Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP

Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell lawyers have represented companies engaged in the exploration, extraction, harnessing, refining, distribution, and marketing of minerals, oil and gas, and other geological materials.

We handle the litigation and arbitration of disputes for natural resources-related companies in a variety of matters, including:

• Product liability
• Environmental torts
• Personal injury defense
• Premises liability
• Commercial
• Contracts
• Employment and labor
• Franchise and distribution
• Licensing
• Professional liability
• Trademarks
• Class actions

A representative sampling of matters WTO lawyers have handled includes the following:

• Defended Mobay Chemical Company (then a subsidiary of Bayer) against claims arising from the Sunshine Mining disaster, in which over 90 miners were killed in an Idaho silver mine. The allegation was that the use of polyurethane foam was an ultra-hazardous activity in a mining application. Jack Trigg worked on this case alone for three years. After a four-month trial, Mobay was dismissed at the close of the plaintiff's case. The other major defendants included the U.S. Government Department of Mine Safety, Dow Chemical Company and Mine Safety Appliance Company.
• Successfully represented at trial and on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit a subcontractor involved in the construction of a Colorado gold mine facility in an environmental tort lawsuit brought by the mining company president.
• Represented numerous mining companies in litigation involving a bentonite mine in Wyoming, a copper mine in Montana, oil shale fields in Colorado and Utah, and solution mining of lithium in Nevada.
• Represented a subsidiary of Terex in a case involving property damage to an open pit mining face shovel.
• Tried a call action soils contamination case for Asarco involving a cadmium and lead refinery.
• Handled numerous soils and water contamination cases for clients in the mining and oil and gas industries.
• For years, have served as regional trial counsel for FMC Technologies, Inc., a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry.

At Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell, we value the differences in people and believe that diversity enhances our ability to succeed and to serve our clients well. We welcome inquiries from qualified diverse candidates for both lawyer and staff positions.

WTO provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. It is the policy of the firm that all employees shall work in an environment free from all forms of discrimination. The firm does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or veteran status in matters of hiring, promoting, disciplining, and rewarding employees.

WTO strives for continuous improvement in recruiting and retaining women and diverse lawyers. Since the firm's inception in 1998, WTO has engaged in multiple efforts to promote diversity within the firm through activities such as:

• Targeted and word-of-mouth recruiting;
• Sponsoring financially and volunteering with the Center for Legal Inclusiveness;
• Serving on the board of directors of the Deans' Diversity Council led by the deans of the University of Colorado and the University of Denver law schools;
• Serving on the Deans' Diversity Council's pipeline and retention committees;
• Sponsoring continuing education programs on diversity issues;
• Sponsoring and participating in diversity career fairs;
• Sponsoring and participating in specialty bar associations;
• Supporting local law schools and alumni law school associations;
• Financially supporting diversity scholarships.

We continue to educate ourselves about the best diversity practices and to undertake new approaches to diversify further.

To retain and to enhance diversity among our lawyers, WTO provides all associates with mentoring, guidance, and on-the-job supervision by experienced partners. In doing so, we take into account the background, experience level, and needs of each associate. We also have a formal professional development program. In addition to actual, hands-on trial work, we offer all attorneys workshops with the firm's senior partners and trial presentation consultants.

We encourage and support our minority and female attorneys' interests in specialty bar associations, programs, and networking.

In addition to our ongoing efforts aimed at increasing and retaining the diversity among our lawyers, WTO is committed to building a pipeline of diverse lawyers and helping them develop professionally.

• WTO partner Mark Clouatre was appointed to a leadership position in the ABA Forum on Franchising for 2013 - 2014. He will assume the role of liaison to the Forum for the American Bar Association's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Commission.
• The firm is a founding sponsor of a National Institute of Trial Advocacy scholarship program for public service lawyers.
• The firm is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and was a founding sponsor of the MCCA diversity scholarship program.
• The WTO Foundation supports with volunteer time and donations nonprofit organizations such as Denver Urban Debate League and Denver Kids, Inc.,which provide mentoring to underserved youth to encourage them to complete high school and pursue post-secondary education.

For more information, contact Connie Proulx, Executive Director, at (303) 244-1919 or [email protected].