Emily C. Deans

(she/her/hers)

Associate

  • Overview

    Biography

    Emily Deans is a member of the firm's Environmental, Energy + Telecommunications Group, representing clients in the areas of environmental, telecommunications, and utilities law. She represents clients such as telecommunications companies and commercial businesses before state regulatory agencies, including the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and the Connecticut Siting Council, and local land use boards. Emily also monitors and reports on regulatory developments in the energy and utilities field throughout New England.

    Energy

    Emily assists a range of clients, including electric suppliers, by providing guidance on energy regulation, energy transactions, and regulatory compliance. She monitors and reports on regulatory developments in the energy and utilities field throughout New England. She assists with the representation of retail competitive electricity suppliers in proceedings before regulatory authorities, including the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

    Telecommunications

    Emily represents clients in the area of telecommunications facility siting. She appears regularly before the Connecticut PURA and the Connecticut Siting Council in addition to other state administrative agencies and local land use boards related to telecommunications facility siting matters.

    Enforcement Defense

    Emily represents clients who are facing government enforcement actions under federal and state environmental laws. She represents companies before various state administrative agencies, such as the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She recently counseled a metal fabrication client in defense of a state enforcement action over alleged violations of hazardous waste and used oil requirements.

    Environmental Remediation

    Emily counsels clients involved in multi-party Superfund sites. She recently assisted a client in the preparation of a position statement regarding the methodology that should be used to determine the allocation of costs among Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) at a Superfund site.

    Land Use

    Emily handles planning and zoning permits and applications, helping clients secure the necessary approvals for their projects from local land use boards. She recently helped a Connecticut-based manufacturer successfully secure a variance from a local zoning board of appeals.

    Pro Bono

    Poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking in Africa have threatened endangered species such as elephants and rhinos. Emily is part of a team of firm lawyers involved in a pro bono project aimed at helping Namibia's Legal Assistance Centre improve the country’s wildlife conservation laws and strengthen their enforcement. Emily researched United States federal laws concerning the protection of endangered and threatened species, including the Endangered Species Act, and prohibitions on international trade in endangered and threatened species, such as the Lacey Act, to assist in developing a proposal for legislative reforms to change Namibia’s current legislative framework.

    Emily was selected among the 30 members of the 2022 Leadership Fairfield County class, hosted by the Stamford Partnership. While in law school, Emily was the symposium editor of the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal and president of the Energy and Environmental Law Society. She was awarded the UConn Law Alumni Association’s Thomas F. Gallivan, Jr. Memorial Prize for outstanding scholastic achievement in property law. She also received CALI awards in Land Use and Land Use Practicum.

  • Experience
    • Experience

      Experience

      • Represents the nation’s leading wireless telecommunications provider before the Connecticut Siting Council and Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in connection with the installation of wireless facilities throughout Connecticut. Drafts legislation relating to the application and approval process of wireless facilities and provides legal support as it relates to real estate matters.

      • Counseled metal fabrication client in defense of enforcement action by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which alleged violations of hazardous waste and used oil requirements.

      • Reviewed historical documents in connection with a Superfund site to prepare position statement on how cost should be allocated among multiple parties responsible for contamination.

      • Helped a Connecticut-based manufacturer successfully secure a variance from a local zoning board of appeals. 

    • Professional Associations

      Professional Associations

      Connecticut Bar Association
      Treasurer - Energy, Public Utility, and Communications Law Section (2018 - 2019)
      Women in the Law Section
      Environmental Law Section
      Young Lawyers Section

      American Bar Association

      Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs

      Connecticut Business & Industry Association
      Energy and Environment Council
      Young Energy and Environment Professionals, Advisory Board Member (2016 - present)

      Connecticut Environmental Forum
      Board of Directors
      President (2022 - 2025)
      Vice President (2021)
    • Honors + Awards

      Honors + Awards

      2022 Leadership Fairfield County, hosted by the Stamford Partnership 

      Recognized as a New Leader in the Law by the Connecticut Law Tribune, 2022

      Selected by her peers for inclusion in the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of Energy Law.

      Selected as a Rising Star in the Connecticut Super Lawyers list from 2018 to 2023.

      Named to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) First 100 Plus Class of 2018 for demonstrating leadership and commitment to improving the lives of domestic violence survivors throughout Connecticut.

    • Community Involvement

      Community Involvement

      Junior League of Hartford
      Provisional Class (2016 - present)
      Publications Committee Co-Chair (2018)
      Show House Program Chair (2017 - 2018)

      Keney Park Sustainability Project
      Board of Directors (2018 - 2021)
  • NEWS + PRESS
    • Publications

      Publications

      "American attorneys partner to save endangered African wildlife," published in ABA Journal, co-authored with Peter R. Knight, Megan E. Baroni, Kelsey A. Cross, Diana E. Neeves, Byron D. Flagg and Alec Rubenstein (July 2017)

      "Renewable Energy," co-authored with Joey Lee Miranda, published in Recent Developments in Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Industries, an ABA publication of the Public Utility, Communications, and Transportation Law Section (2014)
      • » more info

    • Presentations

      Presentations

      "Clean Water Act Update," co-presented with Robert S. Melvin (10/21/2021)
      • » more info

      "Environmental Decisions of Interest," co-presented with Diana E. Neeves (11/19/2020)
      • » more info

    • News

      R+C in the News

      • November 10, 2022

        Emily Deans Appointed President of Connecticut Environmental Forum

        • » more info
      • March 25, 2022

        Connecticut Law Tribune to Honor Eight Robinson+Cole Lawyers During Connecticut Legal Awards

        • » more info
      • February 4, 2021

        Emily Deans Named Vice President of Connecticut Environmental Forum

        • » more info
      • June 6, 2019

        Members of the Hartford Office's EE+T Group Take Part in Keney Park Sustainability Project

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      • October 18, 2018

        51 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

        • » more info
        • View article
      • September 19, 2018

        Emily Deans Appointed Treasurer of Connecticut Bar Association Energy, Public Utility and Communications Law Section

        • » more info
      • June 7, 2018

        Environmental, Energy + Telecommunications Group Members Volunteer for Riverfront Recapture

        • » more info
        • View article
      • May 9, 2018

        Robinson+Cole Team Walks Against Hunger

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      • July 6, 2017

        Robinson+Cole's Namibia Pro Bono Project Featured in ABA Journal

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      • May 23, 2017

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers and Staff Participate in Volunteerathon

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      • May 12, 2017

        Robinson+Cole Team Walks Against Hunger

        • » more info
        • View article
      • December 15, 2016

        Robinson+Cole's Namibia Pro Bono Project Featured in CLT

        • » more info

      R+C News Releases

      • October 26, 2023

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized in 2023 Super Lawyers®

        • » more info
        • View article
      • August 17, 2023

        78 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2024

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      • October 11, 2022

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized in 2022 Super Lawyers®

        • » more info
        • View article
      • August 18, 2022

        74 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2023

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        • View article
      • October 14, 2021

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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        • View article
      • October 15, 2020

        47 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized in Super Lawyers®

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        • View article
      • November 18, 2019

        Robinson+Cole Receives the Diana Kleefeld Pro Bono Award from Connecticut Appleseed

        • » more info
        • View article
      • October 19, 2019

        52 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

        • » more info
        • View article
      • November 26, 2018

        Emily Deans Appointed to Connecticut Environmental Forum Board of Directors

        • » more info
        • View article
      • November 12, 2018

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers and Staff Named to CCADV’s First 100 Plus Class of 2018

        • » more info
        • View article
      • October 16, 2018

        Emily Deans Appointed to Keney Park Sustainability Project Board of Directors

        • » more info
        • View article
      • March 30, 2018

        Robinson+Cole Employees Lend a Hand to Foodshare

        • » more info
        • View article
      • October 25, 2016

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Take Part in International Pro Bono Project to Combat Wildlife Crimes in Namibia

        • » more info
    • Legal Updates/Newsletters

      Legal Updates/Newsletters

      "Plugging Holes in the Clean Water Act: EPA and ACOE Release their Proposed Replacement Rule Defining “WOTUS”" co-authored with Robert S. Melvin (12/26/2018)

      "Courts Still Trying to Plug the Clean Water Act’s Holes: Meanwhile, Tanks, Pipes, Pits, and Other Leaking Facilities Remain Targets for Environmental Claims" co-authored with Robert S. Melvin (11/1/2018)