Donald P. Gallo – Top Attorney
Hartford, WI WW/Press/ – Mr. Donald P. Gallo, Environmental Attorney & Founder of Gallo Law, LLC, is recognized and distinguished in the Top Attorneys of North America 2026-2027 edition.
Donald P. Gallo has built a career at the intersection of two demanding disciplines, and that combination sets him apart. As an environmental attorney with more than 28 years of legal experience and over 40 years working in environmental engineering, he brings a rare dual perspective to every matter he handles. Clients benefit from an advisor who understands both the technical realities of contamination and cleanup and the legal frameworks that govern them. This blend allows Mr. Gallo to spot practical solutions that a purely legal or purely technical approach might overlook, and it gives property owners, developers, and businesses a trusted resource when the stakes are high.
Mr. Gallo assists clients across a broad range of environmental issues. His work regularly involves wetland and waterway permitting, air permitting, hazardous waste compliance, insurance remediation cost cap coverage, and the transactional issues that arise when contaminated or formerly contaminated property changes hands. Each of these areas carries its own regulatory demands, and he guides clients through them with a focus on clear outcomes. Whether the goal is securing a permit, achieving compliance, or closing a deal without unexpected liability, he works to keep projects moving forward.
A significant part of his practice centers on brownfield development. Mr. Donald P. Gallo has helped owners and developers turn dormant or contaminated sites into productive property, working alongside them on numerous projects from early planning through completion. He has assisted clients in obtaining state and federal brownfield grants, zero-interest loan funding, and, in many cases, insurance coverage for environmental cleanup. These funding tools can make the difference between a project that stalls and one that succeeds, and knowing how to access them is a real advantage for clients weighing the cost of redevelopment.
The scope of his hands-on experience is considerable. Mr. Gallo has worked on several hundred petroleum convenience store, bulk plant, and petroleum terminal cleanups. He has handled a total of 78 dry-cleaning solvent cleanups, 38 of which are now DNR closed dry-cleaner sites. Beyond those, he has guided many industrial cleanups, expansions, redevelopments, and regulatory compliance efforts. His work spans a wide array of industries, including petroleum marketers, liquefied natural gas facilities, foundries, dry cleaners and laundries, breweries, railyard cleanups, metal plating operations, solid waste and recycling, tanneries, food and agriculture operations, asphalt plants, and chemical manufacturers. That breadth means he has likely seen challenges similar to the ones a new client faces.
Several results illustrate what this experience produces. In Green Bay, Mr. Gallo obtained insurance approval to cover remedial costs, demolition, and asbestos and lead abatement of more than $500,000 to clean up a former dry cleaner. The site sits in an area seeing a resurgence of commercial growth, and the claim covered the cost of demolishing a large building to allow removal of nearly all the contamination. The property emerged with significantly increased marketability.
In another matter, he recovered an insurance award of nearly $900,000 to cover remedial costs and attorney’s fees tied to a gasoline spill. Using forensic fingerprinting, his team established how much gasoline came from previous spills versus a new spill eligible under the insurance policy. He then negotiated a 65/35 allocation, with insurance agreeing to cover 65 percent of the remedial costs attributable to the recent spill while the remaining 35 percent fell under a prior spill covered by PECFA. That kind of careful analysis turns a disputed claim into a recoverable one.
His skill in structuring deals also shows in a remediation agreement he negotiated between a client and a national non-profit organization seeking to redevelop a highly contaminated but commercially valuable site. The buyer wanted the dry-cleaning solvent impacts cleaned to standards higher than the state required. While the state dry-cleaning fund reimbursed $500,000, Mr. Gallo helped the buyer secure an additional brownfield grant of $388,000 to remove considerably more contamination. The client went on to build a highly visible and thriving retail store, a clear example of how thoughtful environmental work can unlock lasting value.
Mr. Gallo’s commitment extends well beyond his casework and into the communities and industries he serves. He is a member of the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Environmental Committee, the Waukesha County Business Alliance Infrastructure Committee, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and the Mayor’s Club under Tom Barrett. He also serves as a board member of the Clean Water Association for Lake Country, a member of Farmer’s for Lake Country, and a member of the Steer Committee for the Oconomowoc Adaptive Management Program. His leadership roles include serving as President of Tall Pines Conservancy and President of Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful and Greening Milwaukee. These commitments reflect a genuine interest in land conservation, water quality, and responsible growth throughout the region.
His credentials reinforce the depth of that expertise. Mr. Gallo earned his J.D., cum laude, from Marquette University Law School. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Akron and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with honors, from Tri-State College of Engineering. This academic foundation supports the technical fluency that clients rely on when facing complex environmental questions.
For property owners, developers, and businesses navigating environmental challenges, Donald P. Gallo offers a combination of legal skill, engineering knowledge, and a track record of measurable results. He understands how to protect clients from liability, access funding, and transform difficult sites into productive assets. If you are weighing an environmental cleanup, a permitting question, or a redevelopment opportunity, working with an attorney who understands both the science and the law can help you move forward with confidence.
The Top Attorneys of North America, a New York based publication, distinguishes and profiles leading attorneys who have reached a recognizable degree of success and leadership in their field. The directory is valued for promoting awareness of the accomplishments within the North American legal community.
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