Overview

Kathleen Pritchard serves as Special Counsel at Welborn, where she counsels private and public clients on environmental compliance matters involving air quality and solid and hazardous waste, public lands issues involving environmental review procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, and renewable energy development.

She has extensive experience managing complex litigation in state and federal court, as well as advancing her clients’ business interests in rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings. In her practice, Kathleen pairs her technical knowledge of environmental science garnered in her undergraduate studies with the strategic thinking she developed as a litigator to foster a deep understanding of her clients’ objectives.

Kathleen maintains an active pro bono practice and is committed to mission-driven organizations tackling social and environmental issues in the Denver Metro area. Kathleen currently serves as a board member for GRID Alternatives Colorado, which strives to make renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities.

Experience & Results

• Secured a variance from to the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, enabling energy client to implement innovative, environmentally conscious solution to utilizing excess gas.
• Secured judgment in energy client’s favor as lead appellate counsel following argument before the North Dakota Supreme Court.
• Successfully defended local government’s interests in a rulemaking before the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, resulting in the Air Pollution Control Division’s withdrawal of its rule proposal.
• Coordinated complex environmental due diligence for multiple investments on behalf of energy clients.
• Obtained favorable settlement as lead counsel for construction company facing breach of contract and fraud claims.

Practice Areas

• Environmental Permitting and Compliance
• Environmental Litigation
• Natural Resources
• Federal and State Regulatory Agency Rulemaking and Policy Development
• Renewable & Alternative Energy
• Due Diligence

Clerkships & Honors

• Judicial law clerk for the Honorable Sam Sparks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© “Ones to Watch” in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Environmental Litigation, and Natural Resources Law
• University of Texas School of Law Beck Award for Legal Research and Writing Excellence
• University of Texas School of Law Dean’s Achievement Awards in Legal Writing, Environmental Law, and Oil and Gas Law

Publications & Presentations

• “A Summary of the Colorado Legislative Ozone Interim Committee’s Hearings,” ABA Clean Air Act Conference (December 2023)
• “EPA Strengthens Its Proposed Methane Rule to Reduce Emissions from Oil & Gas Sector,” DGS Legal Alert (December 2022)
• “Colorado’s Energy-Related Bills in the 2022 Legislative Session,” DGS Clean Energy & Sustainability Group Newsletter (May 2022)
• “The Trajectory of Compensatory Mitigation in Public Lands Management,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Special Institute on Public Land Law, Regulation, and Management (2022) (with Kathleen Schroder)
• “Development & Operation of Low-Carbon Energy Projects: Litigation Issues,” DGS CLE (2022) (with Jon Rauchway and Kathleen Schroder)
• “Colorado’s Energy-Related Bills in the 2022 Legislative Session,” DGS Clean Energy & Sustainability Group Newsletter (February 2022)
• “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration,” DGS Webinar (2021) (with John Jacus and Kathleen Schroder)

Education

• University of Texas School of Law, J.D., High Honors, 2015
• Wake Forest University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2010

Bar Admissions / Qualifications

• Texas, 2015
• Colorado, 2018
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, 2017
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2022

Professional & Community Involvement

• GRID Alternatives Colorado Board of Directors
• Renewable Energy Task Force for the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
• Member of Colorado Women’s Bar Association
• Member of Air and Waste Management Association