Heather Welles focuses her practice on complex litigation and appeals, with a particular focus on water and public law issues. She has drafted briefs in federal and state trial and appellate courts, including the US Supreme Court, on a range of subjects, including federal constitutional law, federal courts and jurisdictional issues, statutory interpretation, water law, land use, contracts, and trademark law. Heather is a core member of the firm’s water practice, representing clients in areas including public agencies, agriculture, energy, private equity, and environmental conservation. Heather also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights and impact litigation.
Prior to joining O’Melveny, Heather served as a law clerk for the Honorable David S. Tatel on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable William A. Fletcher on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Heather graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where she was awarded the Thelen Marrin Prize for Academic Excellence for graduating first in her class and served as the Editor in Chief of the Ecology Law
Quarterly. She previously served as a legislative director in the Texas House of Representatives, where she worked on groundwater regulation, water quality, energy, and land use.
Honors & Awards
- Member of the team recognized as Environment/Natural Resources Litigation Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation California (2019)
Admissions
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
- US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- US District Court, Central District of California
Education
- University of California at Berkeley, J.D.: Thelen Marrin Prize for Academic Excellence (best academic record in graduating class); Order of the Coif; Editor in Chief, Ecology Law Quarterly; Landis Prize (most accomplished research paper in water or local government law); American Jurisprudence Awards for best exam in Constitutional Law, Contracts, Water Law, and Land Use Law
- University of California at San Diego, B.A., Political Science
Professional Activities
Clerkships
- Honorable David S. Tatel, US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
- Honorable William A. Fletcher, US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Publications
- “Toward a Management Doctrine for Texas Groundwater,” Ecology Law Quarterly, Vol. 40 (2013)
- “What’s a Smelt Worth?: The Endangered Species Act and the Commerce Clause in the Bay-Delta,” Ecology Law Quarterly, Vol. 39 (2012)
- “Will the Wilderness Act Be Diluted in Drakes Estero?” Ecology Law Quarterly Currents (Aug. 26, 2012) (co-authored with Nell Green Nylen, Elisabeth Long, Mary Loum, Dan Carlin, Brynn Cook, and Sage Adams)