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MSLF Headquarters
William Perry Pendley
Contact William Perry Pendley by E-mail
President and Chief Operating Officer
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| Born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, he received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics and Political Science from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, after which he received his J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, where he was Senior Editor on Land and Water Law Review. He served as an attorney to former Senator Clifford P. Hansen (R-Wyoming) and to the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. During the Reagan Administration, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy and Minerals of the Department of Interior, where he authored President Reagan's National Minerals Policy and Exclusive Economic Zone proclamation. He was a consultant to former Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, Jr., and was engaged in the private practice of law in the Washington, D.C., area before his return to the West in 1989. He has argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States as well as various federal courts of appeals; he won what Time called a "legal earthquake" when the Supreme Court ruled in his favor in the historic Adarand (equal protection) case. His monthly column, Summary Judgment, appears throughout the country; he is the author of three books: It Takes A Hero (1994); War on the West (1995); and Warriors for the West (2006). He is admitted to practice law in Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. |
Steven J. Lechner
Contact Steven J. Lechner by E-mail
Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
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| Mr. Lechner graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering. In 1990, he received his J.D. degree from the University of Colorado. He served as a Staff Attorney with MSLF from January 1991 until March 1998, when he entered the private practice of law. In November 2000, Mr. Lechner rejoined MSLF as Managing Attorney. He carries a single-digit handicap on the golf course and is an Ohio State Buckeye fan. Mr. Lechner is licensed to practice law in State of Colorado and is admitted to practice before, inter alia, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, numerous U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. |
Janice K. Alvarado
Contact Janice K. Alvarado by E-mail
Vice President of Administration
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| Ms. Alvarado was born and raised in Englewood, Colorado. Employed with Mountain States Legal Foundation since March 1982, she now is responsible for soliciting and responding to major donors; planning and preparing meetings of the Board of Directors and Board of Litigation; and overseeing the upkeep of MSLF’s national headquarters. Ms. Alvarado is an avid fly fisher person and enjoys landscaping and gardening. |
J. Scott Detamore
Contact J. Scott Detamore by E-mail
Managing Attorney
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| Mr. Detamore was born in Julesburg, Colorado. He received a B.A. degree in Philosophy and English Literature from the University of Colorado in 1972 and in 1975 graduated cum laude from the University of Kansas Law School, where he served on the law review. From 1975 to 1996 he was in private general practice, specializing in commercial, real estate, probate, municipal, bankruptcy, and employment and civil rights law and litigation. Mr. Detamore joined MSLF in 1996. He is admitted to practice law in Colorado. |
Ronald W. Opsahl
Contact Ronald W. Opsahl by E-mail
Staff Attorney
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| Mr. Opsahl was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, but traveled extensively thereafter, living on both coasts and points in between, before serving nine years in the U.S. Air Force. He received his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in 2001 and has conducted a broad range of wildlife and environmental fieldwork in Alaska, Colorado, and Oregon. In 2004, he received his J.D. and Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon; in May 2005, he received his LL.M. in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy from the University of Denver. He is a published author and wildlife photographer and enjoys all things outdoors. Mr. Opsahl joined MSLF in April 2005 and is admitted to practice law in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. |
Joel M. Spector
Contact Joel M. Spector by E-mail
Staff Attorney
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| Originally from Essexville, Michigan, Mr. Spector received his B.S. in Economics in 2000 from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, while concentrating in Entreprenurial Management and Operations and Information Management. In 2005, he received his J.D. from the University of Denver, where he was a member of the Order of St. Ives. Mr. Spector’s interests include watching and playing team sports; he is an avid landscape photographer. Mr. Spector is admitted to practice law in Colorado. |
Elizabeth Gallaway
Contact Elizabeth Gallaway by E-mail
Staff Attorney
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| Ms. Gallaway was born and raised in the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. In 1999, she received a B.A. in International Relations and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, she received a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law where she served as the president of the Federalist Society. She enjoys music, travel, and outdoor sports and is semi-fluent in Japanese. Ms. Gallaway rejoined MSLF in October 2006 and is admitted in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. |
James M. Manley
Contact James M. Manley by E-mail
Staff Attorney
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| Mr. Manley was born and raised near Detroit, Michigan. In 2004, he received a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Journalism from Arizona State University. Before attending law school, he worked for the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and was a professional ski instructor in Telluride, Colorado. In 2008, he received a J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School, where he served as an Associate Editor on the Law Review and President of the Federalist Society. He enjoys skiing, target shooting, rock climbing, backpacking, and golfing. Mr. Manley joined MSLF in September 2008. He is admitted to practice law in Colorado. |
Judith Stoeser
Contact Judith Stoeser by E-mail
Paralegal
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| Ms. Stoeser was born and raised in southern California. She received a B.S. degree in Geology from the University of Oregon and studied Geology and Education at the University of Oregon Graduate School. She worked for 18 years as a technical publications editor for the U.S. Geological Survey in Saudi Arabia and Colorado. She graduated from the Denver Paralegal Institute in 1996 and shortly thereafter joined MSLF. |
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