Lesley A. Firestone

Lesley regularly represents clients before the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services in matters involving Brownfield Agreements, underground storage tanks, solid waste regulations, NPDES permitting, and hazardous waste compliance. She also counsels clients on wetlands and coastal resource management issues before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the S.C. Bureau of Coastal Management, as well as Endangered Species Act matters before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In addition to her advisory work, Lesley represents clients in litigation, handling requests for information, enforcement actions before administrative agencies, and challenges to permitting decisions before administrative agencies and the South Carolina Administrative Law Court, as well as appeals to the South Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

She also has extensive experience representing lenders and developers in the financing and development of solar farm projects, guiding clients through permitting, regulatory requirements, and environmental risk management to support sustainable energy initiatives.

Notable

• Chambers USA - South Carolina, Environmental, Associates to Watch, 2026

• Best Lawyers in America, Administrative / Regulatory Law, 2023-2026; Energy Law, 2024-2026; Environmental Law, 2024-2026, Real Estate, 2025-2026, Commercial Litigation, 2025-2026
• Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, 2025-2026
• South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, Influential Women of Law, 2025
• Greenville Business Magazine, Legal Elite, 2025
• Charleston Regional Business Journal Women of Influence Honoree, 2024
• Charleston Regional Business Journal, 2020 Forty Under 40 winners, 2020
• South Carolina Super Lawyer Rising Star, Environmental, 2019-2021
• Member, Moore & Van Allen Attorney Development Committee
• University of South Carolina Law School CALI Awards: Advanced Legal Research; Secured Transactions; Death Penalty Seminar
• Leadership Charleston class of 2020, Charleston Metro Chambers of Commerce 
• Member, American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal, 2009-2011
• Phi Beta Kappa, University of South Carolina
• Page, South Carolina State Senator Greg Ryberg, 2006-2007
• In State Consultant and author for South Carolina Chapter, Brownfields Law and Practice, Matthew Bender and Co., Inc., 1998

News

Insights

Affiliations

• General council member, SC Bar Environmental & Natural Resource Section
• Member, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Technical Committee
• Member, Charleston Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Technical Committee
• Council Member, South Carolina Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
• Charleston County Bar Association

Speaking Engagements

• “CERCLA and Brownfields”, Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, Commercial Real Estate Class, May 7, 2026
• “Frameworks for Brownfields: Legal Approaches, Voluntary Cleanup Contracts & Liability Protections”, 2026 S.C. Brownfields Conference hosted by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, April 29, 2026
• “PFAS Liability in Real Estate Transactions – Risk, Regulation, and Deal Strategy in a Changing Landscape”,  2026 South Carolina Bar Convention, Environmental & Natural Resources Section, January 23, 2026
• “Contaminated Property & The Law: A Guide for CRE Professionals”, EnviroSouth, Inc., Brownfields Investments - Minimizing Risk & Maximizing Return, May 14, 2025
• “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water”, 2021 South Carolina Bar Convention, Environmental & Natural Resources Section, January 21, 2021
• "Brownfields: From a Developer’s Perspective", 2020 South Carolina Bar Convention, Environmental & Natural Resources Section, January 24, 2020