Natural Resources and Environmental Lawyer Harris Sherman Rejoins Arnold & Porter LLP
DENVER, July 30, 2014 -- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that Colorado native Harris Sherman, former Under Secretary for Natural Resources & Environment at USDA (2009-2013) and twice former Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, will rejoin the Firm as senior counsel in its Denver office.
During his legal career spanning 25 years of private practice, Mr. Sherman has served as head of the Arnold & Porter Denver office from 1980-2000 and was involved in many leading cases involving water, renewable and non-renewable energy, forestry, public land use, outdoor recreation and skiing, environmental quality, and Native American communities. He has represented a wide spectrum of businesses, associations, governments, non-profits and public interest organizations.
In addition to his private practice, Mr. Sherman has had a remarkable career in public service. He has served longer than any other individual as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources under two Colorado governors (Richard Lamm and Bill Ritter) where he managed Colorado’s energy, water, parks, wildlife, forestry and state lands programs. During these periods, he also chaired key Colorado commissions including the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission, Colorado Water Quality Control Commission, and Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board. In 2009, Mr. Sherman was appointed by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Under Secretary at USDA where he oversaw the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. While in this capacity, he represented USDA on numerous White House councils including the Urban Waters Partnership, America’s Great Outdoors, U.S. Tourism Task Force, and the Steering Committee on Federal Infrastructure Permitting Council.
“Harris brings an impressive combination of both government and private practice perspectives to clients in the natural resource, environmental, energy and agricultural sectors” said Arnold & Porter Chairman Thomas H. Milch. “We are honored to welcome Harris back to our firm and are delighted to be able to offer his insights to clients in the industry.”
Added Tim Macdonald, head of the Firm’s Denver office, “Harris rejoins an office that has been an integral part of Arnold & Porter’s national environmental, energy, and litigation practices since its inception in 1980. His significant legal experience, keen insight gained from public service, and familiarity with our practice will allow us to strengthen our significant work in these areas and be at the forefront of natural resources work in the West and nationally.”
“I am thrilled to return to Arnold & Porter and rejoin the Firm’s strong, national practice that provides creative solutions to those facing challenges across the spectrum of environmental and natural resources matters,” said Mr. Sherman. “I look forward to sharing the knowledge I have gained from public service to further clients’ interests in the ever-changing natural resources world.”
Mr. Sherman received his J.D. from Columbia University Law School and his B.A. from Colorado College.
Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of nearly 800 lawyers with offices in Brussels, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.