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Brigette Buynak, Affiliate Attorney
Water law, policy and adjudications are the primary focus of Brigette Buynak's practice. With her experience at the Office of the State Engineer, the New Mexico State Legislature and New Mexico adjudicatory bodies, Brigette Buynak has ably represented individuals, local entities, state agencies and organizations in practically assessing and analyzing water issues, rights, and remedies, as well as adjudicating and resolving water disputes, basin adjudications and litigation. |
Professional Experience
- Water Rights Assessments. Represented individuals in determining water rights and water rights issues throughout the state of New Mexico.
- Office of the State Engineer, Special Assistant Attorney. Conducted research on 17 Western Reclamation States; attorney for the Northern New Mexico Team; primarily addressed individual and Acequia Error and Omissions claims in the Taos adjudication; conducted legal research for the Middle Rio Grande.
- New Mexico State Legislature, Analyst for Senate Judiciary Committee. Provided analyses to senators regarding senate bills with a specialty focus on water for five sessions.
- Utton Center, University of New Mexico School of Law. Authored articles on water for the New Mexico legislature on basic water law concepts, adjudications, acequias, state and regional water planning in New Mexico, the Navajo-Gallup water supply project, Eastern New Mexico rural water systems, Salt Basin, the Gila River water trust board, and strategic water reserve.
- New Mexico Legal Aid, Land Grant Research Attorney. Analyzed the GAO Report on Land Grants and provided legal research to the attorney general's office of the state of New Mexico in rebutting the report.
- Stein & Brockman Law Offices. Provided legal analysis for water law disputes and ownership issues.
- Federal District Court, Summer Law Clerk for the Honorable Bruce D. Black. Researched law and provided memoranda on a federal water dispute involving Elephant Butte Reservoir.
- Defenders of Wildlife, Summer Law Clerk. Tracked and catalogued the progress of environmental bills passed in the fifty United States.
- Hatch and Parent Law Offices, Summer Law Clerk. Performed legal research and writing for a prominent Santa Barbara water law firm (40 attorneys).
- Sierra Club, Internship. Organized lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. to reform the 1872 Mining Law.
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association
- New Mexico Bar Association, Natural Resources Section
- First Judicial Distract Bar
Community Involvement
- Folk Art Market, Education and Financial Committees
- Kenyan Children's Foundation, Kenyan Orphanage Volunteer
- Prescott College Representative
- Bali Children's Foundation
Education
- University of New Mexico School of Law, J.D.
- Inns of Court
- Guanajuato Mexico Program
- Focus on Water Law & Policy Coursework
- Prescott College, B.A. in Communications
Advanced Water Courses, CLE Courses
- New Mexico Water Law, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
- Law of the Colorado River, 2004, 2005
- Settlement Facilitation & Mediation Workshop Series, 2006
- Increasing Freshwater Supplies, Universities Council on Water Resources, 2006
- Law of the Rio Grande, 2009
- Endangered Species Act, 2009
- Conservation Easements, 2009
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