Professional Overview
Alexandra has a versatile real estate and environmental practice that provides public and private clients with transactional and litigation support on real estate, environmental, and regulatory matters, including disposition and acquisition of contaminated sites, redevelopment and cleanup of contaminated properties, resolution of cleanup liability disputes, and insurance recovery for environmental liabilities. Clients seek Alexandra’s counsel to review potential environmental issues associated with property acquisitions and leases, manage redevelopment and regulatory closure of contaminated sites, coordinate with environmental consultants, and pursue cost recovery actions.
Alexandra also has extensive experience with the investigation and remediation of complex contaminated sites arising under CERCLA and MTCA and provides regulatory guidance as well. She has advised potentially liable parties and stakeholders on issues including investigation strategies, agency coordination, allocation of past and future cost liabilities, and navigating historic insurance coverage issues. She also works with clients to navigate the resolution of natural resource damage assessments under state and federal law.
Representative Matters
- Represents buyers and sellers in complex real estate transactions involving contaminated properties, including advising clients on the allocation and management of liability for related environmental remediation costs.
- Manages complex environmental remediation projects and advise clients on negotiating with governmental agencies and pursuing regulatory closure.
- Represents developers and property owners in dispute resolution and litigation before state and federal courts in cost recovery and cost allocation actions.
- Represents clients in litigation and alternative dispute resolution regarding liabilities resulting from environmental cleanup costs arising under CERCLA, including complex sediment sites.
- Represents landowners in real estate transactions for parcels adjacent to Superfund sites, including allocating liabilities, navigating historical insurance coverage issues, and determining future cost responsibility.
- Advises clients on managing risk and potential liability resulting from federal hazardous waste cleanup laws, including CERCLA, RCRA and MTCA.
- Represents property owners and developers with respect to potential liabilities resulting from natural resource damage assessments at hazardous waste sites, as well as negotiations with NOAA to minimize natural resource damage assessments.
- Advises clients regarding insurance coverage issues related to potential environmental liability.
Articles and Presentations
- Moderator, "ESG 101: Roadmap to Decarbonization," Seattle ESG & Sustainability Conference, August 2024
- “Environmental Considerations for Real Estate and Development,” Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Midyear Meeting and Conference, Washington State Bar Association, June 2024
- “Leasing Considerations Related to Hazardous Materials,” Law Seminars International, December 2022
- “Use of cross-laminated timber may rise in the U.S.,” Westlaw Today, Thomson Reuters, August 2022
- “Considerations for Transacting Properties with Contamination and Co-Mingled Plumes,” Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Midyear Meeting and Conference, Washington State Bar Association, June 2022
- “Impacts of ‘forever chemicals’ on real estate transactions,” Reuters Legal News, March 2022
- “Recent opinion highlights importance of definition of ‘water,’” Reuters Legal News, September 2021
- “U.S. Supreme Court clarifies Superfund law and provides cautionary tale” (co-author), Reuters Legal News, July 2021
- “Advances in Plume Migration Prevention,” Northwest Environmental Business Council, October 2020
- “Model Toxics Control Act Case Law Update,” Law Seminars International, October 2019
- “Partnering Attorneys and Consultants—Where Science and the Law Meet,” NEBC, Northwest Remediation Conference, October 2019
- “Southern Resident Killer Whale Panel,” Environmental and Law Use Law Section Midyear Meeting & Conference (co-chair), Washington State Bar Association, May 2019
- “Developing Contaminated and Blighted Properties in Washington,” Case Studies: South Lake Union, Ballard and Fremont, The Seminar Group, August 2018
- “Special Consideration in Project Development Planning,” Environmental and Law Use Law Section Midyear Meeting & Conference, Washington State Bar Association, May 2017
- “Impact of EPA’s New Environmental Justice Regulatory Analysis on Remedies at Sediment Sites,” Ninth International Conference on Remediation and Management of Contaminated Sediments, Battelle Institute, January 2017
- “The Role of Environmental Forensics,” Northwest Remediation Conference, October 2016
- “Ethical Considerations for Multi-Party Representation at Aquatic Cleanup Sites,” Environmental and Land Use Law Section Midyear Meeting & Conference, Washington State Bar Association, May 2016
- “Triggering the Insurer’s Duty to Defend for MTCA Claims: Gull Industries, Inc. v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Company” (co-author), Washington State Bar Association Environmental & Land Use Law Section Newsletter, Volume 41, Number 1, February 2015
- “A Review of EPA’s First Environmental Justice Analysis at a CERCLA Site,” American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 1, November 2014
- “A Review of EPA’s First Environmental Justice Analysis in Conjunction with a CERCLA Remediation Plan” (author), American Bar Association, Section of Environmental, Energy and Resources, 43rd Spring Conference, March 2014
Professional and Civic Involvement
- Adjunct Professor, University of Washington, Runstad Department of Real Estate
- Member, Urban Land Institute, Environmental, Social, and Governance Committee
- Member, Law360 Real Estate Editorial Advisory Board, 2022-2023
- Board of Directors, Seattle 2030 District, 2019-2022
- Member, Junior League of Seattle, 2014–2017
- Board of Directors, Center for Children and Youth Justice, 2012–2015
- Member, Vanderbilt Law School Alumni Admissions Program
Honors / Awards / Prior Experience
- Repeatedly recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Environmental Law, most recently for 2025.
- Recognized as a Rising Star (Environmental, Real Estate), Washington Super Lawyers, 2018–2024.
Education
Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 2011
The University of Texas at Austin B.A., 2006, with highest honors
Dean's List
Languages
Spanish