Decades of Regulatory Leadership
Leading complex regulatory matters with decades of experience shaping laws for emerging industries.
Illinois State Bar
District of Columbia Bar
U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Court of Appeals
Former EPA enforcement counsel
Primary author, first comprehensive cannabis legalization law
A Career Built at Every New Legal Frontier
Sanford Stein’s career spans more than four decades at the intersection of law, policy, and regulated commerce. Raised and trained in Washington, D.C., he began his career as an enforcement attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, giving him an insider’s understanding of how regulations are drafted and applied in the real world.
That foundation shaped a practice that moves fluidly between state and federal agencies, state legislatures, and municipal hearing rooms. Today, his work covers multi-state energy development, green-technology incentives, municipal zoning and land use entitlements, First Amendment media and advertising speech, and the statutory architecture of emerging industries.
Whether counseling a startup through its first cannabis license, promotong new alnd use or defending against a zoning change, or negotiating the terms of an EPA audit, the approach is the same: understand the regulation, understand the business, then build a strategy that protects both.
At the Supreme Court: Shaped Environmental Standing and Enforcement Rules
Steel Company v. Citizens for a Better Environment
Mr. Stein argued this landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court, helping define the boundaries of citizen enforcement under federal environmental law and the standing required to bring private actions against industrial polluters.
Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures (S.C.R.A.P.) v. The United States
He played a primary role in S.C.R.A.P. v. United States, the foundational case that shaped judicial review of environmental impact statements and established enduring precedent for citizen challenges to federal agency action.
From EPA Enforcement to Multi-State Energy and Green-Tech Counsel
A Front-Row Seat to the Birth of Modern Environmental Law.
Mr. Stein’s early enforcement work inside the EPA gave him an insider’s understanding of how regulations are drafted, enforced, and litigated—insight that now shapes every defense and compliance strategy he builds for clients.
Early 1980s
EPA Enforcement Counsel
Began his career as an enforcement attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C., prosecuting violations and learning the machinery of federal regulation from the inside.
1980s–1990s
Landmark Supreme Court Advocacy
Argued The Steel Company v. Citizens for a Better Environment and played a primary role in S.C.R.A.P. v. United States, shaping precedent on environmental standing, citizen suits, and judicial review of agency action.
1990s–2000s
Municipal Zoning and Land Use Defense
Built a practice representing developers, property owners, and businesses seeking entitlements and other municipal benefits and relief such as TIF and other financial incentives and alternative land use strategies.
2000s–2010s
First Amendment and Billboard Media Speech
Litigated off-premise advertising and commercial speech cases, protecting Freedom of Speech
2010s–Present
Cannabis Legalization Architecture
Assisted with legalization laws, then translated that legislative experience into a licensing strategy for operators entering newly regulated state markets.
Present
Multi-State Energy and Green-Tech Counsel
Advises developers and investors on wind, solar and geothermal siting. Advises at he intersection of climate policy with local land use and entitlement strategy.
Admissions, Recognition, and Leadership at a Glance
An Elite, Agile Solo Practice — With the Muscle of a National Network Behind It
Every client works directly with a veteran pioneer of regulatory law — never a junior associate learning the field on your matter. That means faster judgment, sharper strategy, and undivided ownership of the outcome.
When a matter demands the scale of a large firm, we deploy a vetted enterprise network of nationwide co-counsel — trial teams, tax specialists, and industry experts we have worked with for years. You get boutique focus with instant infrastructure whenever the case calls for it.