Emily Masalski
Rooney Rippie & Ratnaswamy LLP
Environmental law, health and safety, and litigation

Passion is the word her fellow attorneys use to describe environmental law practitioner Emily Masalski.

Masalski, they say, is passionate about her clients, the environment, the law and her family and community. This passion has helped Masalski build a thriving practice and gain a steady stream of loyal clients.

And those who have worked with Masalski – or argued in court against her – say that this environmental expert is poised to accomplish great things in the coming years.

“Emily is passionate about her work in the area of environmental law and brings that same level of passion to her family, friendships and her dedication to the advancement of women in the legal profession,” said fellow Chicago attorney Kristen Prinz. “She is a true trailblazer.”

In addition to being recognized as a leader in environmental law, Masalski has also established herself as a pioneer in the new and developing practice area of medical marijuana. She is one of just a few attorneys in Illinois who have advised medical marijuana cultivation and dispensary business applicants regarding the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program and the permit application process for the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Financial &Professional Regulation.

Masalski has established a record of success in the courtroom that is the envy of far more experienced attorneys. While working as an associate earlier in her career, she successfully defended a client against a breach of-contract claim in a jury trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Law Division. The plaintiff sought damages in excess of $1.7 million.

She also second-chaired an arbitration before the American Arbitration Association and procured a judgment in excess of $450,000 for her client in a breach-of-contract dispute.

Beginning in 2015, Masalski served on Rooney Rippie & Ratnaswamy’s regulatory counsel team as part of the restructuring of more than $9.5billion of debt by the largest municipal utility in the United States. In that case, Masalski worked closely with local counsel and co-counsel to prepare numerous agreements, affidavits, pleadings, public notices, and witness testimony. In May 2016, Masalski worked directly with co-counsel and local counsel to assemble and file the initial restructuring case with the Puerto Rico Energy Commission under strict time constraints.

When not earning successful resolutions for her clients, Masalski devotes hours to public service. Masalski recently concluded her two-year term as an “Under 35” Illinois State Bar Association delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, and served as chair of the Standing Committee on Women and the Law. Masalski is an advocate for breastfeeding mothers and drafted the Lactation Accommodation in Airports Act, which became Illinois law in 2015.

She is currently Ex-Officio of the ISBA’s Environmental Law Section Council, and in 2016 through June 2017served as chair.