Terese (T.C.) Richmond has over 30 years' experience representing state and local governmental agencies in Washington and Arizona. Her practice focuses on environmental law, land use, water law and climate change. She has broad experience in natural resource policy, laws and regulations, and the governance of large organizations, and public-private partnerships. She provides proactive legal support for organizations so that they are effective and efficient in realizing their missions.
She serves as general counsel for Cascade Water Alliance, a municipal corporation composed of Puget Sound cities and special-purpose districts, and as counsel for the University of Washington, and other public and private organizations.
T.C. currently serves as a committee member of the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) on Applied Climate Assessment, supported by the State of New York joined with Columbia University and the America Meteorological Society to prepare recommendations on improvements to the US Sustained National Climate Assessment addressed to federal science agencies, state and municipal governments, and civil society organizations. She served as the Vice-Chair of the National Climate Assessment Development and Advisory Committee where she led the 60-person Federal Advisory Committee that oversaw the development of the Third National Climate Assessment. T.C. also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Dividing the Waters Program of The National Judicial College.
Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, T.C. was Senior Counsel for the Attorney General's Office-University of Washington Division. There, she represented the University in the areas of environmental law, campus planning, local land use, real estate, environmental health and safety, export control and museum law. As an Assistant Attorney General, T.C. also represented the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington Department of Ecology in state and federal trial and appellate courts and served on the Attorney General Formal Opinion Committee. In addition, T.C. served as Chief Counsel to the Arizona Department of Water Resources; Special Assistant to the Governor (WA) regarding federal water resource legislation; and King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Transit and Water Quality Section. T.C. served as a Law Clerk, Justice Robert Brachtenbach. Washington State Supreme Court.
Certifications
Mediator Certificate, 2006
Gonzaga University School of Law
J.D., magna cum laude, 1984
Whitman College
B.A., 1978
"Best Lawyers in America" by Best Lawyers
Environmental Law, 2010-2018
Land Use & Zoning Law, 2013-2018
Litigation-Environmental, 2011-2018
Super Lawyers
2011-2015; 2019
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
Dividing the Waters, a National Judicial College resource
Board of Advisors
Federal Advisory Committee for the National Climate Assessment
Vice Chair
King County Bar Association
Salish Sea Expeditions
Council of Advisors, 2005-present
University of Washington Botanic Gardens Directors Guild
Washington State Bar Association
Environmental and Land Use Law Section, 2003-2004
Board Member
Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition
Board Member
Washington State Attorney General's Office
Senior Counsel, Formal Opinion Committee, 2004-2007
Assistant Attorney General, 1997-2004
Arizona Department of Water Resources
General Counsel
Washington State Governor's Office
Special Assistant to the Governor
King County, Washington
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Transit and Water Quality Section
Washington State Supreme Court
Law clerk to the Honorable Justice Robert Brachtenbach