Michael J. Wozniak

Michael Wozniak is a co-founder and former managing shareholder of Beatty & Wozniak, with a distinguished legal career spanning more than four decades in the energy and natural resources sector. Although no longer active in day-to-day practice, Mike continues to serve in an advisory capacity, bringing strategic insight from a lifetime of leadership across the oil and gas industry.

Before co-founding the firm, Mike led the Denver office and energy regulatory group at Dorsey & Whitney LLP and spent several years at Clanahan Tanner, where he served as managing partner and chaired the Natural Resources Practice Group.

Mike guides clients through every phase of the energy lifecycle and has appeared in hundreds of proceedings before the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (then the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission) and the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. His transactional work includes advising private and public E&P companies on acquisitions and divestitures throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

A trusted advisor to private equity–backed E&P and midstream companies, Mike has served as outside general counsel from formation to exit. He has also held leadership positions in the boardrooms of public energy companies, including as chair and lead director.

Throughout his career, Mike earned consistent recognition for excellence in legal practice. He was repeatedly named a “Colorado Super Lawyer” and was honored as “Oil & Gas Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers of America in 2011.

Mike has contributed significantly to legal education, presenting at numerous Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF) programs, including the Annual Institute and short courses on federal oil & gas leasing. He has also spoken at the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) convention and other national forums.

In addition to his legal career, Mike served three terms as Mayor of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado and remains active in civic and academic circles. He has been a trustee of the RMMLF and a member of the Energy Innovation Advisory Board at the University of Colorado School of Law.