for items as diverse as bicycle derailleurs to process patents for securitizing futures.
Steve has successfully prosecuted and defended many types of complex litigation. He is a frequent speaker on environmental and airport topics and the author of several articles on environmental law.
