ATTORNEYS
David Gordon
Partner
David has practiced environmental and municipal law in the Hudson Valley for over 30 years. He got his start with Riverkeeper, working to protect the Hudson River and New York City watershed from the effects of development, power plants, and other impacts. He went on to built a private practice with a unique focus on public advocacy, helping citizen groups speak for the places they care about.
David serves multiple municipalities as a municipal attorney, planning and zoning board attorney, and as special counsel on land use matters and environmental policy development.
He has a strong interest in building vibrant communities through smart growth. He published an article on state smart growth policies: "New York Begins to Address Smart Growth and Sprawl."
In addition to his legal practice, David volunteers on the board of the Mid-Hudson Bicycle Club and serves on his co-op board. He has served on his town's Planning Board and Comprehensive Plan Committee as well as the board of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency.
EDUCATION
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LLM in Environmental Law, Pace Law School
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JD, University of Wisconsin Law School
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BS in Economics, State University of New York at Binghamton
CONTACT
![168_20250116_1[60].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6ea3_4db4de09f8b64602b130acb0292b9c8e~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_743,y_9,w_2102,h_2059/fill/w_152,h_157,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/168_20250116_1%5B60%5D.jpg)
Emily Svenson
Partner
Emily serves as municipal and land use counsel to several towns and villages. As a municipal attorney, she helps officials govern effectively, develop new programs, manage risk, and advance their goals. She works with planning and zoning boards to make sound land use decisions. She also represents nonprofits on environmental protection matters.
Emily's background includes serving as an elected town board member, as well as environmental protection work with the NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee and Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts.
Emily is often called on to present educational programs on land use and environmental law topics in the region. Recent presentations and publications are on our Programs page.
In addition to her legal practice, Emily volunteers as a board member of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance and sits on New York State's Hudson River Estuary Management Advisory Council. She was a founding member of the Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council ("Hudson 7"). She contributes to the legal community as an Executive Committee member of the NYS Bar Association's Local and State Government Law Section.
EDUCATION
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JD, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
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Concentration in Land Use Law
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Certificate in Environmental Law
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BS in Environmental Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
CONTACT
Laurie Heldman
Associate
Laurie is an Associate Attorney at Gordon & Svenson LLP. Since joining the team, Laurie has worked with municipalities and land use boards as well as nonprofit clients. Her experience includes SEQRA, site plan and subdivision reviews, developing local laws, Article 78 proceedings, and other municipal matters.
With a background in environmental studies and research, Laurie appreciates the complex relationship between human development and environmental protection.
While in law school, Laurie worked with the Land Use Law Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law as a Land Use Law Scholar, learning how to utilize local land use to strengthen environmental and community protections.
She also served as a legal policy assistant for the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability, providing practical insight into municipal governance and environmental policy.
In addition to her legal work, Laurie volunteers with Poughkeepsie’s Northside Collaborative and Scenic Hudson.
EDUCATION
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JD, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
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Certificate in Environmental Law
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BS in Environmental Studies, University of Cincinnati
CONTACT
(845) 470-2027 x 3
Lydia Slaby
Counsel
Lydia is Counsel at Gordon & Svenson LLP, where her practice focuses on municipal, land use, and environmental law throughout the Hudson Valley. She advises towns, villages, and municipal boards on governance, regulatory compliance, environmental review, and land use planning.
Lydia brings a rare dual perspective to this work: she has served as an elected Trustee for the Village of Rhinebeck since 2020, giving her firsthand experience with the issues her municipal clients face from the other side of the dais. As Trustee, she led the effort to create Rhinebeck's new Comprehensive Plan, winner of statewide and national planning awards, and she now guides the Village's active work turning the plan's recommendations into practice, from zoning updates to community priorities.
Earlier in her career, Lydia was a restructuring attorney at Sidley Austin in Chicago, representing debtors in complex chapter 11 proceedings, and served in the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance under Governor Deval Patrick, where she helped craft the state's policy response to municipal fiscal crises — from the financial turnaround of the city of Springfield to the Municipal Partnership Act.
EDUCATION
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JD, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
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MBA, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
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BA in Business Economics and Urban Studies (Honors), Brown University
CONTACT
(845) 470-2027 x 5
