Lori A. Dawkins is the Managing Member of the Denver office and focuses her practice on litigation and regulatory issues for energy companies. Lori has more than twenty-five years of litigation experience and has tried more than fifty cases in front of juries in state and federal court. Lori is the co-leader of Steptoe & Johnson’s Oil & Gas Emergency Response Team, and she serves as a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee.
A former officer in the United States Air Force, she was appointed as the lead search and recovery officer at a major Strategic Air Command base and she served in Saudi Arabia for a year during Desert Storm. She was named Strategic Air Command’s Military Manager of the Year and received the Medal of Commendation, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
Lori is a former Drum Major of the West Virginia University Marching Band (“The Pride of West Virginia”). She enjoys camping, classical guitar, and trail riding on her horse (“Henry”) in the mountains of Colorado.
EXPERIENCE:
- Represented oil and gas operators in contested administrative hearings in front of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission and the Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission
- Responded to emergency incidents for oil and gas operators and clients in the chemical industry, conducted on-site investigations, and coordinated responses to regulatory agencies in matters involving on-site fatalities
- Represented oil and gas operators in state and local rulemakings affecting oil and gas operations in Colorado
- Represented energy companies in complex condemnation actions involving permanent easements for the storage of natural gas, permanent well road easements, and permanent pipeline easements
- Represented a public utility natural gas company in several cases involving questions regarding the duty to re-inspect appliances after they are red-tagged
- Represented a large multi-national pharmaceutical company in litigation to recover for the faulty design, construction, and installation of a $4.3 million wastewater treatment plant
- Represented producers in suits for excessive surface use, ownership, drilling rights, and pooling
- Represented Colorado employers in EEOC matters alleging discrimination based on national origin and age
Education:
- J.D. West Virginia University
- M.S. State University of New York
- B.S. West Virginia University
Memberships:
- Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Adjunct Professor, West Virginia University College of Law
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Successful completion of Pipeline Emergency Response Course focusing on incident planning and communication (2018)
Cost
Rate : $$$