Legal Services & Lawyers

Cari is a licensed attorney in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut while being licensed in the District of Columbia. Before starting Rincker Law, PLLC, Cari was an associate at Budd-Falen Law Offices, LLC in Cheyenne, Wyoming where her broad practice areas ranged from agriculture, environmental and natural resource issues to federal lands, wind energy development, crop insurance, property law, commercial law, and probate with clients located all over the west.

Cari’s passion for agriculture issues is deeply rooted. She grew up on a seedstock Simmental cattle operation in Shelbyville, Illinois where she spent significant time working on her family’s farm. She showed cattle through 4-H and FFA at both the local and national levels and was involved with the American Junior Simmental Association.

Cari went on to attend Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois where she received her Associate’s in Agriculture Science and had a successful career on their livestock judging team. Cari then transferred to Texas A & M University where received her Bachelor’s of Science in Animal Science and was a member of both the Livestock and Meat Animal Evaluation (“Askarben”) judging teams and actively involved with Saddle and Sirloin and Texas Aggie Cattlewomen. At Texas A & M University, Cari was selected to participate in the Congressional Agriculture and Natural Resource Policy Internship Program through the College of Agriculture. It is here that Cari received her first glimpse into agriculture law and policy during her summer working for Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX).

After Texas A & M, Cari came back home to the University of Illinois to complete her Masters of Science in Ruminant Nutrition where her concentration was in beef feedlot nutrition. Cari completed two research projects in the areas of distillers grain and genetic markers for marbling which each led to published works. During this time, Cari was a research and teaching assistant for Dr. Larry Berger, coached the Shelby County 4-H Livestock Judging Team, and completed an internship with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Washington, D.C.

Due to her passion for law and policy, Cari decided to complete her Juris Doctor from Pace University, School of Law, in White Plains, New York. At Pace, Cari completed certificates in both Environmental Law and International Law and was a Vice-Chair on the National Environmental Moot Court Competition Board. While in law school, Cari worked at SimmonsCooper, LLC in their international litigation division and completed a consultantcy with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations where she conducted research on national legal frameworks on the conservation of livestock biodiversity and was a contributing author to "The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture."

Furthermore, while at Pace, Cari participated in Yale University’s School of Forestry’s Environmental Diplomacy program where she worked as an advisor for the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations, sat the floor of the General Assembly and gave policy recommendations to Ambassador Capelle. In addition to these experiences, Cari interned with Homelessness Prevention Unit for the Los Angeles Public Counsel, the largest pro bono clinic in the world.

Cari continues to have her boots planted firmly in agriculture and enjoys judging livestock shows and taking pictures of the livestock industry and rural life. She is the owner of Rincker Cattle Co., a SimAngus operation in Shelbyville Illinois, and is on the leadership board for National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Young Producers' Council. Cari also enjoys international travel, distance running, playing volleyball, watching both Illini basketball and Aggie football, and sitting in the cheapseats for baseball games. Community service remains a high priority for Cari as she serves the New York metropolitan area through her church and non-profit organizations.

The Law Office of Douglas H. Zamelis is dedicated to assisting clients achieve their objectives by providiing accurate, responsive, thorough and sensitive legal services. Doug Zamelis has almost 20 years of experience counseling and representing corporate, governmental and individual clients in compliance and litigation matters involving our shared environment.

In addition to his Juris Doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law (1989), Doug holds a B.S from Cornell University (1986)and a M.S. from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1989). Doug brings his extensive scientific knowledge and experience to bear on behalf of clients in federal matters involving the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and in New York matters involving the New York Environmental Conservation Law, Navigation Law, and Public Health Law. Doug represents clients before United States courts and agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the Occupational, Safety & Health Administration.

Doug also represents clients in environmental, land use, zoning, and municipal matters before New York state courts and agencies including the state Supreme Court, the Appellate Division, the Court of Appeals, the Office of the New York Attorney General, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Labor, the Empire State Development Corporation, and the Adirondack Park Agency.

Doug has succesfully litigated numerous Article 78 proceedings in New York courts, and has litigated with opponents including Pyramid Corproation, Wal-Mart, Iberdrola, and National Grid. His litigation experience also includes numerous cost recovery and defense actions in hazardous substance and oil spill matters.

Doug has extensive experience throughout New York state representing various applicants, reviewing agencies, and stakeholders in complex and controversial land use matters involving reviews pursuant to local zoning laws,the National Environmental Policy Act, and the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Representative projects include electrical generating and trasmission facilities, hazardous waste facilities, large scale retail, manufacturing, and conslidated and unconsolidated mining operations. Doug represented the petitioners in Matter of Brander et al. v. Town Board of the Town of Warren, l18 Misc. 3d 477, 847 N.Y.S.2d 450, 2007 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 8258, 2007 NY Slip Op 27498 (Sup. Ct. Onondaga Cty 2007) (uncorrected opinion) wherein the New York State Supreme Court anulled the approvals for an 80 turbine wind power generating facility in Southern Herkimer County based on the reviewing towns' failure to properly review the project pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The court also granted the petitioners their attorneys' fees for succesfully prosecuting their claims that the reviewing towns violated the state Open Meetings Law. The decision was not appealed.

Doug represented COR Development in its litigation with Pyramid Corporation concerning COR Development's Towne Center at Watertown, and authored COR Development's succesful motion for leave to appeal to the New York Court of Appeals. Towne Center at Watertown is now a bustling and productive shopping destination.

Prior to entering the private practicce of law, Doug was employed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in the Division of Water at the Region 7 Headquarters in Syracuse where he became familair with the inner workings of the agency and its various Bureaus and Divisions. Doug was later an associate attorney at Jacobowitz & Gubits, Walden, New York, and then an associate and partner at Hancock & Estabrook, LLP. Syracuse, New York. Doug then joined Green & Siefter, PLLC Syracuse, New York and taught law as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Syracuse University College of Law before starting the Law Office of Douglas H. Zamelis in 2007.

Doug is the former Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Onondaga County Bar Association and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Petroleum Spills Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.

An avid outdoorsman, cyclist, downhill ski racer, boater and amateur endurance athlete, Doug enjoys life in Central New York with his wife Cheryl, daughter Ariadne, and son Nicholas.

Doug can be contacted at (315) 682-0724 and at dzamelis@windstream.net