HAMRE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Executive
• Shareholder
• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member

Since beginning his practice in 1988, Austin Hamre has concentrated primarily on water law and related aspects of federal natural resource permitting. Mr. Hamre currently handles all phases of complex, multi-party litigation of water rights, appeals and related real property matters. He has been extensively involved in federal land use and environmental permit negotiations, NEPA and Endangered Species Act compliance matters and administrative rule-making proceedings before the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. Mr. Hamre advises clients on transactional matters, performing pre-purchase water title analyses and the negotiation of water right conveyances. Mr. Hamre has litigated a number of large cases involving changes of water rights, augmentation plans, exchanges and other new appropriations on behalf of municipalities, districts, HOAs and individuals, both as an applicant and an objector. His bar memberships include Colorado and the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado. Austin Hamre served on the executive council of the Water Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association from 2014-2017, served as chair of the Section from 2011-2014 and as Secretary/Treasurer from 2009-2011. After graduating cum laude from the University of Denver in 1981 with a B.A. in Mass Communication and in Speech Communication, Mr. Hamre earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado in 1988. He has published articles on water banking, the 1969 Water Right Determination and Administration Act and the evolution of the "One Fill Rule," and has taught a variety of classes and seminars dealing with surface and groundwater issues in Colorado water law.

Job Titles:

• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member

Donald M. Ostrander has been in practice since 1982. He maintains a real estate litigation practice, with a focus on eminent domain and condemnation trials, inverse condemnation, land use matters, urban renewal projects, regulatory takings, and conservation easements. Current and past clients include the City of Black Hawk, City of Thornton, City of Arvada, City of Westminster, City of Boulder, City of Aurora, City of Golden, City of Lafayette, E-470 Public Highway Authority, Summit County, Douglas County, Weld County, Town of Gypsum, Pagosa Springs, Sheridan Redevelopment Authority, Aurora Urban Renewal Authority, Colorado Department of Transportation, Regional Transportation District, Entrega Gas Pipeline Company, Federal Heights and numerous private landowners. Mr. Ostrander began his practice with the State of Colorado's Attorney General's office (1982-1985) where he represented the Colorado Department of Highways. He has been in private practice since 1985. He has lectured and written extensively on eminent domain, trial practice, inverse condemnation cases, and valuation issues. To date he has tried over 100 condemnation valuation cases. He led the acquisition effort for several large multi acquisition projects such as TREX and FasTracks. Donald M. Ostrander served as President of the Aurora Bar Association and served on the Board of Governors of the Colorado Bar Association. His educational background includes a B.A. from Rutgers College in 1979 and a J.D. from the University of Denver in 1982. He served a judicial clerkship with Judge Daniel Sparr of the Denver District Court in 1982. Mr. Ostrander was selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer and he was selected by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of eminent domain and condemnation law.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Colorado Bar Association 's Real Estate Section
• Special Counsel

Ms. Rubinstein's practice focuses on eminent domain litigation and mediation. She rejoined Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Dingess, P.C., in 2020. She previously worked at the firm for 10 years doing primarily eminent domain litigation. She also offers mediation services in a variety of matters including: real estate, landlord/tenant, business, animals, family, commercial transactions, and neighborhood disputes. Elizabeth also offers mediation services unrelated to the law firm. More information about her mediation services can be found on her website: www.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Emily Ostrander joined Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Prescott, P.C. as an associate attorney in 2022. Her practice areas primarily include oil and gas, eminent domain, land use and transactional real estate matters. Ms. Ostrander graduated from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2020 with a certificate in Corporate and Commercial Law. While in law school, Ms. Ostrander clerked in the 18 th Judicial District, interned as in-house counsel for various companies and interned at Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Prescott. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Ostrander was in-house counsel for a large Denver based ingredient manufacturing company. She draws from this experience to provide a personal understanding of the business pressures companies and individuals face when navigating legal and administrative challenges. Emily Ostrander joined Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Dingess, P.C. as an associate attorney in 2022. Her practice areas primarily include oil and gas, eminent domain, land use and transactional real estate matters.

Job Titles:

• Senior Special Counsel

Judge Michaelson received a bachelor's degree from the Pennsylvania State University in 1979 and his J.D. from the University of Denver in 1982. He has litigated cases as a lawyer across the state of Colorado, including in federal court, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court and as both a litigator and judge conducted more juries than he can count.

Job Titles:

• Accountant
• Office Manager
• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member

Job Titles:

• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member
• Paralegal

Job Titles:

• Special Counsel

Joel M. Spector's practice emphasizes eminent domain, land use, and real estate litigation. Since entering private practice in 2005, Mr. Spector has been engaged in all stages of litigation concerning real property interests. In addition to working on eminent domain litigation in trial and appellate courts, Mr. Spector has written legal briefs and conducted oral arguments on property rights issues at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. He has also written multiple briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court on various legal issues related to eminent domain litigation, and developed the legal arguments that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately adopted in a recent eminent domain decision. In addition, Mr. Spector represents landowners involved in property disputes with their neighbors and local governments. Joel M. Spector also has experience litigating constitutional issues relating to the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, federal jurisdiction, the Equal Protection Clause, and the doctrine of enumerated powers. Mr. Spector has conducted television and radio interviews concerning property rights and constitutional issues. He has also worked as a contributing author on a zoning and land use planning treatise. Originally from Michigan, Mr. Spector attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he made the Dean's List and graduated in 2000. He then attended the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where he graduated with the distinction of the Order of St. Ives in 2005. Joel M. Spector is licensed to practice law in Colorado state courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Ninth Circuit, and Tenth Circuit, and in the United States Supreme Court.

Job Titles:

• Special Counsel

A Colorado native, Josh joined Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Prescott, P.C. as Special Counsel in 2020 and works in the firm's real estate and land use practice. His practice includes both transactional/planning work and litigation. He advises clients on subdivision and zoning issues; development agreements; special district and other public financing arrangements; real estate transactions and due diligence; boundary disputes over easements, fences, and ingress/egress; and other real property matters. Josh also advises both condemning authorities and landowners in the firm's eminent domain litigation practice, and prepares and negotiates agreements related to property acquisitions for infrastructure projects. In the firm's oil and gas practice, Josh counsels clients on royalty disputes, title curatives, lease analyses, and other issues.

Job Titles:

• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member
• Paralegal

Job Titles:

• Shareholder
• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member
• Member of the Colorado Bar Association

Richard F. Rodriguez represents public and private entities, individual property owners, developers, lenders, landlords, tenants, and others in all phases of public and private eminent domain and condemnation proceedings. Since being licensed in 1994, Mr. Rodriguez' practice has concentrated primarily on real estate litigation, with an emphasis on eminent domain and land use litigation. Mr. Rodriguez also maintains a complex commercial litigation practice, a significant portion of which includes real estate and construction litigation, including, but not limited to, quiet title actions, foreclosures, boundary disputes, mechanics' lien litigation, and construction litigation. Prior to affiliating with Hamre, Rodriguez, Ostrander & Dingess, P.C., Mr. Rodriguez was a partner at a large international law firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Current and past clients include clients involved in land acquisitions related to the Denver International Airport, CDOT highway expansion, TREX, and E-470 Public Highway Authority. Over the years, Mr. Rodriguez has represented both the government and the landowner, and his experience includes work on numerous projects by various governmental agencies, including, without limitation, projects by the City and County of Denver, El Paso County, Douglas County, the Rampart Range Metropolitan District, various school districts, and the cities of Aurora, Boulder, Federal Heights, Thornton, Westminster, Arvada, Lafayette, and Grand Junction. He has also represented numerous clients with respect to private condemnation matters. Mr. Rodriguez graduated from the University of Southern California in 1991, receiving a B.A. in Political Science. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1994. Richard F. Rodriguez teaches regularly at various local, regional, and national eminent domain and other continuing legal education seminars. Mr. Rodriguez has authored or edited numerous articles and publications, including the Law and Procedure of Eminent Domain in the 50 States, a nationwide compendium of eminent domain law that is published by the American Bar Association. Mr. Rodriguez also recently updated the following chapters of Nichols on Eminent Domain, the nation's most comprehensive and definitive treatise and practice guide on the law of eminent domain: Chapter 12C: Absence of Market Value and Effect of Restrictions (2017) and Chapter 36: Inverse Condemnation: Aircraft Flights (2018). In addition to his involvement in various community or civic activities, Mr. Rodriguez is an active member of the Colorado Bar Association and several of its committees, including founding the Eminent Domain Committee of the CBA's Real Estate Section. He is a member of the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. He is also the Vice-Chair of Eminent Domain for the ABA's Real Estate, Condemnation, and Trust Litigation Committee of the ABA's Litigation Section. Mr. Rodriguez was selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer and he was selected by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of eminent domain and condemnation law.

Job Titles:

• Legal Assistant
• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member

Job Titles:

• Special Counsel

Ms. Ceccato focuses her practice on real estate litigation and eminent domain law. Since becoming licensed in 2005, Ms. Ceccato has litigated cases in state and federal court involving many issues, including contract disputes, special districts, foreclosure, Bankruptcy, real estate fraud, and eminent domain. Ms. Ceccato enjoys working with both landowners and condemning authorities on complex real estate matters. Before moving to Colorado, she worked at Legal Services of Southern Piedmont in Charlotte, North Carolina for seven years. Ms. Ceccato has presented at the Colorado Eminent Domain conference; led foreclosure prevention CLEs for other attorneys and housing counselors; as well as classes throughout the community to educate homeowners and citizens regarding their rights in foreclosure, debt collection and other consumer issues. In 2006, she was the recipient of a Consumer Protection Fellowship from the National Consumer Law Center. Ms. Ceccato received her J.D. with high honors and as a member of the Order of the Coif from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During law school, Ms. Ceccato participated in abundant clinical, pro bono and public service activities, as well as clerking for the Honorable Sandford Steelman of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics, with a concentration in Accounting, from Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas Ms. Ceccato is an active volunteer in the community as well as donating her time Pro Bono to the disadvantaged and underserved populations. She has volunteered with the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Denver Rescue Mission, Grant Avenue Street Reach, VOCA Veteran Services Center, and the Colorado Poverty Law Project.

Job Titles:

• Shareholders Special Counsel Associates Staff Member

Steven Louis-Prescott represents a vast array of clients in various litigation and transactional matters typically involving oil and gas, eminent domain, real property disputes, and land use matters. He has over a decade of experience assisting land and mineral owners, cities and counties, districts, farmers, ranchers, small and large corporations, homeowners, associations, real estate developers, overriding royalty owners, and other entities and individuals. Common issues handled by Steven include oil and gas leasing and lease validity litigation, surface use agreements, easements, mineral rights sales, mineral title ownership, royalty payments, spacing and pooling, environmental contamination and remediation, trespass, state and local land regulation, quiet title actions, local permitting and land use, deeds and contracts, and land takings. As a litigator, Steven also handles various contract and business dispute cases. He is licensed in Colorado and Wyoming and has been admitted to practice in various states across the country. Steven is regularly engaged as a speaker and guest lecturer on oil and gas and eminent domain/land use matters, having most recently lectured on natural resources at the University of Colorado Law School and University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and presented for the International Right of Way Association and Colorado Alliance of Mineral and Royalty Owners. He is considered a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers and is excited to be part of a firm that is recognized annually as one of the best in Colorado. Steven has represented clients before more than 10 district courts in Colorado, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court, the North Dakota Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and various other state district courts throughout the Mountain West. He recently received a "Distinguished Service Award" for his work facilitating a multi-million dollar sale of mineral rights for a municipality. During law school at the University of Colorado, Steven interned for a judge at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and for the Colorado Attorney General. Steven is part of Colorado's Big Brothers Big Sisters program, having been matched with a little brother for more than ten years. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer, fly fishing, and mountain biking with his wife.

Job Titles:

• Special Counsel

Teri Petitt has practiced law in Colorado since 1987 specializing in water rights and real property law. Ms. Petitt has extensive experience in water rights litigation, including conditional and absolute water rights, transmountain water rights, changes of water rights, plans for augmentation, exchanges and well permitting issues. Teri Petitt's water law practice involves representation of clients in water right transactions including title examinations, sales and purchases, and historical use analyses. Ms. Petitt's past and present clients include the City of Aurora, the Echo Mountain Ski Area, Castle Pines North Metropolitan District, the Upper Cherry Creek Water Association, the City of Fargo, North Dakota, the City of Thornton, the Breckenridge Ski Area, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado Department of Corrections, the State of Wyoming, and a number of homeowners associations. Ms. Petitt has represented clients in the Colorado Water Courts, Divisions 1, 2 and 5, the Summit County District Court, the Denver District and County Courts, and in appeals before the Colorado Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Petitt graduated cum laude from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with emphasis on physical and life sciences. Ms. Petitt received her law degree with distinction in 1987 from the University of North Dakota, where she also was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Real Property Law. She has written for The Colorado Lawyer, authoring Ethical Considerations in Water Right Adjudications, 17 Colo. Law. 2381 (Dec. 1988). Ms. Petitt is a member of the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. Teri Petitt also holds a real estate broker's license from the State of Colorado.