A Wealth of Opportunities

Robert Stout, '05

As an undergraduate student Robert Stout (’05) attended Siena College.  It was there he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in History Education, in pursuit of a career in secondary education and was awarded the History Department’s Major Field Award at graduation.  However, among the opportunities afforded Rob at Siena was a summer spent interning with the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace Law.  It was this experience that encouraged Rob to apply to only one law school once he decided that was the path he wanted his career to take – Pace Law.  “Studying with Professors Karl Coplan and Bobby Kennedy was amazing.  In one summer they integrated students into the sophisticated matters handled by the Clinic and in so doing, demystified law school for the undergraduate interns and demonstrated first hand the impact environmental attorneys can have.” 

So, in 2002, Rob began his studies at Pace.  After completing his first year course requirements, he selected a variety of environmental law courses to pursue and began aggressively pursuing educational opportunities outside of the classroom.  He was elected by his peers to be the Editor-in-Chief of the Pace Environmental Law Review. “I knew that I wanted to graduate with a Certificate in Environmental Law so I pursued every path that would get me to that destination.  Pace provided a wealth of opportunities to develop my skills and distinguish myself prior to graduating.” 

Rob notes that one of his favorite memories was being selected for the trial advocacy team as a 1L.  “I was a late substitute, and was eliminated early in the competition, however, I returned as part of the School’s inaugural Negotiation Competition in my second year.  Professor Lou Fasulo coached my partner and me to the National Championship and we went on to represent the U.S. (and place very highly) at the International Negotiation Competition in Paris.  Negotiating with counterparts from different cultural and language backgrounds was an invaluable experience.  In practice, I draw on the same skills utilized during the Negotiation Competition on a daily basis.  It was thrilling to be a small part of building Pace’s advocacy program with Professor Fasulo.”

Rob‘s success at the Negotiation Competition encouraged him to successfully run for American Bar Association (“ABA”) Law Student Division Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, the policy making body of the ABA.  “As a Division Delegate I was able to work with law students across the country – many of whom I maintain connections with to this day. I also had the opportunity to lobby the executive leadership of the ABA on governance issues of importance to law students and lobby Congress on issues of importance to law students, including the opportunity to meet with then Senator Obama.”

After graduating from law school, Rob pursued a career in environmental law.  Rob began his career focusing on brownfield redevelopment projects in New Jersey.  In 2010, he returned to Albany, an area to which he had developed close ties during his tenure as an undergraduate at Siena.  Rob joined his current firm - Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP in 2010 and became a partner this year.  He advises clients on all aspects of environmental law with a focus on counseling clients on environmental regulatory compliance and enforcement.  “I help clients resolve enforcement proceedings and consent order negotiations before a variety of State and federal agencies.  I also counsel clients seeking state and municipal environmental and land use permits, from site plans and subdivisions before local planning boards to serving as environmental co-counsel on the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project team for the New York State Thruway Authority.  My day-to-day is never the same and always interesting.”

Rob is also very involved with various legal and professional organizations.  As a result of Rob’s early and active involvement in the ABA as a law student, he quickly rose through the ranks of the ABA Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section and now serves as Vice Chair of the Section’s Land Use and Environmental Law Group.  Rob has held leadership positions for the better part of a decade.  “My involvement with the ABA is a great source of professional pride to me and my frequent lecturing at ABA and other professional events allows me to utilize the educational skills that Siena provided.”  Rob also serves on the Executive Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and is the author of a regular column on DEC Administrative decisions appearing in The New York Environmental Lawyer

Volunteering is also a large part of who Rob is as a person and an attorney.  He served for over a decade as a volunteer fire fighter and fire company business officer.  He recently served as a Board member of the Historic Albany Foundation, volunteers for the Albany Institute of History and Art, and works with his neighbors in the Village of Round Lake to assist in preserving the 1847 Ferris organ located in the Round Lake Auditorium, a National Historic Landmark.  Rob shares the credit for this work with his firm “Whiteman Osterman and Hanna has a fabulous tradition of supporting volunteer and pro bono work in the community.  Each attorney is provided with the resources and time to pursue community goals important to them.  It is a critical aspect of firm culture.”  

Pace remains an integral part of Rob’s life.  His firm (which includes several partners and associates who are Pace alumni) has hosted gatherings for Albany based Pace Law alumni and it is a tradition that he hopes continues. “There are Pace alumni across the Country.  It is important to maintain these networks and encourage them. I enjoy connecting with fellow alumni and helping other alumni connect with one another.  I also enjoy mentoring Pace students and actively recruiting them to work at our firm.  We have been quite successful in attracting high caliber students from Pace.”

Rob lives in the Village of Round Lake with his wife Audrey (and, he is quick to note, their rabbit Stewart).  In 2013, Rob was accepted into the membership of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an international cultural and educational organization dedicated to the celebration of Burgundy and its wines.  When not working as an attorney, Rob enjoys pursuing his passion of travelling to and studying the world’s wine regions and taking advantage of all of the recreational opportunities available in upstate New York.