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Goldberg Segalla Welcomes Amanda E. McKinlay and Ria Rana

News

Goldberg Segalla Welcomes Amanda E. McKinlay and Ria Rana

January 8, 2018

Goldberg Segalla added associates Amanda E. McKinlay and Ria Rana to the firm’s General Liability and Environmental Practice Groups in New York.

An accomplished litigator and mediator, Amanda’s experience spans construction defects, professional malpractice, personal injury, and premises liability. With particularly deep experience handling complex construction litigation, Amanda has represented contractors, manufacturers, and material suppliers in individual and multi-party claims involving alleged construction defects, premises liability, product liability and complex business disputes throughout New York and New Jersey. She also has experience analyzing insurance claims, policy languages, and coverage issues and representing insurers in first- and third-party coverage disputes, including bad faith actions, in state and federal court.

Amanda earned her law degree at Seton Hall University, where she served as associate editor of the Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. While there, she served as judicial intern to the Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. After graduating, she continued to earn experience as law clerk to the Hon. Robert L. Polifroni of the Superior Court of New Jersey.

With an exceptional knowledge of current environmental issues, laws, and policies and their impact on businesses, professionals, governments, and other municipal entities, Ria counsels clients on risk mitigation and avoidance and defends them in state and federal courts throughout New York and New Jersey. Ria’s experience includes an internship with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she drafted administrative orders on Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) cases and crafted legal training programs on environmental law issues. She also held a legal clerkship with the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., drafting analyses on environmental, animal, and administrative laws and policies, with a particular focus on the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Ria attended Emory University School of Law. During this time, she interned with Georgia’s foremost legal environmental organization, GreenLaw, conducting research and writing on state and federal laws, particularly the Clean Air Act (CAA), and investigating Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Since earning her law degree, Ria has been an active member of the environmental law committees and sections of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and New York City Bar Association, and has participated in the broader conversation around environmental law and business practices, publishing widely on issues including contamination, the EPA’s testing authority, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) policies. She also researched and drafted solar energy zoning ordinances for the Planning Board of the Town of Catskill, N.Y., and has provided pro bono counsel to the Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC), EarthRights International, and Chesapeake Legal Alliance.