Sharon O. (Sheri) Jacobs

Sharon O. “Sheri” Jacobs represents companies, local governments, and nonprofit organizations with administrative, regulatory, environmental, zoning, land use, and municipal matters, so clients can focus on their business and not be caught in protracted environmental litigation. She is an experienced regulatory lawyer and litigator who has represented clients before administrative boards and at the state, federal, and local levels and has successfully defended numerous businesses and local governments. When litigation becomes necessary, her experience and dedication ensures the clients’ interests are always well represented.

Sheri’s experience includes matters associated with sustainability, solid and hazardous waste, multimillion-dollar transactions, Brownfield redevelopment projects, underground storage tanks, water pollution, environmental citizen suits, Superfund remediation projects, endangered species, stream mitigation projects, air pollution control, and various types of administrative law issues.

As an experienced regulatory lawyer, Sheri serves as outside counsel to large international companies as well as local businesses. She has helped businesses, governmental entities, and individuals win victories and negotiate favorable settlements in complex regulatory matters including environmental, zoning, federal citizens suits, state and local land use matters, and other local government.

Sheri and her husband, David, have two children. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and visiting national parks with her family. Sheri has been hiking the trails of national parks since she was a teen and enjoys skiing in the Rocky Mountains and being outdoors with her family.

Highlights of Sheri’s experience include:

Regulatory

• Represented individuals and business who were denied healing arts licenses in Tennessee.
• Represented businesses challenging local zoning laws.
• Represented businesses challenging local governments permitting requirements.
• Represented local government challenging state agency’s delegated authority.
• Represented organization challenging local governments’ failure to comply with open meetings and public notice laws.
• Represented individuals whose due process rights were violated by a state agency.
• Represented individuals who recovered attorney’s fees from a state agency that failed to comply with jurisdictional statutes.

Environmental

• Represents one of the largest North American companies with its environmental compliance, permitting, emergency response, and environmental litigation.
• Successfully defended numerous large federal citizens suits.
• Represented not-for-profit organization challenging local government’s failure to comply with the federal and state environmental laws and Tennessee Sunshine Laws.
• Represented businesses before state environmental boards and state and federal courts.
• Represents landfill owners and operators to obtain permits and defend lawsuits in regulatory matters in court.
• Represents landfill operator before the U.S. Supreme Court.

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS 

• Sheri co-authored West Publishing’s Medical Waste Handbook, 1999 and 2000 editions. In addition, she has presented seminars on environmental and administrative law for various bar associations, trade organizations, and local business organizations. Each year she presents on regulatory or environmental law at the Tennessee Bar Association’s CLE Ski event. 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Gilda’s Club of Nashville: Past Board of Directors, Past Member
• Tennessee Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Board, Past Member
• Akiva School: Past Board of Directors, Past President
• Hands On Nashville
• Shakespeare in the Park

MEMBERSHIPS 

• Nashville Bar Association: Environmental Law Committee
• Tennessee Bar Association: Environmental Law Section
• Lawyers’ Association for Women
• Missouri Bar Association
• American Bar Association

DISTINCTIONS

• AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
• Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law, 2016-2023
• BusinessTN Magazine, 150 Best Lawyers
• Nashville Business Journal, Best of the Bar,
• Mid-South Super Lawyers, 2009-2022

Contact Sheri Jacobs at 615.238.6306 or sjacobs@spencerfane.com.