Kathleen Pritchard
Special Counsel
1401 Lawrence St., Suite 1800
Denver, CO 80202
Denver, CO 80202
303-830-2500 Main
303-376-4484 Direct
303-376-4484 Direct
Licensed in Colorado, Texas
Overview
Kathleen Pritchard serves as Special Counsel at Welborn, where she helps clients navigate complex environmental and land use challenges—from air quality and water resource permitting to Endangered Species Act issues. She combines deep regulatory knowledge with sharp advocacy skills to advance clients’ interests in permitting, rulemaking, and enforcement proceedings.
Kathleen maintains an active pro bono practice and is committed to mission-driven organizations tackling social and environmental issues in the Denver Metro area. Kathleen currently serves as the Board Chair of GRID Alternatives Colorado, which strives to make renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities.
Experience & Results
- Argued and won critical 1041 permit enabling utility client to replace coal plant with wind and solar.
- Successfully argued for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to compensate ranchers for missing calves due to wolf depredations.
- Secured a variance from the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, enabling energy client to implement innovative, environmentally conscious solution to utilizing excess gas.
- Personally argued (and defeated) summary judgment appeal before the North Dakota Supreme Court as lead counsel to energy client.
- Managed complex environmental due diligence for energy client investments.
Practice Areas
- Environmental Permitting and Compliance
- Environmental Litigation
- Natural Resources
- Federal and State Regulatory Agency Rulemaking and Policy Development
- Renewable & Alternative Energy
- Due Diligence
Honors & Insights
Honors & Clerkships
- Judicial law clerk for the Honorable Sam Sparks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Litigation (Environmental), and Natural Resources Law 2025
- University of Texas School of Law Beck Award for Legal Research and Writing Excellence
Insights
- “A Summary of the Colorado Legislative Ozone Interim Committee’s Hearings,” ABA Clean Air Act Conference (December 2023)
- “EPA Strengthens Its Proposed Methane Rule to Reduce Emissions from Oil & Gas Sector,” DGS Legal Alert (December 2022)
- “Colorado’s Energy-Related Bills in the 2022 Legislative Session,” DGS Clean Energy & Sustainability Group Newsletter (May 2022)
- “The Trajectory of Compensatory Mitigation in Public Lands Management,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Special Institute on Public Land Law, Regulation, and Management (2022) (with Kathleen Schroder)
- “Development & Operation of Low-Carbon Energy Projects: Litigation Issues,” DGS CLE (2022) (with Jon Rauchway and Kathleen Schroder)
- “Colorado’s Energy-Related Bills in the 2022 Legislative Session,” DGS Clean Energy & Sustainability Group Newsletter (February 2022)
- “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration,” DGS Webinar (2021) (with John Jacus and Kathleen Schroder)
Education & Admissions
Education
- J.D., University of Texas School of Law, High Honors, 2015
- B.A., Wake Forest University, magna cum laude, 2010
Bar Admissions/Qualifications
- Texas, 2015
- Colorado, 2018
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, 2017
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2022
Professional & Community Involvement
- Chair of GRID Alternatives Colorado Board of Directors
- The Denver Petroleum Club Mentor Program, 2025 Mentee
- Member of Colorado Women’s Bar Association
- Renewable Energy Task Force for the Foundation for Natural Resources (2021–2024)
- Member of Air and Waste Management Association (2022–2024)