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I have worked and volunteered in a variety of environment and land-use oriented positions in the Rocky Mountain West for more than 23 years, practicing law for the past 10. My interest in conservation, land use and water policy began with a summer internship as an Archaeological Field Crew Surveyor for the National Park Service where I lived in primitive camps in some of the most remote reaches in the lower 48. Never having traveled much further west than my rural home in Dekorra, Wisconsin beforehand, I was astonished to encounter a seemingly limitless wilderness landscape where millions of acres of land and rivers--30 million acres in Montana alone--were readily accessible to anyone bold (or foolhardy) enough to lace up a pair of hiking boots and survive on whatever could be stuffed into a backpack.
I fell in love not only with the landscape of this Great American West, but also with the improbable amalgamation of industrious characters who somehow manage to coexist, building inventive small businesses and vibrant communities--both physical and relational--in this remarkable, but often foreboding, place. I knew I wanted to make a life here. I also felt a strong drive to find a way to deserve to be here, to be useful both to the place itself and to the people who necessarily rely on the land and its resources to sustain their livelihoods and support their families...the people who concurrently, and somewhat paradoxically, serve both as stewards and wards of the land. Eventually, I found my way.
After attending University of Wisconsin-Madison and Montana State University-Bozeman for undergraduate degrees, I spent the next six years gaining valuable work experience, first as a legal intern at an established Plaintiff's law firm where I first learned about Toxic Torts and the importance of ethics and safety in business and industry, particularly in natural resources related industries like mining, logging and oil & gas development. Then, I took a major detour, starting my own small business as an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and working as the General Manager for a large local fitness facility, hot springs and spa where I learned about myriad HR challenges, liability and insurance considerations inherent to running a small business with significant public interactions. Next, I accepted a position as VP of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at a small Bozeman-based environmental tech startup where I learned a great deal about administrative and regulatory compliance law and environmental policy development at various western State Departments of Environmental Quality, as well as general business practices associated with running a growing, multi-jurisdictional engineering/manufacturing firm.
All of these experiences eventually led me to UM Law where I participated in the Land Use Clinic, clerked for a practicing environmental law professor/trial attorney and earned my J.D. in 2012. Since then, my practice has centered on administrative and regulatory compliance law, land use law, general business law including intellectual property matters, contract drafting and negotiations on large-scale public/government and private projects, employment law, human resources, corporate governance, and environmental law and policy. In 2021, I was appointed to the Montana Water Pollution Control Advisory Council which counsels MDEQ on water quality issues and rulemaking processes, where I currently serve as Chair. I am licensed to practice before Montana State and Federal District Courts and am a long-term member of the Gallatin County Bar Association.
Environmental, Business and Land Use Legal Services
Amanda R. Knuteson
Amanda R. Knuteson