Stephen T. Parascandola

Steve Parascandola is recognized as one of North Carolina's leading environmental, health and safety lawyers by Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America©, Marquis' Who's Who in American Law, Business North Carolina's Legal Elite, and North Carolina Super Lawyers. He leads Smith Anderson's Governmental Affairs, Administrative and Regulatory Law team, including the Environmental and OSHA practice groups.

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Steve began his career as an environmental, health and safety attorney in the New York City office of a prominent regional law firm. Prior to joining Smith Anderson in 1996, he also spent almost four years as Senior Enforcement Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Among other things, Steve served as co-counsel in the first Superfund cost recovery action ever brought by the State of North Carolina, and helped to implement the state Brownfields Program. He has also served as lead defense counsel in one of the largest OSHA enforcement actions brought to date in North Carolina.

His current practice involves many substantive areas of environmental, OSHA and land use law, including the State and Federal CERCLA, RCRA, UST, FIFRA, TSCA, FDA, FSMA, USDA/APHIS, Dry Cleaner Solvent and Brownfields Programs. His practice also includes toxic tort (asbestos, PFAS and PCB), water quality, landfill, storm water, and wetlands issues. In addition, Steve advises clients in the biotechnology, pesticide, agricultural, pharmaceutical and food management industries with respect to registrations, certifications, labeling, permits, and regulatory compliance. He is a registered lobbyist in North Carolina.

He regularly counsels clients on risk management, particularly with respect to mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, insurance matters, investigations and audits, and public company environmental disclosures. He also has extensive experience representing clients before regulatory agencies and has handled a broad range of complex transactions for the purchase, sale, leasing, construction and development of commercial, industrial, and public utility properties.

Within the firm, Steve has held various leadership positions, most recently serving as a member of the firm’s Partnership Admission and Compensation Committees.

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Recognition

• Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, Environmental (2013-2024)
• The Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law (2007-2025)
• Business North Carolina "Legal Elite," Environmental
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated
• North Carolina Super Lawyers (2010-2013, 2016-2021)
• Marquis Who's Who in American Law
• Fluent in Italian and Spanish; conversational and written Portuguese

Education

• Stetson University, J.D., 1988
  • Law Review
• Eckerd College, B.A. 1984
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1982-1983

Bar & Court Admissions

• American Bar Association
• The Florida Bar
• New York Bar Association
• North Carolina Bar Association
• Member, Environmental Law Section Council
• Wake County Bar Association
• Local Advisory Board, Capital Bank
• Member, Existing Industry Committee, Cary Chamber of Commerce
• President, Board of Governors of MacGregor Downs Country Club, Ltd. 
• Member, North Carolina Association of Environmental Professionals
• Member, North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry’s Environmental Concerns Committee
• Member, North Carolina Economic Developers Association

• Advised a special materials company on the purchase of substantially all of the assets of a leading manufacturer of value-added ferrotitanium, titanium sponge, titanium powders, and specialty forms.
• Advised an investment company in a definitive agreement to purchase the outstanding equity interests of the largest independent blender and packager of lubricants to the automotive, agriculture, commercial and heavy duty markets in North America.
• Served as local environmental counsel for Fortune 100 company that owns and operates large scale waste-to-energy facilities.
• Represented a major convenience store chain for over 20 years in connection with acquisitions, enforcement defense, environmental permitting, and private party settlements throughout 14 states.
• Represented a leading North Carolina developer in connection with contaminated property redevelopments throughout North Carolina.

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• Represented a global developer and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals and agrochemicals  in connection with defense of one of the single largest OSHA enforcement actions ever brought by the N.C. Department of Labor.
• Represented an international privately-held soft drink manufacturer, seller and distributing company in connection with its acquisitions and environmental and OSHA compliance at facilities across the United States.
• Represented one of North Carolina’s largest community banks in connection with financing of Brownfields Program projects throughout North Carolina.
• Advised a semiconductor and LED company on the environmental aspects of the divestiture of its lighting products business unit for an initial cash payment of $225 million plus the potential to receive an earn-out payment based on the business’s post-closing performance.
• Assisted the largest electric utility in the United States for over 16 years with acquisitions, dispositions, and regulatory compliance regarding the utility's power plant properties, lakes, substations, transmission and distribution projects across North and South Carolina.
• Represented a national paper product company in connection with its environmental permitting and OSHA compliance at several North Carolina facilities.
• Represented a major convenience store chain with environmental insurance coverage disputes throughout the Southeast.
• Represented the largest electric utility in the United States who is a performing party in a CERCLA removal action at the largest Superfund Site in North Carolina and also in related contribution litigation brought against over 150 parties.
• Represented the nation's third-largest poultry producer in OSHA enforcement defense, managing OSHA inspections, and with responses to employee complaints made to NCDOL's OSH Division.
• Represented one of the nation's largest convenience store chains with the acquisition of 47 stores and 6 ethanol distribution facilities in Kansas and Missouri.
• Assisted a global developer and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals and agrochemicals with OSHA compliance, document requests and inspections by NCDOL's OSH Division.
• Represented various clients to defend against and avoid to third-party claims for property damage and personal injury related to off-site contamination from underground storage tanks and general facility operations.

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