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Zane was born and raised in Eagle, Colorado. During his undergraduate studies at the ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß, he developed an interest in environmental and natural resources issues, which led him to return for law school. At Colorado Law, he has taken several environmental courses, including Water Resources, Foundations of Natural Resources, and Environmental Decisionmaking. He also serves as President of the Transaction & Negotiation Team, as an associate editor on theÌýColorado Law Review, and as a member of the Acequia Assistance Project. As a 3L, Zane hopes to continue exploring legal issues related to public lands, energy, mining, and water, both in and outside the classroom.

This past summer, Zane worked as a law clerk in the Transactions Department at Davis Graham in Denver. He assisted clients across the energy, mining, and renewable energy sectors. One of his primary projects involved a survey of regulatory frameworks for Carbon Capture and Utilization Storage (CCUS) in Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, Louisiana, and Texas. While the core technologies behind CCUS have existed for decades, policymakers, scholars, and industry leaders are now intensifying efforts to deploy carbon capture as part of broader climate change strategies. The goal of Zane’s project was to recommend how states might balance creating investment-friendly legal environments with protecting public lands, water, and property rights.

In addition to his work on CCUS, Zane contributed to transactional projects involving energy development. He analyzed provisions of purchase and sale agreements and membership interest purchase agreements in preparation for Davis Graham’s annual Energy M&A Summit. Though often viewed through a business lens, these transactions also determine how companies handle environmental liabilities, regulatory compliance, and obligations to landowners and communities.

Zane also gained experience with a multinational mining transaction spanning three countries. While details remain confidential, the matter provided insight into how cross-border resource development implicates diverse legal systems, indigenous and community rights, and sustainability challenges. Even in transactional practice, these issues underscore the role of lawyers in shaping how resource development proceeds and ensuring it is balanced against environmental and societal concerns.

Overall, Zane’s summer experience deepened his interest in the intersection of environmental, energy, and natural resources law. He came away with a stronger appreciation for how transactional lawyers can influence industry engagement with climate goals, resource stewardship, and community impacts. As he enters his final year of law school, he looks forward to continuing to explore these intersections and the role of law in building a more sustainable future.