Clark Hill Attorney Kristin B. Bellar Presented “Waters of the United States after Rapanos”

Lansing



,

MI


– Clark Hill attorney Kristin B. Bellar presented “Waters of the


United States


after

Rapanos

” to the ABA Subcommittee of Women Environmental Litigators on Monday, January 12, 2009.


Mrs. Bellar discussed the 2006 US Supreme Court’s divided decision in

Rapanos v. United States

and the subsequent interpretations of that decision by the various Circuit Courts of Appeal.

Kristin Beals Bellar


is an associate with the Litigation Practice Group in Clark Hill’s


Lansing


office. She focuses her practice on commercial and environmental litigation. Ms. Bellar has experience in a range of areas including environmental regulation and enforcement, drain law, wetland and water resources, air quality regulation, construction law, complex commercial litigation and creditors’ rights in bankruptcy. With respect to Ms. Bellar’s environmental practice, she deals regularly with federal, state and local agencies regarding environmental compliance and permitting issues. Ms. Bellar has filed

amicus curiae

briefs in the Michigan Supreme Court on the propriety of certification of class actions in mass-tort cases, tort reform and damage caps, and environmental issues such as water use and the interpretation of the Michigan Environmental Protection Act.

Ms. Bellar graduated with a B.A in Social Policy from the

James


Madison


College

at


Michigan


State


University


. Ms. Bellar earned her JD,

magna cum laude

, from Michigan State University College of Law. While in law school, she earned American Jurisprudence awards in Employment Law, Family Law and Jurisprudence, and was an elected member of the Student Bar Association.

During law school, Ms. Bellar interned with the General Counsel for the State Bar of Michigan. Ms. Bellar also worked as a legal clerk and research assistant at a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, focusing on business, employment and contract law.

Ms. Bellar resides in


East Lansing

,

MI


with her husband, James.