Cicely Ott Parseghian

Associate - Boston

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Cicely’s practice involves a wide array of regulatory compliance and dispute resolution matters.  She assists public and private clients with cases involving various state and federal environmental laws, including M.G.L. Chapter 21E, the federal Superfund statute, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act.  Her regulatory compliance work also incorporates issues involving energy, transportation, and workplace safety and health, and it frequently involves counseling clients on their interactions with municipal, state, and federal officials.  On the dispute resolution front, Cicely represents clients in domestic environmental and insurance recovery litigation matters, as well as international litigation and arbitration matters involving environmental, energy, natural resource, and public health issues, including cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

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Education:

  • Middlebury College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2005
  • Boston University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2008

Languages:

Spanish, Italian

Representative Experience

Regulatory Compliance

  • Successfully represented a Massachusetts recycling company in enforcement-related matters involving the Clean Air Act.
  • Represents a party in enforcement actions brought by the Department of Justice involving air emissions from two biomass plants in California.
  • Represents a manufacturing company in Clean Water Act permitting.
  • Represented a commercial moving company in its dispute with the U.S. Department of Transportation, obtaining a favorable and business-saving result for her client.
  • Provided counsel to a public client regarding environmental and workplace safety and health issues stemming from the possible presence of PCBs in building materials. 

Environmental & Insurance Recovery Litigation

  • Represents clients seeking recovery of costs expended for the remediation of environmental contamination under M.G.L. Chapter 21E. 
  • Represents an electronics component manufacturer in a multi-million dollar insurance coverage dispute arising from the environmental contamination of sites located in various states. 
  • Represents a medical device manufacturer in an effort to obtain reimbursement of more than $125 million from excess insurance carriers in connection with alleged device failure. 

International Litigation & Arbitration

  • Represented Uruguay in its dispute with Argentina regarding the permitting, construction, and operation of a paper pulp mill on the Uruguay River as an environmentally-safe mode of sustainable economic development, one of the first major environmental cases to be tried before the ICJ. Focused primarily on environmental issues, and successfully defended Uruguay against Argentina’s allegation that the mill has caused or will cause harm to the River and its zone of influence. Case Concerning Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina v. Uruguay). 
  • Represents Uruguay in an ICSID arbitration brought by Swiss investor Philip Morris International regarding the tobacco control regulations Uruguay has enacted to protect the public health of its citizens.  Philip Morris Brands Sàrl, Philip Morris Products S.A. and Abal Hermanos S.A v. Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
  • Represents Nicaragua in a dispute brought before the ICJ by Costa Rica regarding issues of territorial sovereignty and alleged breaches of environmental law in relation to Nicaragua’s environmental permitting and execution of a project to dredge the San Juan River to ensure its navigability by small vessels. Case Concerning Certain Activities Carried Out by Nicaragua in the Border Area (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua).
  • Counseled a Latin American state regarding an international maritime boundary dispute with a neighboring state.
  • Represents Venezuela in an ICSID arbitration regarding the alleged expropriation of gold and diamond mining concessions in Venezuela. Highbury International AVV and Ramstein Trading Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
  • Represents a Venezuela-owned petroleum company in ICC proceedings brought by a consortium in connection with a breach of contract claim relating to enhanced oil recovery techniques. SIMCO Consortium and Wood Group Engineering (North Sea) Limited v. PDVSA Petróleos S.A.

Additional Experience

  • Served as lead counsel in a half million dollar arbitration brought under the Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association, achieving a favorable result for her client.
  • Proofread and indexed Professor Jeffrey Flynn’s translation of Solidarity: From Civic Friendship to a Global Legal Community by Hauke Brunkhorst (MIT Press, 2005)

Honors

  • National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Law Student Award for Boston University School of Law, 2008
  • Edward F. Hennessey Distinguished Scholar, Boston University School of Law, 2008
  • Recipient of Dean’s Award for Law & the Democratic Process, Boston University School of Law, 2007
  • Paul J. Liacos Scholar, Boston University School of Law, 2007
  • Recipient of Dean’s Award for International Law Process, Boston University School of Law, 2006
  • Phi Beta Kappa

Involvement

  • Boston Bar Association, Member 
  • Boston Bar Association International Environmental Committee, Environmental Law Section, Co-Chair
  • “Case Concerning Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay,” Boston Bar Association (May 2010)
  • Panelist, "Inside ICJ Practice,” Boston College Law School International Law Society (March 2010)
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Bar Admissions

  • Massachusetts

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit