Associate
Megan Gutwein
Legal Assistant
Megan Gutwein’s practice focuses on water law, water quality, real estate, civil litigation and business transactions. Megan assists clients in water court litigation and administrative proceedings, including adjudication of water rights, changes of water rights, and augmentation plans.
Megan graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 2016 (Order of the Coif), where she earned a Natural Resources Law & Policy Certificate. During law school, Megan was a Notes & Comments editor for the Colorado Natural Resources, Energy & Environmental Law Review, and also published her student note in the same journal. Throughout this time, she volunteered for the Acequia Assistance Project and completed the Public Service Pledge.
Megan gained a variety of experience during law school by interning for Honorable Gregory J. Hobbs of the Colorado Supreme Court, the Fort Collins City Attorney’s Office, the Boulder County Attorney’s Office, and the Sierra Club. Additionally, she was a student attorney in the Natural Resources Law Clinic where she provided legal assistance to clients regarding water rights matters.
Megan earned an M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, and published her research in the peer-reviewed journal Rangeland Ecology and Management. She also holds an Honors B.S. in Restaurant and Resort Management from Colorado State University.
During her free time, Megan enjoys snowboarding, rock climbing, practicing kung-fu, and riding her motorcycle.
EDUCATION & ADMISSIONS
JURIS DOCTOR
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF LAW,ORDER OF THE COIF, 2016
MASTER OF SCIENCE
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, 2011
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, 2000
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
2016
Colorado
2016
Utah
2019
Publications
Co-Author: “All We Really Need to Know We Learned in Kindergarten: Share Everything (Agricultural Water Sharing to Meet Increasing Municipal Water Demands),” Colorado Natural Resources, Energy & Environmental Law Review, Vol. 27 No. 2 (Summer 2016)
Author: National Conservation Area Designation: When You Need a Shovel, Not a Backhoe, 27 Colo. Nat. Resources, Energy & Envtl. L. Rev. 71 (2016).
Co-Author: Integrating Conservation and Financial Objectives on Private Rangelands in Northern Colorado: Rancher and Practitioner Perceptions. 66 Rangeland Ecology & Mgmt. 330 (2013).
Megan’s Blog
Partner Peter Nichols Talks Super Ditch Project at the Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources
The University of Colorado Boulder hosted the 42nd Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources on June 16th and 17th. The Colorado River was the focus of this year's conference given the dramatic decline in the levels of Lakes Powell and Mead. Low Water At...
Water access on the Front Range
Attorney, Megan Gutwein, participated in BizWest's Confluence Colorado Water Conference on Thursday, October 22. Joining Megan were panelists Brad Wind, general manager, Northern Water, Patrick McMeekin, vice president of land development and partner, Hartford Homes....
Boulder’s Climate Change Suit Sent Back to State Court
The Tenth Circuit recently held that a suit filed in Colorado state court by local governmental entities for global warming-related damages allegedly caused by oil and gas companies cannot be removed to federal court. Plaintiffs – the City of Boulder, Boulder County...
In the News
Nichols Named Top Environmental Lawyer by 5280 Magazine
Hitting stands around Colorado is the latest issue of 5280 Magazine. Included in this issue is the announcement of 5280's ninth annual Denver's Top Lawyers list. To compile this list, the team at 5280 invites lawyers to vote for their peers. Once the votes are in,...
BHGR Welcomes Geoff Klingsporn
Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP is pleased to welcome Geoff Klingsporn to the team. Geoff Klingsporn joined the firm this month, returning to private practice after many years of representing Denver and its officers and employees in the Civil Litigation Section of...
BHGR x Community Food Share
Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti has been a long-time partner of the Community Food Share - Food Bank of Boulder and Broomfield Counties. Our partnership has been displayed in a few different ways - donations, golf tournaments, and so on - over the years, but today,...
Firm Happenings
Updates in California Employment Law: Additional Requirements for Pay Data Reporting and Pay Transparency
Updates in California Employment Law: Additional Requirements for Pay Data Reporting and Pay Transparency On September 27, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1162 ("SB 1162"), expanding California's data reporting requirements under Government...
Client Alert: What Employers Must Convey Upon Employee Termination or Separation
Colorado's most recent legislative session, concluding in early May, pushed through several new employment-related laws that concern employers and employees alike. Senate Bill (SB) 22-234 should be of particular interest to employers, as it requires employers to...
Client Alert: Colorado Places New Restrictions on Non-Compete Agreements Between Employers and their Employees
Colorado has long disfavored non-compete agreements within the state. Historically, under C.R.S. § 8-2-113, restrictive covenants were void and unenforceable except for under specific circumstances, including: the purchase and sale of a business or the assets of a...