Sive, Paget & Riesel

What Sive, Paget & Riesel does

Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. (SPR) is a New York-based boutique law firm founded in 1960 by David Sive, an environmental law pioneer. The firm provides specialized legal services across ten practice areas: environmental impact review and permitting, hazardous substances remediation, environmental issues in transactions and real estate management, zoning and land use, offshore wind, litigation, construction, project finance, climate change and resiliency, and renewable energy. Its core technology is human expertise in complex environmental regulatory frameworks including SEQRA, CEQR, CERCLA, NEPA, and the Clean Water Act, supported by former federal and state prosecutors, former law clerks, and trained mediators and arbitrators. The firm also produces thought leadership through the SPRingBoard Environmental Law Podcast, blog, and publications.

SPR serves government agencies and municipalities (Port Authority of NY & NJ, MTA, NYSERDA, NYC EDC), real estate developers and property owners (Two Trees, Prologis, Thor Equities, Domino Sugar redevelopment), renewable energy developers and lenders (Equinor Wind, Generate Capital, Carlyle Power Partners), and institutional clients (American Museum of Natural History, Northwell Health, New York Yankees). Notable engagements include representation of Equinor on the 2+ GW Empire Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind projects, defense of MTA's congestion pricing program across nine federal actions, and counsel on Battery Park City and Financial District Seaport climate resiliency master plans. The firm operates as a private professional corporation, single-office (560 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan), with approximately 20-30 attorneys.

The business model is a traditional partner-led law firm charging on an hourly basis for legal services, with some fixed-fee and contingency arrangements for specific matters. Go-to-market is reputation, referral, and thought leadership driven rather than sales-led outbound; the firm does not disclose revenue, has no external investors or parent company, and has not pursued funding rounds. Pricing is quote-based on matter complexity and attorney seniority, and engagements are typically multi-year, reflecting the long-cycle nature of environmental permitting, litigation, and infrastructure work.

Name

Sive, Paget & Riesel

Legal name

Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C.

Website

https://sprlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. is a New York-based boutique environmental law firm founded in 1960, serving government agencies, real estate developers, renewable energy developers, and institutional clients across permitting, litigation, climate resiliency, and project finance matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Energy Law (BPAHAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Environmental law services
• Environmental litigation
• Land use law
• Renewable energy law
• Climate change legal

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional law firm billing for legal services rendered, typically on an hourly basis for litigation, regulatory, and transactional matters.
2. Legal Services - Alternative Fee Arrangements: Various fee arrangements including fixed fees for specific services, project-based billing, and potentially contingency arrangements for certain litigation matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. is a New York-based environmental law firm providing legal services in ten practice areas: Environmental Impact Review/Permitting, Hazardous Substances Remediation, Environmental Issues in Transactions and Real Estate Management, Zoning/Land Use/Municipal Law, Offshore Wind, Litigation, Construction, Project Finance, Climate Change and Resiliency, and Renewable Energy. The firm delivers litigation, regulatory, and transactional legal counsel to government agencies, real estate developers, renewable energy developers, corporations, and cultural institutions.

Product overview

Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. is a New York-based environmental law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services organized into ten distinct practice areas. The firm's core offering centers on environmental law, encompassing Environmental Impact Review/Permitting, Hazardous Substances Remediation, Climate Change and Resiliency, and Renewable Energy. These environmental practices are complemented by related practice areas including Zoning/Land Use/Municipal Law, Offshore Wind, Litigation, Construction, Project Finance, and Environmental Issues in Transactions and Real Estate Management. The firm serves as legal counsel to developers, corporations, municipalities, and institutions across complex environmental, land use, construction, and energy matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Impact Review/Permitting Legal counsel for environmental impact review and permitting of complex infrastructure and development projects, including SEQRA, CEQR, NEPA compliance and regulatory approvals, for government agencies, developers, and project sponsors.
• Hazardous Substances Remediation Legal counsel for hazardous waste sites, brownfield cleanup programs, contaminated property remediation, and regulatory compliance under CERCLA and state environmental laws, serving developers, corporations, and government entities.
• Environmental Issues in Transactions and Real Estate Management Transactional due diligence, environmental risk assessment, and regulatory counsel for real estate acquisitions, sales, and management involving contaminated or potentially contaminated properties, for developers, REITs, and property owners.
• Zoning, Land Use, and Municipal Law Land use, zoning, municipal law, and local government regulatory matters, including ULURP approvals, variance applications, and land use litigation, for developers, property owners, and municipalities.
• Offshore Wind Legal representation for offshore wind energy projects, including permitting, development, project finance, and regulatory compliance for wind farm developments, for offshore wind developers, sponsors, and lenders.
• Litigation Environmental, construction, and general litigation services, including toxic torts, contamination claims, CERCLA cost recovery, construction defects, and alternative dispute resolution, for corporations, government agencies, and developers.
• Construction Construction law representation, including contract drafting, negotiation, litigation, insurance matters, and risk allocation for owners, developers, lenders, and contractors.
• Project Finance Project finance legal services for renewable energy and infrastructure, including structuring debt and equity investments, tax equity, and power purchase agreements, for developers, sponsors, and lenders.
• Climate Change and Resiliency Climate change legal services, including decarbonization, building emissions standards compliance (Local Law 97), ESG advisory, waterfront resiliency planning, and climate risk integration, for building owners, developers, and government agencies.
• Renewable Energy Renewable energy legal counsel covering solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and energy storage projects, including development, permitting, and financing, for renewable energy developers, sponsors, and investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully represented Equinor Wind in Empire Wind projects that will supply 2+ GW of renewable energy to power 1 million homes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sidley Austin: Sidley's global Energy and Environmental practice handles environmental litigation, climate disclosure, and renewable energy matters for large corporate and government clients. It competes for the same premium engagements on which SPR often leads or co-leads.
• Latham & Watkins: Latham's Environment, Land & Resources practice and broader energy transition capabilities make it a top-tier competitor on large renewable energy, infrastructure, and environmental matters. It often serves as lead counsel on deals where SPR is brought in for specialized New York regulatory expertise.
• Perkins Coie: Perkins Coie's Environment & Natural Resources practice, including its Climate Law & Strategy group, competes for environmental, energy, and climate-related mandates. It is a relevant competitor on renewable energy transactions and environmental litigation where SPR might be co-counsel.
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius: Morgan Lewis's Environmental Practice represents clients in environmental enforcement, transactions, and litigation matters across the U.S. and globally. It is a frequent competitor for large, multi-jurisdictional environmental mandates.
• Vinson & Elkins: Vinson & Elkins has a long-established environmental and energy regulatory practice integrated into a much larger full-service platform. It competes with SPR on energy transition, environmental litigation, and project finance mandates where clients prefer a global full-service firm.
• Hunton Andrews Kurth: Hunton Andrews Kurth is a national full-service firm with a deep environmental and energy practice, including a long-standing focus on climate change, CERCLA, and air quality. It is a frequent competitor on environmental regulatory, litigation, and renewable energy matters where SPR might be engaged as co-counsel.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Akin's Energy & Environment practice spans environmental regulation, climate policy, and renewable energy project development globally. It is a broad incumbent competitor on large-scale environmental and energy transition matters.

Direct peers

• Beveridge & Diamond: Beveridge & Diamond is one of the largest U.S. environmental law boutiques, with a national practice spanning environmental litigation, regulatory compliance, and transactional matters. It is the closest direct competitor to SPR given comparable specialization, government experience among its lawyers, and a similar premium-boutique positioning.
• Van Ness Feldman: Van Ness Feldman is a boutique law firm focused on environmental, energy, and land use law with offices in Washington and the West Coast. It is a direct peer in terms of boutique specialization, with comparable work in clean energy, environmental review, and natural resource regulation.
• Nossaman LLP: Nossaman's Environment & Land Use practice group handles environmental impact review, water law, and infrastructure matters for public agencies and developers, with a strong California base. It is a direct peer on EIR/CEQA-style work analogous to SPR's SEQRA/CEQR practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/envilaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/149106

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sive, Paget & Riesel