Jonathan Ryan Schutz

Since 2004, Jon has practiced natural resources and environmental law, with an emphasis on water rights law, in Sacramento, California.  He has represented public agencies, individuals, and businesses in water, natural resources and environmental law matters.  Such matters include water rights, water quality, recycled water use and permitting, wetlands permitting, endangered species compliance, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, and hydropower relicensing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  He has litigated in state and federal court and appeared in administrative water rights hearings and settlement negotiations in enforcement actions.

Jon is the Vice-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Water Law Conference and the Public Service Vice-Chair on the ABA Water Resources Committee.  Previously, he served on the Board of Trustees for the Sacramento River Watershed Program and on the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Environmental Section Executive Committee.

Jon has written on varying water topics including international water law disputes between U.S. citizens and Mexico under NAFTA, wetlands law after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Rapanos, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s least environmentally damaging practicable alternative’s analysis required for all wetlands projects.  He has spoken on water law topics at conferences in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara, California and Montpellier, France.

Jon is licensed in both Utah and California.  He earned his law degree from the University of California, Davis and his BA from Brigham Young University.  In law school, he was the Editor-in-Chief of Environs, UC Davis’ natural resource journal.  He was selected to participate on UC Davis’ National Environmental Moot Court Team to compete at the National Competition at Pace University.  During law school he clerked at the California Attorney General’s Office, Public Rights Division and was a judicial extern for Magistrate Ronald Boyce, U.S. District Court, District of Utah.