ABOUT MAYA KANE
Maya Kane, PARTNER
Background: Maya Kane holds a Master's degree in Environmental Science from Yale University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Oregon, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her legal practice. Maya focuses on advising clients on real estate, land use, and property law issues. She assists with matters such as title commitment reviews, drafting and reviewing purchase and sale agreements, water rights, lease agreements, and landlord-tenant concerns, as well as other related matters.
In addition to her property law practice, Maya regularly maintains a niche practice in governmental transparency, assisting nonprofit organizations and journalists with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, administrative appeals, and litigation, as well as guidance associated with state records laws. All of this work is dedicated to supporting public interest and environmental causes.
Maya also has experience in voting rights litigation, where she has worked to support disenfranchised communities, including Native American tribes and individual plaintiffs, in protecting the right to vote. Her efforts have contributed to several significant legal decisions in federal courts.
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor (2011), University of Oregon, School of Law (Graduated Top 5%, Order of the Coif)
M.S., Environmental Science (2007), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Dean's List, Graduate Research Fellowship)
Bachelor of Arts (2001), Oberlin College (Academic Dean's List)
Admitted to Practice:
State Bar of Colorado
District Court of Colorado
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
District Court of the District of Columbia
REPRESENTATIVE CASES AND DECISIONS
Colorado Wild Public Lands v. U.S. Forest Service, 2023 WL 5846678 (D. D.C. 2023) (agency relied on policies that violated the Freedom of Information Act to withhold land exchange records and that the agency failed to meet its burden to justify withholding responsive records under Exemptions 5 and 6 of the FOIA).
The Wilderness Society v. United States Dept. of Interior, et al., Civ. No. 20-207 (obtained favorable settlement resulting in the release of records previously withheld by Federal defendants under the Freedom of Information Act).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 929 F.3d 1270 (10th Cir. 2019) (upholding District Court decisions on unconstitutional and intentional racial discrimination in redistricting plans and upholding Court-ordered remedial districting plans in San Juan County, Utah).
Grayeyes et al. v. Cox et al., Case No. 4:18-cv-00041 (D. Utah, August 9, 2018) (granting motion for preliminary injunction and requiring government officials to comply with statutory procedures regarding Navajo plaintiff’s eligibility to vote and run for elected office).
Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission et al., v. San Juan Cty. (February 2018) (positive settlement reached regarding plaintiffs' claims that county failed to provide effective language assistance under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 266 F. Supp. 3d 1341 (D. Utah July 14, 2017) (entering judgment for clients that remedial plans submitted by governmental entity violated Equal Protection Clause due to use of racial classification and intentional racial discrimination).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 162 F. Supp. 3d 1162 (D. Utah 2016) (granting summary judgment for clients that governmental entity’s election districts violated Equal Protection Clause due to use of racial classification and intentional racial discrimination).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 150 F. Supp. 3d 1253 (D. Utah 2015) (granting summary judgment for clients that governmental entity’s election districts violated one-person, one-vote mandate of Equal Protection clause).
PUBLICATIONS
Anderson, K., M.L. Kane, T.R. Stephenson, A.P. Few, B.E. Hatfield, D.W. German, J. M. Wissman, and B. Croft. 2022. Cost Distance Models to Predict Contact between bighorn sheep and domestic sheep. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Kane, M.L. and Yates, J. April 2020. "It's Your Problem, Too: Gender bias and the legal profession." President's Message, Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Lawyer.
Kane, M.L., M. Connor, O.J. Schmitz, T.R. Stephenson, J. Wehausen, and H.E. Johnson. 2011. Disease, population viability, and recovery of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1753–1766.
Clifford, D.L., B.A. Schumaker, T.R. Stephenson, V.C. Bleich, M.L. Kane, B.J. Gonzales, W.M. Boyce, and J.K. Mazet. 2009. Assessing disease risk at the wildlife–livestock interface: A study of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Biological Conservation 142: 2559-2568.
Interests: When Maya is not in the office, you can find her running, hiking and backpacking trails throughout the San Juan Mountains, especially the Weminuche Wilderness, playing clawhammer banjo, volunteering for local environmental nonprofit organizations, and enjoying life in Southwest Colorado with her husband, two boys, and dog.
Background: Maya Kane holds a Master's degree in Environmental Science from Yale University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Oregon, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her legal practice. Maya focuses on advising clients on real estate, land use, and property law issues. She assists with matters such as title commitment reviews, drafting and reviewing purchase and sale agreements, water rights, lease agreements, and landlord-tenant concerns, as well as other related matters.
In addition to her property law practice, Maya regularly maintains a niche practice in governmental transparency, assisting nonprofit organizations and journalists with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, administrative appeals, and litigation, as well as guidance associated with state records laws. All of this work is dedicated to supporting public interest and environmental causes.
Maya also has experience in voting rights litigation, where she has worked to support disenfranchised communities, including Native American tribes and individual plaintiffs, in protecting the right to vote. Her efforts have contributed to several significant legal decisions in federal courts.
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor (2011), University of Oregon, School of Law (Graduated Top 5%, Order of the Coif)
M.S., Environmental Science (2007), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Dean's List, Graduate Research Fellowship)
Bachelor of Arts (2001), Oberlin College (Academic Dean's List)
Admitted to Practice:
State Bar of Colorado
District Court of Colorado
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
District Court of the District of Columbia
REPRESENTATIVE CASES AND DECISIONS
Colorado Wild Public Lands v. U.S. Forest Service, 2023 WL 5846678 (D. D.C. 2023) (agency relied on policies that violated the Freedom of Information Act to withhold land exchange records and that the agency failed to meet its burden to justify withholding responsive records under Exemptions 5 and 6 of the FOIA).
The Wilderness Society v. United States Dept. of Interior, et al., Civ. No. 20-207 (obtained favorable settlement resulting in the release of records previously withheld by Federal defendants under the Freedom of Information Act).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 929 F.3d 1270 (10th Cir. 2019) (upholding District Court decisions on unconstitutional and intentional racial discrimination in redistricting plans and upholding Court-ordered remedial districting plans in San Juan County, Utah).
Grayeyes et al. v. Cox et al., Case No. 4:18-cv-00041 (D. Utah, August 9, 2018) (granting motion for preliminary injunction and requiring government officials to comply with statutory procedures regarding Navajo plaintiff’s eligibility to vote and run for elected office).
Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission et al., v. San Juan Cty. (February 2018) (positive settlement reached regarding plaintiffs' claims that county failed to provide effective language assistance under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 266 F. Supp. 3d 1341 (D. Utah July 14, 2017) (entering judgment for clients that remedial plans submitted by governmental entity violated Equal Protection Clause due to use of racial classification and intentional racial discrimination).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 162 F. Supp. 3d 1162 (D. Utah 2016) (granting summary judgment for clients that governmental entity’s election districts violated Equal Protection Clause due to use of racial classification and intentional racial discrimination).
Navajo Nation v. San Juan Cty., 150 F. Supp. 3d 1253 (D. Utah 2015) (granting summary judgment for clients that governmental entity’s election districts violated one-person, one-vote mandate of Equal Protection clause).
PUBLICATIONS
Anderson, K., M.L. Kane, T.R. Stephenson, A.P. Few, B.E. Hatfield, D.W. German, J. M. Wissman, and B. Croft. 2022. Cost Distance Models to Predict Contact between bighorn sheep and domestic sheep. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Kane, M.L. and Yates, J. April 2020. "It's Your Problem, Too: Gender bias and the legal profession." President's Message, Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Lawyer.
Kane, M.L., M. Connor, O.J. Schmitz, T.R. Stephenson, J. Wehausen, and H.E. Johnson. 2011. Disease, population viability, and recovery of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1753–1766.
Clifford, D.L., B.A. Schumaker, T.R. Stephenson, V.C. Bleich, M.L. Kane, B.J. Gonzales, W.M. Boyce, and J.K. Mazet. 2009. Assessing disease risk at the wildlife–livestock interface: A study of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Biological Conservation 142: 2559-2568.
Interests: When Maya is not in the office, you can find her running, hiking and backpacking trails throughout the San Juan Mountains, especially the Weminuche Wilderness, playing clawhammer banjo, volunteering for local environmental nonprofit organizations, and enjoying life in Southwest Colorado with her husband, two boys, and dog.
