Denver, Colorado — August 10, 2021 — Mountain States Legal Foundation today announced the onboarding of new Senior Attorney Joseph Bingham. Joe leads MSLF’s historic Natural Resources practice group, which has been a “bread-and-butter” focus for the public interest law firm since its 1977 founding. And Bingham will have plenty to keep him occupied, given the Biden-Harris administration’s obvious hostility to property rights, grazing rights, energy production, mining, and the multiple-use management of public lands.
Bingham is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and clerked for Chief Judge Edith Jones at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After clerking, he practiced complex commercial litigation for a private firm in Washington, D.C. He then entered the public interest world when he joined First Liberty Institute, where his practice focused on securing the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment. In 2018, he moved to Austin, TX to serve as Assistant General Counsel to Governor Greg Abbott. He is licensed to practice in Texas and in Washington, D.C., where he is currently based.
“I’m excited to join MSLF’s high-powered legal team and look forward to building on MSLF’s tradition of standing up for property owners against the powerful forces that seek to prevent them from using their land,” said Bingham.
MSLF President and CEO Cristen Wohlgemuth said Bingham’s hire significantly bolsters the already strong and diverse stable of legal talent at the Foundation. And Bingham has the fighting spirit and dedication to mission that sets the MSLF team apart from the average law firm, according to Wohlgemuth.
“We hire lawyers who know the stakes of our current fight, but it takes more than just wanting change to be successful at MSLF,” she said. “We have a team of fierce litigators who have spent their careers with their boots inside of the courtroom. Joe fits that model to a T.”
Wohlgemuth liked the fact that Bingham is experienced and comfortable inside both a trial court and an appellate court. “He’s also committed to Mountain States’ mission and is excited to do his part to advance one of our mission’s most fundamental components: natural resources and property rights,” she said. “We could not be more excited to welcome him to our team!”