Current Employment Position(s)

Associate

Lawyer Overview

Mr. Flenner concentrates his practice on issues affecting the built and natural environments, with a particular emphasis on environmental, land use and municipal law. He has substantial experience representing municipalities, developers, commercial retailers, and individuals in zoning and land development matters.

Building upon his research and writing on municipal riparian regulations, Mr. Flenner is increasingly involved with stormwater management issues and local government environmental regulation. His article "Municipal Riparian Buffer Regulations in Pennsylvania: Confronting the Regulatory Takings Doctrine" appears in the Fall 1998 volume of the Penn State Dickinson Journal of Environmental Law and Policy.  He is a frequent speaker on stormwater management regulation and compliance.

While in law school, Mr. Flenner served on the editorial board of the Penn State Dickinson Journal of Environmental Law and Policy and he worked for the Pennsylvania Governor's Office of General Counsel and the Ben Franklin Technology Center at Penn State University. His service with the Office of General Counsel included assignments with the Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation, and Public Welfare. He earned Dickinson's top academic honors in both environmental and land use law.

Prior to attending The Dickinson School of Law, Mr. Flenner served on active duty in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps ("Seabees"). Mr. Flenner's Navy duties included assignments as an Assistant Officer in Charge of Construction at the Philadelphia Naval Base and as the Environmental Health and Safety Director of the Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He served as a construction battalion company commander during the Persian Gulf War.

Mr. Flenner is a Registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and Delaware and a Registered Environmental Manager with the National Registry of Environmental Professionals. He continues to serve in the military as a Captain in the Navy Reserve assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations, Management and Analysis Unit at the Pentagon.

Mr. Flenner was responsible for leading over 500 active duty and reserve Seabees as the Commanding Officer of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 21.  He guided the Battalion through a highly active period in 2006 and 2007 during which the Battalion mobilized and deployed over 300 Seabees to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djibouti, and other locations in support of the Global War on Terror.  He managed the renovation of training facilities on San Clemente Island, California for the Navy SEALs and the construction of over three miles of border fence in New Mexico for the Department of Homeland Security.

In July 2004, Mr. Flenner was recalled to active duty with the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq. He served as the Officer in Charge of Reconstruction in Fallujah assisting Iraqi municipal officials and engineers to restore essential services and rebuild critical infrastructure following the Battle of Fallujah. Mr. Flenner earned the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.

Mr. Flenner volunteers as Counsel for the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Areas of Practice

• Municipal Law
• Land Use Law and Environmental Law

West Practice Categories

State, Local & Municipal Law, Land Use & Zoning, Environmental Law

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 1999

Certification/Specialties

• Registered Professional Engineer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Registered Professional Engineer, State of Delaware
• Registered Environmental Manager, National Registry of Environmental Professionals

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association, 1999 - Present
• Pennsylvania Bar Association, 1999 - Present
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1986 - Present
• National Registry of Environmental Professionals, 1995 - Present
• Delaware Society of Professional Engineers, 1995 - Present
• Reserve Officers Association, 2001 - Present
• U.S. Naval Reserve, 1996 - Present (Captain)
• U.S. Navy, 1986 - 1996 (Lieutenant)

Honors and Awards

• Philadelphia Magazine, Pennsylvania Rising Star Award as a top up and coming lawyer, 2006 - 2007
• University of Delaware, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Distinguished Alumnus Award
• Dickinson School of Law Carter Prize for Academic Achievement in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
• Dickinson School of Law ABA Award for Academic Achievement in Land Use Law
• University of Delaware Miles Powell, Jr. Scholarship for Athletic and Engineering Achievement
• University of Delaware ASME Senior Design Project First Place Award

Education

• Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1999
  J.D.
  
  Law Journal: Dickinson Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 1997 - 1999
• University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 1993
  M.S.C.E.
  Major: Environmental Engineering
• University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 1986
  B.M.E.
  Major: Mechanical Engineering
• Naval War College, Newport, RI, 2003
  Major: National Security Strategy and Policy

Published Works

• Municipal Riparian Buffer Regulations in Pennsylvania, Confronting the Regulatory Takings Doctrine, 7 Dickinson Journal of Environmental Law & Policy 2, Fall, 1998
• Creating and Operating a Successful Stormwater Utility in Pennsylvania, Lorman Education Services, 2006

Address

40 East Airy Street
Norristown, PA 19404

Phones

610-275-0700

Faxes

610-275-5290

Emails

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Websites

http://www.highswartz.com