My greatest pleasure as an attorney and counselor is maintaining a long-term, positive relationship with my clients by getting to know them and working hard to help them protect their interests and meet their goals. In my own firm, I can avoid conflicting demands from "management" in order to focus my efforts as an experienced attorney and counselor entirely on client service. I am fortunate to have practiced (and to continue to practice law) with many well-qualified attorneys. I value my relationships with them, as well as with the many other colleagues I have come to know through my 32 years practicing law in numerous jurisdictions and through service to bar association organizations at the national, state and local levels.

- Dustin Ordway

Dustin P. Ordway

Practice Areas:  Environmental Compliance and Litigation, Appeals, Arbitration and other Dispute Resolution

Admitted: 1981, Michigan; 1984, New York

Law School: University of Michigan, JD, 1981

College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dustin Ordway has been admitted in four jurisdictions (Michigan, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia) and maintains his bar association membership in Michigan. He has handled environmental litigation in a number of federal and state courts, and has negotiated settlements with numerous private parties and state and federal agencies, including several of the regional offices of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Dustin Ordway has served in leadership positions in the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and local bar associations. He recently completed a term as chair of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Selected Case Wins

• CERCLA transhipment allegation: Negotiated settlement of federal court litigation on behalf of a group of alleged transhippers of chemical waste for a collective de minimis share

• CERCLA scrap recycling litigation: As common counsel for a group of de minimis defendants, negotiated several rounds of settlement for large numbers of parties

• Natural resource damages: As common representation of five major corporations, negotiated settlement of natural resource damages claims

• Wastewater discharge: Convinced a state regulatory agency to withdraw criminal investigation and negotiated a substantial reduction in penalty

• POTW violations: For a municipal client, negotiated resolution of state claims involving criminal allegations against individual operators

• PCB cleanup: Coordinated consultant work and client evaluation of a PCB cleanup at a 100,000-square-foot facility regulated by both state and federal law

• Environmental insurance: Pursued recovery of a claim for environmental cleanup costing over $1 million

• Contract enforcement: Won motion to enforce land contract with environmental closure provision with resulting final payment of half a million dollars delayed by buyer.

• Great Lakes: Won motion and achieved final judgment to protect Great Lakes shoreline property owner’s interest in multi-year litigation.

• Lender protection: Work with lender to obtain statutory protections against responsibility for site contamination in foreclosures and workouts.

• Landfill expansion: Represented neighboring business owner in successful opposition to plan to expand landfill operations in manner detrimental to business interests.