Denver Law Launches New Series on Politics and Environmental and Natural Resources Policy: "A View From Washington" Takes Place October 14

Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program in conjunction with the nationally recognized law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck will launch a series of four innovative panel discussions over the next two years that will explore the nexus between environmental and natural resources regulation and politics.

The first panel discussion, "A View From Washington: The Current State of Natural Resources Law," will take place October 14 from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time at the Sturm College of Law. The discussion will also be available through webinar software.

Don Smith, Director of Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, will moderate a conversation among three people who have served in important government posts and have also practiced environmental and natural resources law. They are:

• Alan Gilbert, Special Advisor to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest. Mr. Gilbert is a former partner at Holme, Roberts & Owen and Sherman & Howard.
• Dave Bernhardt, who practices in the Washington, D.C. offices of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where he advises clients on environmental and natural resources issues originating from the U.S. Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and the courts. Mr. Bernhardt served as Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior under President George W. Bush.
• Mark Mathews, a shareholder in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Denver office, where he is co-chair of the Natural Resources Group. Prior to joining the firm, he was a senior trial attorney in the Environmental Section of the U.S. Deptartment of Justice.

For those attending the panel discussion at the Sturm College of Law there will be a reception following the event.

Attendance is free. However, individuals must register to attend. Please click here for on-site or webinar registration details. You must register to attend.

Mr. Smith said, "This series of panel discussions represents an exceptional opportunity for those interested in the natural resources and environmental fields to hear from our nation's leading experts. The first session will feature three of the most highly regarded names in the county who will address the often vexing, but always interesting and challenging issues of the relationship between natural resources policy and politics. Denver Law is delighted to be partnering with Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck to bring these discussions to all interested parties over the next two years."

2011 Carver Colloquium, to be Held at Denver Law October 20, is Energy Transmmission and Governance

The focus of the 2011 Carver Colloquium, to be held at Denver Law on October 20, is energy transmission and governance.

A major challenge with renewable energy is the development of a transmission infrastructure to connect rural sources to the urban users, often crossing local, state and regional jurisdictions along the way. The Carver Colloquium will feature former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. and Robin Kundis Craig, Associate Dean of the Florida State University College of Law, who will present two models of governance that could overcome this challenge.

The Carver Colloquium is an annual event hosted by the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute and Professor Jan Laitos, the John. A Carver, Jr. Chair at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. The Colloquium presents divergent or alternative viewpoints on cutting-edge issues in these fields in a point-counterpoint format.

Former Colorado Governor Ritter is the Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University. Ritter was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006 and established Colorado as a national and international leader in renewable energy by building a New Energy Economy that is creating thousands of new jobs and establishing hundreds of new companies. Ritter served as Denver's District Attorney from 1993 to January 2005, where he earned a national reputation as one of the country's most effective and innovative prosecutors, and several of his programs continue to serve as state and national models.

Robin Kundis Craig is the Attorney's Title Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Environmental Programs at Florida State University College of Law. She specializes in all things water, including the Clean Water Act, water law and the public trust doctrine, water resources and climate change and the intersection of water issues and land issues. She is the author of several books and over 50 law review articles and book chapters. Professor Craig also serves as Chair of the American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources’ Marine Resources Committee. At Florida State, she teaches several courses and seminars, including: Environmental Law, Water Law, Civil Procedure, Property, International Biodiversity Law, and the Clean Water Act, as well as the Environmental and Land Use Law Certificate Seminar.

To register for the event, please click here.

2011 Denver Law Environmental Moot Court Results: Justine Shepherd, Jillian Kysor, and Jennifer Barnes to Represent DU in National Competition

The winners of Denver Law's 2011 Environmental Moot Court Competition have been announced.

The competition was organized by the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Society, a student-led organization focused on serving, educating, and providing information to law students about these key areas of the law.

Winning first place and recognized for the highest scoring briefs were Justine Shepherd and Jullian Kysor.

Finalists were Matthew Broderick and Carter Cassidy.

Best Oralist was Jennifer Barnes.

Ms. Shepherd, Ms. Kysor, and Ms. Barnes will represent Denver Law at Pace Law School's National Environmental Moot Court Competition in the spring of 2012.

The Denver Law competition attracted eight teams, double the number that participated in 2010.