William J. Dodge

Will Dodge has developed a strong legal practice that focuses primarily in three areas:

Telecommunications law 
 

• Federal, state and local regulation of wireless communications facilities
• Litigation related to wireless communications facilities and
• Leasing and real estate due diligence for wireless communications facilities. 

Environmental and land use development, with specialties in 
 

• Municipal zoning law and Act 250 state land use permitting
• Stormwater regulation and compliance with federal and state water pollution laws
• Cultural resources preservation 

Electrical energy siting projects

Will has appeared in planning and zoning hearings in municipalities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire and has prepared and argued land use cases before the Vermont Supreme Court and federal district court in Vermont. Will also maintains a strong interest in international and cross-border practice, including country of origin labeling requirements and cross-border financing transactions.

In addition, Will focuses a portion of his practice on cross-border issues that have included cross-border finance, labeling laws and customs issues. Most recently, he has worked with the U.S. border patrol to site tower facilities that will improve communications services along the border for Vermont-based clients.

Wireless Telecommunications

Over the course of seven years, Will has served as local counsel for land use development and real estate matters for a major wireless telecommunications provider for its operations in Vermont, New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. In this capacity, he has: 
 

• advised state agencies and municipalities on permitting practices
• obtained regulatory approvals and commercial agreements for a variety of major telecommunications projects on behalf of clients and
• assisted with the due diligence process for wireless communications-based M&A and real estate transactions.

Recently, Will has pursued litigation on behalf of wireless telecommunications clients in state and federal courts in order to secure approvals for construction of facilities.

Energy Development & Natural Resources

Will has played a key or lead role in several important matters that have resulted in regulatory approvals, new legislation and/or rulings and interpretations by the court that have paved the way for clients to accomplish their business goals. He has, for example: 
 

• assisted in several transactions for renewable energy facilities throughout New England
• shepherded a major transmission line upgrade project through the state regulatory approval process, which required sustained engagement with state and municipal agencies on behalf of multiple utilities
• provided support to DRM Governmental Affairs group resulting in the passage of a comprehensive stormwater law, Act 140 of 2004
• argued successfully on behalf of several commercial clients in a case of national significance involving interpretation of the federal Clean Water Act.

Will is on the board of the Vermont Bar Association Young Lawyers' Division, presently serving as board secretary, and he is an associate member of the Vermont Board of Bar Examiners.
 

At the recommendation of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Will was recently appointed by Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas to serve on the Vermont Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty. The group conducts an annual assessment of the legal and economic impacts of international trade agreements on state and local laws, state sovereignty and the business environment.
 

Before joining the firm, Will served as a law clerk to the Honorable Harry Lee Hudspeth, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division.

Will is a member of the Regional Affairs Committee of the  Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce and Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, and he recently assisted the Winooski Valley Park District with a land acquisition in Essex, Vt. This year, he worked with his wife, Leonora, in the organization of the Burlington Latino/a Festival.

Publications:

“Recent Developments in Stormwater Permitting” (2006)

“Title Issues Involving Stormwater” (2004)

“The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: How is it Relevant to Risk Retention Groups?” (2003) (co-authored with Kathy Davis and Kevin Moriarty)

“State Trademark and Unfair Competition Law – Vermont” (2002) (co-authored with Walter Judge)

“Surviving the Transition to Revised Article 9” (2001) (co-authored with Andre Bouffard)

“Succeeding in Seceding?: Internationalizing the Quebec Secession Reference Under NAFTA,” 34 Texas International Law Journal 327 (1999)

Presentations:

“Legal Technology” (Vermont Bar Association, October 2007)

“Recent Developments in Stormwater Permitting” (Loriman, December 2006)

“Recent Developments in Stormwater Permitting” (Loriman, April 2005)

“Title Issues Involving Stormwater,” Vermont Bar Association Environmental Law Committee Meeting (2004)

“Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships in Vermont” - National Business Institute Seminar (2002) (co-presented with Frank V. Petrosino, Esq.)

“The Vermont Supreme Court in Review: 2001-2002 Contract and Corporations Cases” (2002) (co-presented with Paul H. Ode, Jr.)

In re Stormwater NPDES Permit, 2006 VT 91 (2006)

Granat v. Ridgewood Securities Corp., No. 01-cv-04965, Order of January 22, 2004 (S.D. Fla 2004) (unreported decision)

Spanish, French