Carlos Fernández-Lugo

E-mail address:  cfl@mcvpr.com
Phone number:  (787) 250-5669
Fax number:  (787) 759-2711

Carlos J. Fernández-Lugo is a Capital Member of the Firm, Chair of the Environmental and Land Use Practice Group and part of the Retail Industry Practice Area.

Practice Areas

Mr. Fernández-Lugo represents clients before local and federal agencies with jurisdiction over environmental and land use matters, such as the Environmental Quality Board, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Puerto Rico Planning Board, the Regulations and Permits Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the various autonomous municipalities throughout Puerto Rico.

He also provides counseling to clients on land use issues, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, and the environmental implications of business transactions. Mr. Fernández-Lugo frequently provides lectures to industry groups and associations on these and other topics. Prior to joining McConnell Valdés, Mr. Fernández-Lugo served as judicial law clerk to Hon. Carmen Consuelo Cerezo, then-Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, magna cum laude, and a juris doctor from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, summa cum laude.

Admissions

Mr. Fernández-Lugo is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Memberships

Member of the Puerto Rico College of Engineers and Surveyors; the Interamerican Association of Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences ("Asociación Interamericana de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente"); the Puerto Rico Planning Association; the Environmental Committee of the Puerto Rico Manufacturer's Association; the American Bar Association Sections on Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources, as well as Litigation; the Federal Bar Association.; and the Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Pi Mu and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

Representative Matters

Mr. Fernández-Lugo has been involved in several complex environmental cases and mass litigation, including multi-party CERCLA cases and the Río Piedras Explosion Litigation. He has represented firm clients in cases dealing with spills, toxic torts, soil and groundwater contamination, permit challenges and regulatory violations, among others. Mr. Fernández-Lugo currently represents industrial, commercial, residential and resort developers in several major projects, as well as the owner of the only RCRA Brownfields Pilot project in Puerto Rico to date.

Mr. Fernández-Lugo represented the prevailing party in the case of San Antonio Maritime, et al. v. Puerto Rican Cement Company, Inc., 2001 TSPR 16, in which the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico held that competitors have standing to intervene in administrative and permitting proceedings which concern other market participants.