Student Opportunities

Getches-Wilkinson Center Water Law Fellow Position Announcement

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:03:40 +0000

Getches-Wilkinson Center Water Law Fellow Position Announcement Annie Carlozzi Mon, 10/20/2025 - 12:03

Program Overview

The Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (GWC) at the University of Colorado Law School invites applications for the next GWC Water Law Fellow – an early-career attorney eager to make a difference in the field of water law and policy.

The Water Law Fellowship offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work on today’s most pressing water law reform challenges. Fellows are mentored by leading faculty and practitioners and partner with decision-makers from the nonprofit, government, and private sectors.

Water Law Fellows will be expected to draft at least one paper for publications in the first year and to assist with organizing conferences, workshops, public education events, and other GWC events. Fellows may also publish white papers on current topics, attend conferences on water-related topics, draft blog posts and other communications on emerging issues, and work on other projects that develop in-depth expertise in water law.

Key benefits include:

Personalized research agenda and drafting original scholarship for publication supported by GWC staff and Colorado Law Faculty, focused on real-world water law challenges in the American West, including Colorado River management, interstate water governance, groundwater management, and Tribal water rights.
Mentorship from faculty, GWC staff, and practicing attorneys – opportunities to work alongside GWC’s Executive and Assistant Directors, the Director of GWC’s Western Water Policy Program, and access to GWC’s network of leaders on the Advisory Council.
Opportunities to collaborate with leaders in NGOs, government agencies, Tribes, and private practice.
The freedom to explore creative, multidisciplinary solutions to water challenges in the West.
Travel support to represent GWC at professional gatherings, conferences and networking events.
Organization and participation in workshops, public events and conferences at Colorado Law.

Terms, Salary, and Benefits:

Start date: Flexible between January 1 and September 1, 2026.
Duration: One year, with the option to extend for a second year.
Salary: $75,000/year, plus travel and training support.
Location: Boulder, CO
Benefits: Excellent medical, dental, and transit benefits (ECO Pass) through the University of Colorado Boulder

What we require:

J.D.
At least one year of relevant professional experience or a demonstrated commitment to water issues during law school (judicial clerks encouraged to apply).
Excellent research and writing skills.

What we would like you to have:

Strong academic record.
Background in water or natural resources law.
Experience in environmental research.
Commitment to equity and service to underrepresented communities.
Collaborative, team-oriented approach.

Application Instructions:

Submit the following as a single PDF to Annie Carlozzi (annie.carlozzi@colorado.edu) by Monday, November 10, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.

Cover letter explaining your interest in water law and the Fellowship.
Resume (max 2 pages)
Law school transcript (unofficial accepted)
Writing sample (max 10 pages)

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged.

The Water Law Fellowship is open to individuals regardless of race, national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or gender. We encourage individuals from groups historically underrepresented in environmental conservation to apply.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Annie Carlozzi, GWC Assistant Director, at annie.carlozzi@colorado.edu

Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment

The Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment advances the truly sustainable management and conservation of natural resources, with a focus on the American West, by:

Influencing natural resources law and policy, including issues of water, land, climate change, and the rights of Tribes and Indigenous Peoples; and

Educating, inspiring and mentoring the next generation of committed lawyers and advocates devoted to justice and equity.

Learn more about Colorado Law

Download GWC Water Law Fellow Announcement

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Meryl Compton (Colorado Law '27) Named 2025 Charles N. Woodruff Fellow

Annie Carlozzi — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 20:44:19 +0000

Meryl Compton (Colorado Law '27) Named 2025 Charles N. Woodruff Fellow Annie Carlozzi Fri, 10/10/2025 - 14:44

University of Colorado Law student Meryl Compton (’27) was awarded the Charles N. Woodruff Fellowship. The Charles N. Woodruff fellowship was established in memory of Charles Woodruff, a highly successful water resources lawyer, to promote excellence in the practice of natural resources law.

Meryl is a 2L student at the University of Colorado Law School. She is primarily interested in energy and public utilities law and hopes to contribute to regulatory solutions that facilitate a clean, equitable energy future. Meryl's interest in western land management and sustainable energy was inspired by her experience growing up in Colorado and spending time throughout the West.

Prior to law school, Meryl worked at Colorado-based company, E Source, where she managed a team focused on developing demand-side management data tools for energy utilities. She also contributed to research on beneficial electrification and regulatory solutions to promote decarbonization. Before E Source, she worked for the Public Interest Network doing environmental and consumer protection policy research.

Meryl graduated from Davidson College, where she majored in environmental studies and economics. At Colorado Law, Meryl is involved with the Environmental Law Society, Acequia Assistance Project, and Environmental Law Journal. She is also a Legislation and Regulation tutor. As the current Woodruff Fellow, she is working on a research project related to a federal insurance program for grazing land. She looks forward to connecting with everyone at the GWC this year!

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Meet the Fall 2025 GWC Research Assistants

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:11:51 +0000

Meet the Fall 2025 GWC Research Assistants Annie Carlozzi Thu, 10/02/2025 - 10:11

We are excited to welcome 5 Research Assistants to the GWC team this fall!

Corinne Griffin

Corinne grew up in Orlando, Florida, and found her passion for the environment after she assisted her community in flora rebuilding after hurricanes hit the state of Florida. She attended the University of Florida. She recieved a BA in Environmental Science, with a double minor in Agricultural and Natural Resource Law/Environmental Justice and Policy. She always knew she wanted to go to law school, but found a keen interest in environmental justice through her undergraduate honors thesis, where she wrote about how COVID-19 exacerbated environmental justice concerns across the United States. Through the GWC RA position, she hopes to learn more about public land law, mining law, tribal law, water law, and any environmental issues impacting the West.

Jake Lehrman

Jake first joined the GWC this past summer as a Research Assistant, where he focused on researching the public’s right to access waterways in Colorado and the broader Mountain West region. His work explored the legal, historical, and policy dimensions of public access, contributing to ongoing conversations about how to balance recreation and private property interests. Beyond his research, Jake volunteered at the 45th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources, Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads, where he had the opportunity to learn about the complex issues surrounding the Colorado River's management. He also had the opportunity to offer a window into the Colorado Law student experience through writing blog posts on behalf of the GWC. Now continuing his work as a Research Assistant, Jake is excited to delve even deeper into the evolving landscape of public access rights to Colorado’s waters.

Tori Matson

Tori first connected with GWC after receiving the 2024 Harrison Fellowship for her 1L summer which allowed her to intern at the Legal Resources Centre, an environmental nonprofit organization in Durban, South Africa. In the Fall of 2024, she continued her involvement with the GWC through volunteering at GWC events including the Martz Symposium and Ruth Wright Lecture, where she wrote blog post summaries. She also helped plan and execute the "Effect of Executive Orders" event panel with GWC RA Catie Pursifull, which they also wrote a blog summary for. As a Spring 2025 Research Assistant, she contributed to GWC projects on pertinent public lands issues such as the nondelegation doctrine. She looks forward to continuing to support GWC's research and programming this upcoming year!

Lex Padilla

Lex is a second-year law student at the University of Colorado, originally from Phoenix, AZ, with a focus on toxic torts and environmental justice. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of San Diego, where she also studied environmental science and conducted chemical research. Growing up amid drought and air pollution in Phoenix and studying near sites of environmental injustice such as Barrio Logan, CA and the Tijuana Sewage Crisis, shaped her commitment to advancing equity through environmental law.

Catie Pursifull

Catie is a Research Assistant in the Getches Wilkinson Center, researching under Director Chris Winter. She is currently looking into the expansion of renewable energy on federal public lands and the level of the government's compliance with their requirements of tribal consultation on tribal ancestral lands. This topic is especially interesting to her given her previous experience working with renewable energy developers, and she is excited to learn more about how/if developers can meaningfully and equitably engage in the consultation process with tribes.

In the past year, Catie planned an event with the GWC to debrief several environmental Executive Orders passed in the beginning of President Trump's second term and attended several of her acquaintances' events that the GWC has helped promote and sponsor. In this next year, Catie is excited to keep contributing to the events that the GWC puts on that bring the CU Law environmental community together, discussing the most pertinent environmental topics of the day. Catie will continue working in renewable energy transactions after graduation.

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Sydney Stellato (Colorado Law '26) Named 2025 Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:29:15 +0000

Sydney Stellato (Colorado Law '26) Named 2025 Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow Annie Carlozzi Mon, 09/29/2025 - 11:29

University of Colorado Law School student Sydney Stellato ('26) is this year’s Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow. The Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellowship, initiated in 2023 by leaders of the Conscience Bay Company, is awarded each year to a Colorado Law student on the basis of academic performance, commitment to public service, and interest in the study of Western water law and policy. To the extent practicable, each Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow will focus on a specific project in advancing innovative solutions for sustainable management of water in the Western United States.

Sydney Stellato is a 2L student at the University of Colorado Law School, where she is exploring her interest in water law, public lands, and the intersection of conservation and community. She graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in Sustainability Studies and Geography. While at UT, her studies centered on the relationship between people and waterways, culminating in a senior project where she developed a citizen science project to monitor stream health. Before law school, she worked with the Texas Conservation Corps where she focused on conservation, trail work, and sustainability programs. At CU, she is involved with the Environmental Law Society, OUTLaw, and the Environmental Law Journal. She looks forward to applying her background in environmental work to the Fellowship while learning how Western water law can balance resource management, conservation, and community needs. In her free time she enjoys skiing, hiking, and indoor rock climbing.

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Green Amendments for the Generations

Annie Carlozzi — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:39:36 +0000

Green Amendments for the Generations Annie Carlozzi Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:39

Wednesday, Oct 15 at 12pm in Room 301

Join ELS and the GWC for a lunch talk with Maya K. van Rossum, author of Green Amendments and founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, and Wendy Kerner who is spearheading the movement for a Green Amendment in Colorado. They will give a presentation on Green Amendments, and we will have time for a brief Q&A.

Lunch will be provided!

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Intro to Practice: Environmental Law

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:55:45 +0000

Intro to Practice: Environmental Law Annie Carlozzi Thu, 09/18/2025 - 11:55

Intro to Practice Lunch Series

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 12pm to 12:50pm

Room 301

Explore various areas of legal practice in this series designed for 1L students (but open to all). Each week, a different panel of attorneys will discuss their particular area of practice (including what they do), provide insight into what skills and experiences helped them build their career path, and talk about what attracts employers in each of the practice areas. In addition to providing students with a glimpse into various practice areas, this lunch series also provides students with several contacts in these practice areas and an easy networking opportunity.

Students are encouraged to attend as many of the sessions that interest them. Lunch will be available at each of the sessions.

September 23 – Intellectual Property
September 30 – Judicial Clerkships
October 7 – Environmental
- Peter Jaacks (’21), Jewell Jimmerson Natural Resources Law LLC
- Robert Rigonan (’18), Earthjustice
- Senator Dylan Roberts, Colorado General Assembly
- Gabriella Stockmayer (’11), Dietze and Davis, P.C.
October 14 – Alternative Pathways in Law

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Film Screening: YINTAH

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:27:58 +0000

Film Screening: YINTAH Annie Carlozzi Wed, 09/17/2025 - 12:27

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 4pm to 6:30pm in Wolf Law 301

Join ELS, NALSA, and the GWC for a discussion led by Hannah Adhers, American Indian Law Program Fellow, and Daniel Anderson, GWC Water Law Fellow, on the intersection between Indian law and environmental protection followed by the film YINTAH.

The Film:
YINTAH: A DOCUMENTARY ON A DECADE OF WET’SUWET’EN RESISTANCE
Spanning more than a decade, YINTAH follows Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham as their nation reoccupies and protects their ancestral lands from the Canadian government and several of the largest fossil fuel companies on earth.
Learn more and watch the trailer here: https://www.yintahfilm.com/

Snacks and drinks provided.

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Acequia Assistance Project (AAP) Interest Meeting

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:36:47 +0000

Acequia Assistance Project (AAP) Interest Meeting Annie Carlozzi Tue, 09/09/2025 - 11:36

The Acequia Assistance Project (AAP) Interest Meeting is an opportunity for students to learn about the AAP, a student run environmental justice project of the Getches-Wilkinson Center. AAP participants (including 1Ls!) have the opportunity to perform subsbtantive, pro-bono legal work under the supervision of attorneys on a variety of cases and projects.

Monday, September 15 12-12:50pm in Room 207

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Zane Reynolds Surveys Regulatory Frameworks for Carbon Capture and Utilization Storage

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:16:33 +0000

Zane Reynolds Surveys Regulatory Frameworks for Carbon Capture and Utilization Storage Annie Carlozzi Tue, 08/19/2025 - 11:16

Zane was born and raised in Eagle, Colorado. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, he developed an interest in environmental and natural resources issues, which led him to return for law school. At Colorado Law, he has taken several environmental courses, including Water Resources, Foundations of Natural Resources, and Environmental Decisionmaking. He also serves as President of the Transaction & Negotiation Team, as an associate editor on the Colorado Law Review, and as a member of the Acequia Assistance Project. As a 3L, Zane hopes to continue exploring legal issues related to public lands, energy, mining, and water, both in and outside the classroom.

This past summer, Zane worked as a law clerk in the Transactions Department at Davis Graham in Denver. He assisted clients across the energy, mining, and renewable energy sectors. One of his primary projects involved a survey of regulatory frameworks for Carbon Capture and Utilization Storage (CCUS) in Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, Louisiana, and Texas. While the core technologies behind CCUS have existed for decades, policymakers, scholars, and industry leaders are now intensifying efforts to deploy carbon capture as part of broader climate change strategies. The goal of Zane’s project was to recommend how states might balance creating investment-friendly legal environments with protecting public lands, water, and property rights.

In addition to his work on CCUS, Zane contributed to transactional projects involving energy development. He analyzed provisions of purchase and sale agreements and membership interest purchase agreements in preparation for Davis Graham’s annual Energy M&A Summit. Though often viewed through a business lens, these transactions also determine how companies handle environmental liabilities, regulatory compliance, and obligations to landowners and communities.

Zane also gained experience with a multinational mining transaction spanning three countries. While details remain confidential, the matter provided insight into how cross-border resource development implicates diverse legal systems, indigenous and community rights, and sustainability challenges. Even in transactional practice, these issues underscore the role of lawyers in shaping how resource development proceeds and ensuring it is balanced against environmental and societal concerns.

Overall, Zane’s summer experience deepened his interest in the intersection of environmental, energy, and natural resources law. He came away with a stronger appreciation for how transactional lawyers can influence industry engagement with climate goals, resource stewardship, and community impacts. As he enters his final year of law school, he looks forward to continuing to explore these intersections and the role of law in building a more sustainable future.

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2024 Harrison Fellow Dives into Litigation

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 20:17:55 +0000

2024 Harrison Fellow Dives into Litigation Annie Carlozzi Thu, 08/14/2025 - 14:17

Victoria Matson

This summer, I had the opportunity to serve as a legal intern at Gersowitz Libo & Korek (GLK), a leading plaintiffs’ law firm in New York City known for its work in personal injury and tort litigation. My time at GLK provided invaluable exposure to the practical side of litigation and significantly deepened my understanding of tort law within the broader context of trial advocacy.

One of the initial focuses of my internship was researching toxic torts under New York common law. Through this work, I assessed which categories of toxic exposure—such as lead poisoning, mold contamination, industrial chemical exposure, and asbestos—had not only solid legal grounding but also potential for meaningful impact and success in litigation. My findings helped refine my understanding of litigation approaches and explore new areas of practice that align with both client needs and the evolving environmental landscape of New York City.

Beyond toxic torts, my work largely centered on directly contributing to trial preparation in a high-stakes civil case. Working alongside lead trial partners, I conducted civil procedure and evidence research for both direct and cross-examinations, helping shape the firm’s courtroom strategy. This experience gave me a close-up view of how attorneys use the facts of a case—combined with careful legal analysis—to craft persuasive narratives in front of a judge and jury. I also participated in client trial preparation sessions, which highlighted the human element of litigation and the importance of building trust and clarity between lawyer and client. I supported the jury selection process, underscoring the nuances of voir dire and the critical role of attorney intuition and psychology in building a favorable jury pool. Observing and assisting with jury selection was a particularly eye-opening aspect of the internship, illustrating the intersection between legal doctrine and human dynamics.

My summer at GLK not only sharpened my research and writing skills but also exposed me to the unique challenges of litigating complex tort cases in a densely populated urban setting. It was a formative experience that reinforced my interest in pursuing a career at the intersection of environmental justice and litigation.

I am grateful to the Getches-Wilkinson Center for supporting students who are passionate about environmental law and its practical applications. The skills and insights I gained this summer will serve as a foundation for my continued legal studies and future advocacy in the fields of litigation and environmental justice.

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