Spencer Fane attorney John Watson co-led a virtual CLE session for the Colorado Bar Association Environmental Section on December 12 that discussed the first-of-its-kind climate change trial, Held v. Montana.
During the webinar, The Public Trust Doctrine Montana’s Climate Change Lawsuit, John joined Clean Air Council’s Alex Bomstein in discussing factors that led to the Held decision and its impact. Topics included Montana’s constitutionally held right to a “clean and healthful environment,” rights in similar states, the history of the public trust doctrine, and climate change cases and initiatives in Colorado.
At Spencer Fane, John leverages his in-depth commercial trial and litigation knowledge to understand clients’ needs and goals and serves as a formidable advocate on their behalf. As both a defense trial attorney and counselor, John represents clients in a variety of complex commercial cases, including public land and natural resources law, mining, oil and gas, wildlife, toxic tort, Superfund, and air, water, and environmental waste cases.
John is also a frequent contributor to the Spencer Fane Environmental and Energy Solutions blog, in which he has extensively examined Held v. Montana here, here, and here.
