Attorney Profiles
Biography
Chad West was drawn to Baron & Budd because of the firm’s groundbreaking role in protecting water quality for communities and individuals. Chad grew up on a Midwest farm where he learned to appreciate the importance of water. “I wanted to use my law degree to protect this precious resource from those corporations that tarnish the taste, quality and safety of our aquifers,” Chad says.
Before attending law school, Chad was a Captain in the U.S. Army from 1999 until 2003, serving his country in Hungary and Bosnia and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Working in the water contamination litigation group at Baron & Budd, Chad has simply found another way to protect and serve American citizens, by protecting the water that—although often overlooked—is vital to the survival and well-being of our communities.
Education
Texas Tech University (J.D. 2006) with honors; Member, Texas Tech Law Review
Webster University (M.B.A. 2001)
Washington University in St. Louis (B.B.A. 1999)
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Dallas Association of Young Lawyers – Leadership Class 2007
Fort Worth Avenue Development Group
Preservation Dallas
Presentations
“Economics and Ethics in the Genetic Engineering of Animals,” invited presentation at the Texas Tech University Department of Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Seminar Series on Wildlife Conservation, September 6, 2006.
“Genetic Engineering, Ethics and the Law,” invited presentation at the Texas Tech University School of Law, Law & Science class, September 6, 2006.
“The Human Right to Water,” panelist at the Virginia Lakes and Watershed Association 2006 Water Conference, Richmond, Virginia, March 19 – 21, 2006.
“Precious, Worthless, or Incalculable: The Value and Ethic of Water,” (www.watersymposium.net) Texas Tech University School of Law, November 2 – 4, 2005 (served as symposium organizer).
Publications
Author, “The Ogallala Aquifer: A Legal Comparison and Analysis of the Potential Conflicts Between the Eight States Relying on its Transboundary Groundwater,” (manuscript under review).
Author, "For Body, Soul or Wealth: The Evolution and Policy Implications of a Water Ethic,” 26 Stanford Environmental Law Journal 201 (2007).
Co-author, "Tips for Appellate Attorneys from the Cheap Seats,” The Appellate Advocate (Fall 2007).
Author, "Economics and Ethics in the Genetic Engineering of Animals,”19 Harvard Journal of Law and Technology 414 (2006).
Author, "Show Me the Water! It Is Time for Congress to Acknowledge the Human Right to Water Access,” 36 Environmental Law Reporter 10047 (2006).
Co-author, “Top Ten List,” Tarrant County Bar Journal (Dec. 2006 – July 2007) (monthly humor-based column)
Newsrss
MTBE Water Contamination Suit Results in Historic Settlement
Dallas, TX – (May 7, 2008) – Representing 153 public water providers, which includes municipalities, water agencies and private water companies, from 17 states, the national law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. today announced the largest settlement to date with many of America’s leading oil companies over drinking water contamination caused by the gasoline additive Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE). The settlement stems from cases pending in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) court in New York established to hear MTBE cases nationwide. Read More
