Litigation Support

SoundEarth’s mediation and technical support services help clients resolve issues before they escalate. We conduct forensic investigations, perform independent third- party reviews, work with client legal teams to develop cost-allocation strategies and alternative cost estimates, and invoke our well-earned credibility with regulators to help clients negotiate issues of environmental liability.

Sometimes legal action is unavoidable to protect or enforce a client’s rights. When that is the case, SoundEarth acts as a valuable addition to the legal team, bringing strong client advocacy through the application of sound scientific principles to the courtroom or deposition. We provide expert witness testimony in the fields of hydrologic engineering, aquifer geology, sediment transport, groundwater hydrology and chemistry, contaminant fate and transport, water resources supply planning, groundwater well field design, and aquifer testing and analysis.

Due Diligence

SoundEarth conducts comprehensive environmental site assessments (Phases I, II, and III) to provide due diligence for real estate decisions by buyers, sellers, developers, and lending institutions. Our thorough investigations of potential environmental issues assist our clients in making difficult decisions regarding the acquisition and development of properties.

Due diligence is about completing “all appropriate inquiry,” which summarizes SoundEarth’s underlying philosophy: do everything that is necessary, but focus on outcomes, instead of expensive studies—be both thorough and practical. Our due diligence helps define our client’s objectives, identify potential environmental issues in line with our client’s risk tolerance, evaluate the anticipated land use, and consider the needs of all stakeholders. These factors define the scope of the investigation, so our clients know from the start where we expect to end up.

SoundEarth is an approved environmental consultant with many major lending institutions, and we are well versed in the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ due diligence requirements for bringing properties into Trust. We have extensive experience identifying asbestos and lead-based paint, as well as historical uses of solvents and petroleum products on the sites, and the potential risk of vapor intrusion.