Malinda Morain

Malinda Morain has been a critical part of the Beatty & Wozniak team since joining over a decade ago. A tenacious courtroom advocate, Malinda has a national reputation for representing energy operators and trade associations in high-stakes cases involving public lands, environmental compliance, endangered species, and royalties.

Malinda’s experience spans the gamut. She’s no stranger to federal and state courtrooms, administrative hearings, or appellate venues nationwide. She regularly appears before the Ninth and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and has contributed to precedent-shaping decisions at the state and federal level, including briefing at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Before joining the firm, Malinda was part of the New York office of an international law firm where she represented an industry joint defense group and a major petroleum company in multi-district environmental and products liability litigation. Her early experience also includes a federal clerkship with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and summer associate work in intellectual property litigation at the top firm in her Iowa hometown.

A biologist by training, Malinda co-authored several academic papers on venomous snake locomotion and venom injection before focusing her writing and analytical skills on the law. This unique foundation informs her detail-oriented style of litigation.

Malinda is an active advocate for the energy industry inside and outside the courtroom. This includes serving as Chair of the Advocacy and Regulatory Committee for the Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen and as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Western Energy Alliance.

Malinda is also an accomplished distance runner and spends her free time adventuring in the Rocky Mountains.