Charlotte Mitchell First Female LEED Accredited Attorney in North Carolina
Kennedy Covington Press Release
May 6, 2008
Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. - Charlotte Mitchell, an attorney in Kennedy Covington's environmental law practice, has successfully achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation, making her the first female attorney in North Carolina to offer this level of knowledge and expertise.
Managed by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), the LEED Professional Accreditation distinguishes building professionals who have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and the LEED Rating System.
According to the GBCI directory, there are only three LEED accredited attorneys in the state including Collin Brown, a land use attorney in Kennedy Covington's Charlotte office. There are 55 accredited legal professionals nationwide.
"Our firm has recognized the growth of sustainable development initiatives in the region's thriving real estate industry, and we are committed to supporting our clients through education and counsel," said David Franchina, chair of Kennedy Covington's environmental practice. "Charlotte's accreditation lends even more strength and depth to our service offerings. We are very proud of her accomplishment."
This accreditation will enhance the firm's new sustainable development practice, which is a multidisciplinary practice focusing in the areas of environmental, land use, real estate development and leasing, energy, emerging business and corporate law. The practice advises and responds to green building and LEED issues, as well as businesses on incorporating sustainability concepts into plans and daily practices. It also advises clients whose business projects focus on undertaking or enhancing sustainable business practices.
In addition to her work with the firm's sustainable development practice, Charlotte focuses on environmental regulatory and compliance matters, with an emphasis on coastal regulation, brownfields redevelopment, and environmental aspects of real estate and business transactions.
About LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass over 14,000 projects in 50 U.S. States and 30 countries covering 1.062 billion square feet of development area. The hallmark of LEED is that it is an open and transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by the LEED committees are publicly reviewed for approval by the more than 10,000 membership organizations that currently constitute the USGBC.
Individuals recognized for their knowledge of the LEED rating system are permitted to use the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) acronym after their name, indicating they have passed the accreditation exam given by the USGBC.
About the Green Building Certificate Institute
GBCI was formed to allow for balanced, objective management of the LEED Professional Accreditation program, including exam development, registration and delivery. Those who attain the LEED AP credential have knowledge of the LEED Rating Systems that allows them to facilitate the integrated design process and streamline LEED certification for their projects.
About Kennedy Covington
Founded in 1957, Kennedy Covington is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas with offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, Columbia and Rock Hill. Our attorneys use their diverse experience and knowledge to counsel clients in varied industries such as banking and finance, real estate, technology, health care, manufacturing and the services sector. At Kennedy Covington, we give more than a legal opinion; we provide a business perspective.
Media Contacts:
Allison Bowman
Communications Manager
Kennedy Covington
(704) 350-4410
Beth Doughty
Corder Philips (for Kennedy Covington)
(704) 378-2118
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