Somach Simmons & Dunn

Profile

Mr. Poulsen joined the firm as an associate attorney in 2007, after previously clerking with the firm in 2006. In May 2007, he earned a J.D. with honors, from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law where he also earned a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. In law school, he served as Articles Editor for the Journal of Land Resources and Environmental Law, was the recipient of the Robert W. Swenson Fellowship in Natural Resources Law, and recipient of the Robert Schmid Natural Resources Writing Award. Mr. Poulsen was a member of the University of Utah's National Environmental Moot Court Team and was awarded Best Oral Advocate in the National Competition at Pace University. Prior to joining the firm, he clerked with Western States Water Council, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. Mr. Poulsen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah with a B.S. in environmental studies, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He is a member of the State Bar of California.

Areas of Practice Emphasis

Water and natural resources law, land use and planning law, administrative law, municipal and local agency law, and environmental law including California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liablity Act (CERCLA)

Prior Positions

Law Clerk: Western States Water Council, Salt Lake City, UT, 2006-2007

Law Clerk: Somach, Simmons & Dunn, Sacramento, CA, Summer 2006.

Law Clerk: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Washington D.C., Summer 2005.

NEPA Consultant, American Environmental Consulting and Engineering, Salt Lake City, UT, 2004.

Education

JD, with honors, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, 2007.
B.S., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Environmental Studies and Geography, University of Utah 2004.

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California, 2007

Academic Positions

Publications

Klamath Basin Rrestoration Agreement: An Attempt to Realize the Goals of the Fifty-Year-Old Klamath River Compact, 18 Cal. Water Law & Policy Reporter, 227 (May 2008)

The North Giveth and The North Taketh Away: Negotiating Delivery Reductions to Mexico Through the Colorado River Seven-State Agreement for Drought Management – A Potential Conflict? 30 Environs Envtl. Law & Policy Journal, 221 (Spring 2007)

Reduce? A Look at the Upper Colorado River Basin's Annual Delivery Obligation to the Lower Basin in Light of Secretary Norton's Mid-year 2005 AOP Decision, 26 Journal of Land Res. Envtl. Law 207 (2006)

The Politics of the Glen Canyon Dam: Challenging the Status Quo of Water Policy in the West, 6 Hinckley Journal of Politics, 15 (2005)