Mr. Zivkovich leads the firm’s transactional environmental law practice and is co-chair of its Clean Energy Technology Group. He provides comprehensive environmental law services to clients in transactional, land development, regulatory compliance and litigation matters. He guides business and corporate clients through significant acquisition and financing matters and provides advice in contracting, succession planning and restructuring efforts. He is active in the real estate field, especially the purchase, divestment and redevelopment of brownfields sites and environmentally sensitive properties.
Mr. Zivkovich is a former licensed professional geologist, environmental consultant and commercial builder.
Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law (2022-2027), Litigation - Environmental (2024-2027); Baltimore Environmental Law "Lawyer of the Year" (2026-2027)
- Chambers USA, Environment, Washington, DC Metropolitan Area (2022-2026)
- Maryland Super Lawyers®, Environmental, Business/Corporate, Real Estate "Rising Stars" (2017)
- Baltimore Curriculum Project, Outstanding Business Volunteer Award (2014)
Memberships & Activities
- Co-Chair: Whiteford's Clean Energy Technology Group
- Former Licensed Professional Geologist, North Carolina, License No. 1712
- Member: NAIOP Legislative Committee
- Member: Environmental Law Institute
- Member: Section of Energy, Environment, and Resources, American Bar Association
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and Program and Safety Committee Chair, Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School
- Member: Board of Directors, Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America (2023-2026)
- Past Member: Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team, Chesapeake Bay Program
- Past Chair: Environmental Law Section, Maryland State Bar Association, 2011-12
- Past Member: Board of Governors, Gilman School Alumni Association
- Past Chair: Government Relations Committee, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland; Member, Board of Directors, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland
- Former Instructor: Environmental Law for Engineers and Scientists, Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Engineering for Professionals Program
- Past Chair: St. David's Church Stewardship Committee
Environmental
Representative matters include advice and counsel on:
- Environmental regulatory requirements in new and brownfield redevelopment projects, including state voluntary cleanup programs
- Significant asset and stock deals for international, national and local businesses, including due diligence reviews and evaluation of real estate holdings, permits and authorizations, regulatory compliance and environmental management systems
- Federal, state and local review of NPDES, tidal & non-tidal wetland, storm water, solid waste, oil operations, Title V and air operations and land development permit applications
- Administrative and judicial challenges to permit decisions and enforcement actions
- Government investigations and enforcement efforts under federal Superfund, RCRA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and various state underground storage tank programs throughout the U.S.
- Environmental-related contractual and tort actions in federal and state courts and state prosecutions for alleged environmental violations
Business & Corporate Law / Mergers & Acquisitions
Mr. Zivkovich serves as outside General Counsel to multiple clients in the chemical, heavy lifting and service industries. Additionally, for a wide variety of national and international clients, he is an experienced advisor on:
- Corporate structure and form, funding opportunities and general strategies for growth
- Significant business reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, sales and refinancing efforts
- Professional, service and supply contracts
- Transfer and assignment of critical operational permits and governmental authorizations required for transactions and reorganizations through multiple local, state and federal government agencies
Real Estate Development, Leasing & Land Use
Representative matters include advice and counsel on:
- Regulatory and design requirements associated with brownfield redevelopment projects
- Purchase agreements, leases, easements and restrictive covenants for industrial, commercial and residential properties and undeveloped land
- Proposed storm water, erosion and sediment control and other environmental regulations and associated state permits
- Funding opportunities and tax incentives involving investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies
- Direct appeals and credit applications for local stormwater fees, known by some as the “rain tax,” on behalf of commercial and industrial clients throughout Maryland
- Advocacy before Maryland Legislative and Executive branch officials on environmental and natural resource management issues impacting the Chesapeake Bay and various stakeholders
Clean Energy Technology
- Advise start up clean energy technology ventures in business organization, strategic planning, intellectual property and patent considerations and funding options
- Advise clean energy startups in regulatory issues pertaining to FERC, PJM and state public service commission regulatory matters
Environmental and Construction Project Management
- Former Project Manager for national environmental consulting firms
- Oversaw investigation and remediation of dozens of properties occupied by ExxonMobil in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area
- Directed remediation of a chlorinated solvent release at a Superfund site in North Carolina
- Completed more than 150 Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments for real estate transactions and corporate due diligence efforts throughout the U.S.
- Former Project Manager for a regional commercial builder and developer
- Directed construction of 500,000+ square feet of commercial, office and retail space
- Directed construction of one of the first commercial buildings built in Maryland to standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program
Co-author: "At a glance: key environmental legislation in USA (District of Columbia, North Carolina, Virginia)," Lexology, December 2, 2025
Co-presenter: "Site Closure Walk-Thru," Maryland’s Inaugural Statewide Brownfield Conference, Toward Beneficial Reuse, November 16–17, 2021
Author: "Legal Intricacies of Sustainable Energy," InterGlobix Magazine, September 2021
Co-presenter: "What's Coming Down the Line? A Legal Analysis of the USACE NWP-12 Federal District Court Ruling," Webinar, May 19, 2020
Author: "Stormwater Utility Fees Wash Over Maryland," ICSC Shopping Center Legal Update, Vol. 34, Issue 2, Summer 2014
Author: S.C. Dep't of Health & Envtl Control v. Commerce & Indus. Ins. Co.; The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Holds that RCRA's Direct Action Provision May Not be Used to Secure Cost Recovery and Contribution for Corrective Action Initiated Under CERCLA, 12 U. Balt. J. Envtl. L. 87 (Fall 2004)
Frequent lecturer and author regarding the policy and issues underlying and practical application of Maryland’s local stormwater fees (known by some as the “rain tax”), stormwater management and erosion & sediment control requirements, the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and other environmental considerations impacting land use and development
