G. Michael Schopmeyer has 25 years experience practicing as a business attorney. His skills center on resolving and closing business, construction, environmental, real and intellectual property disputes and transactions. Honed from service as a private practitioner, government attorney, arbitrator and civic leader, Mike's business acumen empowers clients to more swiftly reach durable solutions. As a result, he delivers economic advantages for our clients.

Experience:

• Organized the clean-up and redevelopment of most of the area's brownfield sites, recovering for our clients the funding to accomplish environmental remediation through negotiated settlements, not litigation.

• Eliminated wasteful construction claims by effectively incorporating and administering creative incentive, indemnity, and dispute resolution clauses.

• Completed on-time and in-budget many of the areas largest commercial and industrial facilities by negotiating unique contracts for assembling land tracts and erecting major improvements.

• Resolved more than 50 complex and potentially costly condemnation cases by utilizing novel methods, such as applying engineering solutions to improve future development.

• Succeeded in prosecuting the resolution of multiple trademark and copyright infringement claims.

• Collaborated with teams of U. S. Army Corp of Engineers and Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management in developing covenants and restrictions for wetlands mitigation and permits required for major commercial developments.

• Negotiated millions of dollars worth of property tax incentives required to induce expanding and relocating businesses.

• Assisted developers, city and state economic development entities gaining favorable tax exempt bond financing allowing the expansion of educational, healthcare and industrial facilities.

• Served, or successfully remonstrated against, rezoning petitioners before most of S.W. Indiana’s municipalities or counties.

• Prevailed with out-of-state legal counsel in negotiating profitable multi-state real estate acquisition and leasing contracts.

Business & Professional Affiliations:

• Indiana Bar Association (Past Chairman Environmental Section 2002)

• American Arbitration Association (Level II Arbitrator)

• Legal counsel to the Evansville Convention & Visitors Commission
  (1985-present)

• Former Assistant City Attorney for Evansville, Indiana (1999-2003)

• Evansville Bar Association, Real Estate and Commercial Law Sections

• American Bar Association, Construction Industry, Environment, Business, and Intellectual Property Law Sections

Community/Civic Affiliations:

• Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana, Inc.(Current Executive Committee Member and Past Chairman 2006)

• Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, Inc. (Current Executive Committee Member)

• Evansville Tree Advisory Board (Past Chairman)

• Keep Evansville Beautiful (Lifetime Board Member and Past President 1992)

• Christ the King Catholic Church (Past Parish Council President)

• University of Evansville Purple Aces Club (Current Board Member)

• Southwestern Indiana Easter Seal Society (Past President 1996)

• Old Courthouse Preservation Society (Past President 1993)

Honors & Awards:

• Evansville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Excellence Award (2003)

• Evansville Westside Improvement Association Environmental Excellence Award (2002)

• Westside Civitan Citizen of the Year (1996)

• Evansville Chamber of Commerce Vice Chair of the Year (1995)

• University of Evansville Alumni Certificate of Excellence (1980)

• University of Evansville Blue Key (Treasurer) and Mortar Board (President) (1979)

Publications & Seminar Presentations:

• Lorman Education Services, “Public Contracts and Procurement Regulations in Indiana: Procurement and Competitive Bidding: Pre-Bid” Seminar (2008)

• Lorman Education Services, “Property Tax: A 2007 Review” Seminar (2007)

• Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, "Passing the Buck: A Transfer of Land or Liability" (2006)

• Lorman Education Services, “Overcoming the Pitfalls in Local Governmental Land Use and Zoning Processes” Seminar (2006)

• Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, "Environmental Law for the General Practitioner" Seminar (2006)

• Lorman Education Services, "Real Estate Development Plat and Subdivision Law" Seminar (2006)

• Lorman Education Services, "Current Issues in Storm Water Regulation" Seminar (2006)

• Legal Strategies for Controlling and Reducing Claims, "Design, Bid and Contract Negotiations" (2006)

• “Current Environmental Issues for Business and Environmental Professionals” Seminar (2004)

• City Of Evansville Seminar, "Brownfields Redevelopment" (2002)
  Indiana State Bar Association, "Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques For Resolving Environmental Disputes" (2002)

• Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, "More Hot Tips in Environmental Law" (2002)

• Lorman Education Services, "Property Tax Incentives: Economic Revitalization Areas, Enterprise Zones and Brownfield Revitalization Zones" (2002, 2003 and 2007)

• “Brownfields and Cost Recovery” (2001)

• Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, "Developing the Indiana Landscape: Greenfields and How to Avoid Environmental and Zoning Pitfalls" (2000)

• “Update on Environmental Law” (1999)

• CLA International, "Negotiating the Brownfield Deal and Environmental Due Diligence: Seller's Perspective on Selling Contaminated Properties" (1998)

• “Update on Environmental Law – New Clean-up Standards and Brownfields - Will it Get Easier, Cheaper and Faster?” (1998)

• “Current Environmental Law Issues Affecting Lenders” (1998)

• “Update on Environmental Law – Evolving Brownfield Legislation, Risk-Based Clean-up Standards and Voluntary Remediation Programs” (1997)

• “Legal Strategies for Controlling and Reducing Contractor Claims” (1996)

• “Update on Environmental Law – Brownfields, Inspections, Internal Audits and USTS” (1996)

• “Update on Environmental Law” (1995)

• Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, "Brownfields and Cost Recovery" (1993), "The 10-Minute Life and Times of the ASTM Standard for Environmental Assessments" (1993), “New Development: Identifying and Cleaning Up Contaminated Property” (1993), “Impact of New Environmental Law Developments on Real Estate Transactions" (1992), "Current Developments in Municipalities Superfund Liability" (1991), "Environmental Problems for Lenders & Fiduciaries" (1990) , "Developing the Indiana Landscape: Greenfields and How to Avoid Environmental and Zoning Pitfalls"

• Indiana Manufacturers Association, "OSHA/EPA Interface" (1994)