Jennifer T. Nijman

Jennifer T. Nijman is a founding partner of the environmental firm Nijman·Franzetti LLP with wide ranging experience in litigation defense and enforcement issues as well as issues involving waste and contaminated property. She was formerly a partner and chair of the environmental practice group at the Chicago office of a national law firm.

Ms. Nijman represents clients in environmental litigation and enforcement defense, including toxic tort claims, private party disputes, and actions brought under the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and all phases of CERCLA and the Superfund process. She has experience with permit and siting proceedings as well as petitions for adjusted standards and variances before the Pollution Control Board. Ms. Nijman has successfully represented clients in regulatory disputes and negotiations with both state and federal agencies, and has implemented supplemental environmental projects/pollution prevention plans to reduce or eliminate fines and penalties. She counsels clients on compliance issues and in the development of environmental management systems.

A significant portion of Ms. Nijman’s practice includes representing clients in the environmental aspects of corporate and real estate transactions. She works closely with consultants and clients to develop strategies for the acquisition and sale of contaminated property. She evaluates due diligence, prepares and negotiates environmental provisions of purchase and sale agreements, and works with environmental insurance products where appropriate. Her clients have included lenders, private equity companies, developers and corporations.

Ms. Nijman is a Fellow and Board Member of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. In 2020 she was awarded the Justice John Paul Stevens award for commitment to integrity and public service in the practice of Law. She served on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission for Access to Justice from 2017-2023. In 2002–2003 she served as President of the Chicago Bar Association, and she is a past president and Board member of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois. She previously served on the Boards of the Center for Conflict Resolution, the Public Interest Law Initiative, and the Justice Entrepreneur Project.

Ms. Nijman received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1987, and her B.A. from the University of Illinois in Champaign in 1984. She is a member of the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois and is admitted to the Illinois and Wisconsin Bar, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. She has arbitrated and mediated cases through the American Arbitration Association and the Center for Conflict Resolution.