Susan E. Brice

Susan E. Brice has litigated state and federal disputes and has counseled clients on complicated scientific issues arising in environmental law, toxic torts and product liability. She works with scientists on matters in the fields of genomics, toxicology and epidemiology in such industries as chemical manufacturing, energy production, food, agriculture and real estate.

Outside of this niche, Ms. Brice litigates commercial matters and advises on and mitigates the environmental and exposure risks involved in major transactions, including international mergers and acquisitions, public/private partnership ventures and renewable energy deals.

She has extensive experience in all major aspects of environmental law, including significant cases involving the Clean Water Act, CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act and project development disputes.

Ms. Brice is a recognized authority on COVID-19 risk mitigation, having written several articles. She was quoted in an April 2020 Crain’s Chicago Business cover story titled “Lawyers will have their hands full during pandemic.” With respect to COVID-19, Ms. Brice has advised numerous clients on potential lawsuit immunity under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the “PREP Act”), how to avoid price gouging claims, and how to mitigate the risk of product liability and premises liability lawsuits. Her work includes compliance counseling involving face masks, ventilators, testing kits, business re-openings, virus transmission and virus identification via genomics.

In recent years, her practice has embraced the implications of genomics in legal defense, especially its ability to shed light on causation in toxic tort cases. For example, testing can provide evidence that an inherited genetic mutation may be a more likely cause of a certain medical condition than exposure to a particular toxicant.

Prior to joining Nijman·Franzetti LLP, Ms. Brice was a co-leader of the toxic tort group at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP and, prior to that, the co-leader of the environmental group at Mayer Brown LLP.