Profile
Taylor English is a place that has brought together a growing group of the best business lawyers in Atlanta and given them a platform to do what they like to do – serve their clients with top-tier skills in a client-first, cost-effective, creative and collegial manner.
In his more than 35 years of practice, Craig Pendergrast has learned the ins and outs of a broad range of businesses while helping his clients work through their risks, problems and disputes. He is an environmental lawyer and litigator who solves problems and resolves disputes in a thorough, detail-driven, professional and cost-effective manner.
In the environmental field, he is a highly experienced resource for his clients and colleagues. He helps them understand the complex world of environmental regulation, risk, consulting and liability, and structure deals or resolve disputes in a way that makes sense and allocates risks and expenses appropriately.
Mr. Pendergrast works closely with executives, in-house counsel and environmental managers, consultants and the firm’s real estate and corporate lawyers to help clients address a wide variety of environmental matters involving transactional, advisory, insurance, regulatory, remediation, permitting, compliance, enforcement, brownfields, waste, water, air, wetlands and litigation issues.
He has particularly strong interest and experience in integrated water management and the law relating to it, having served on the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District’s inaugural Technical Coordinating Committee which developed the District’s integrated water supply, waste water, and storm water management plans and model ordinances for their implementation. Among other water law engagements, he has served as counsel for the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint Stakeholders group which developed a Sustainable Water Management Plan for those river basins which have long been the subject of "water wars" involving intrastate and interstate water management considerations.
He also has a particularly strong focus on matters involving contaminated properties, including the development of plans and allocation of risks and costs associated with their purchase and sale, investigation, and remediation. He has formed and led groups of potentially responsible parties to work through the many legal challenges, including litigation, presented by such sites.
Prior to joining Taylor English, Mr. Pendergrast practiced for a combined 23 years with a full-service, AmLaw 100 law firm and an international firm whose clients included top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.
Memberships
State Bar of Georgia, Environmental Law Section, Real Property Law Section and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership, Class of 2010
Georgia Association of Water Professionals
Georgia Solar Energy Association
Community Involvement
Little Five Points Community Improvement District, Chair
The Trust for Public Land, Former Georgia Advisory Council Member, Continuing Urban Parks Committee Member
Groundwork Atlanta, Former Board Member
Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, Former Technical Coordinating Committee Member
Georgia Conservancy, Former Board and Executive Committee Member
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Elder
Keep Atlanta Beautiful Inc., Former Board Member
Peachtree Hills Civic Association, Past President
Practice Highlights
Experience
Represented owner of property at Lake Lanier in a case involving conflicting and overlapping chains of titles, easements, subdivisions and survey. Special Master issued a comprehensive report and recommendation in favor of client, which was adopted in full by the Court.
Newsroom
Speaking Engagements
- December 19, 2019
- July 12, 2019
- September 29, 2014
Publications
- July 19, 2018The Daily Report
- October 11, 2017
- August 20, 2014
Headlines
- December 6, 2019
- May 30, 2019
- December 6, 2018
- Georgia is nowhere near last battle in tri-state water warsJune 28, 2018
- Water experts see silver lining in Supreme Court ruling against GeorgiaJune 27, 2018
- September 22, 2017
- September 13, 2017
- June 3, 2017
- June 3, 2017
- May 31, 2017
- April 6, 2017
- December 16, 2016
- December 16, 2016
- August 1, 2016
- December 21, 2010
News Releases
- December 3, 2020
- August 20, 2020
- April 24, 2020
- August 15, 2019
- Eight Attorneys Also Recognized as Leaders in Their FieldsMay 9, 2019
- December 6, 2018
- August 15, 2018
- Nine Attorneys Also Recognized as Leaders in Their FieldsMay 3, 2018
- Ten Attorneys Also Recognized as Leaders in Their FieldsMay 30, 2017
- December 13, 2016
- Six Attorneys Also Recognized as Leaders in Their FieldsMay 27, 2016
- May 28, 2015
- May 23, 2014
- December 5, 2012
- December 8, 2010
- September 14, 2010
Services
Education
The University of Georgia School of Law, JD, cum laude, 1984
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA, Phi Beta Kappa, 1980
Bar Admissions
Georgia
Courts & Adjudicative Bodies
Court of Appeals of Georgia
Supreme Court of Georgia
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Accolades
Chambers USA: Leading Business Lawyers – Environment, 2009-2012, 2014-2020
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
Best Lawyers in America®, 2018-2021
Georgia Trend's Legal Elite, Environmental Law, 2012, 2016, 2018-2020
"2012 Top Lawyer" in Energy/Environmental/Natural Resource Law, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell