BB&K's Roderick E. Walston Receives National "Burton Award"

The California law firm of Best Best & Krieger LLP (BB&K) announces that Roderick E. Walston has been named a winner of the Burton Award for legal writing.  Walston is an of counsel attorney in the firm’s environmental and natural resources practice group, resident in the Walnut Creek, Calif. office.

The Burton Awards recognize effective legal writing which uses plain, clear and concise language and avoids archaic, stilted legalese.  The Awards were established in 1999 by The Burton Foundation, a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization concentrating on legal writing.  This year, 30 winners were selected from nominees solicited from the Nation's 1,000 largest law firms.  BB&K submitted an article written by Walston for the Universities Council on Water Resources Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education titled, "The Reserved Rights Doctrine: Case Study Involving Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park."  The article describes efforts by the federal government to work with the states in acquiring water rights on federal lands using both federal and state laws.

Walston is a recognized leader in natural resources and environmental law, and in appellate practice.  He has served both as a litigator for state regulatory agencies and as a manager of litigation for federal and state agencies.  Walston has particular expertise in water rights and water quality laws, and on issues arising under various federal and state environmental statutes such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Walston has argued several cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal and state appellate courts addressing natural resources and environmental issues.  He received the U.S. Supreme Court “Best Brief Award” from the National Association of Attorneys General in 1997, and received the “Public Lawyer of the Year Award” from the California State Bar in 2004.  He is a frequent speaker at water law conferences throughout the Western states.

Walston’s past experience includes serving as deputy solicitor/acting solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior (2002-2004); general counsel of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (2000-2002); special counsel of the California Attorney General’s Office (1999-2000); chief assistant attorney general of the Public Rights Division, State of California (1991-1999); and deputy attorney general of the State of California (1963-1991).

Presentation of the Burton Awards
Walston was recognized, along with the other winners, at an awards ceremony held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 2007.  The Master of Ceremonies was Bill Press, former co-host of CNN's Crossfire, and the evening's guest speaker was Bob Schieffer of CBS News.