CURRICULUM VITAE
WILLIAM C. WATT
Contact
Fax: (406) 728-7098
E-Mail: attybill@montana.com
Personal
Born November 25, 1952 in Billings, MT; 46 years old
Married to Lora Barnes for 26 years; two children ages 25 and 20
Enrolled member of the Crow Tribe
Legal Employment
William C. Watt, P.C., and Mullendore & Watt, P.C.
Attorneys at Law, 310 West Spruce, Missoula, MT 59802
Judge, Crow Tribal Court of Appeals
Crow Agency, MT
Family Business Interests
Crow Mercantile Company, Inc., TeePee Service, Inc., and Makawasha Properties, LLP
Retail businesses in Crow Agency, MT
Undergraduate, 1970-1975
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (1970-71)
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
B.A. (Honors) in Economics and Political Science, June 1975 (GPA 3.76)
University of Montana School of Law, 1985-1988
Juris Doctor (High Honors), June 1988; Class Rank 2/76 (GPA 3.81)
American Jurisprudence Awards for courses on Torts, Corporations, Real Estate Transactions, Estates, UCC Secured Transactions, Remedies, Indian Law, Water Law and Family Law
Indian Law Clinic 1985-1988 with professors Margery Brown and Brenda Desmond
Intern for USDA Office of the General Counsel (Region One, Missoula), 1987-88
A. CROW TRIBAL COURT OF APPEALS, 1995-present
-Serve as the professional attorney-judge for civil matters on the Crow Court of Appeals, with primary responsibility for docketing and opinion writing.
-Served as volunteer assistant court administrator for Crow Tribal Court, Chief Judge Dennis Big Hair, during summer of 1987
B. PRIVATE LEGAL PRACTICE, 1988-present
Law Firm Positions
Sole Practitioner, William C. Watt, P.C., 1997- present
Managing Attorney, Mullendore, Tawney & Watt, P.C., 1994- present
Partner, Mullendore & Watt, 1991-1993
Associate, Mullendore & Tawney, 1988-1991; partner 1991
Litigation Experience
-Litigation against government entities, including claims against the United States under the Tucker Act and Federal Tort Claims Act; class action tax refund claims against the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and condemnation and takings claims against state and local governments. See, e.g., Romero v. United States, 38 F.3d 1204 (Fed. Cir. 1994); Parker v. Agosto-Alicea, 878 F.2d 557 (1st Cir. 1989); Knight v. City of Missoula, 827 P.2d 1270 (Mont. 1992).
-Class action litigation, including service as class counsel in a nationwide products liability case. See Garza v. Sporting Goods Properties, Inc., 1996 WESTLAW 56247 (W.D. Tex. 1996)
-General civil litigation, including securities and banking bad faith, title insurance defense, contracts, personal injury, water rights, and employment disputes. See, e.g, Becky v. Norwest Bank Dillon, N.A., 798 P.2d 1011 (Mont. 1990).
Transactions with Government Entities
-Represented federal employees in joint economic research project with U.S. Office of Personnel Management and Department of Justice for setting rates for cost-of-living allowances in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, 1993-1997
-Represented private conservation organization in purchase and resale of Gallatin National Forest wildlands to U.S. Forest Service and Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1994-1996
-Represented local businesses in development projects at Missoula International Airport and Missoula County Development Park, 1991 and 1996
Business and Commercial Matters
-Business mergers and acquisitions representing companies in Montana and the U.S. Virgin Islands in acquisitions by publicly-traded companies in Pennsylvania and Florida, 1993 and 1997
-Business formations, including corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies
-Commercial and residential real estate leases and sales; private timber sales and logging contracts; underground storage tank remediation; government contract assignments; grazing leases and management agreements for purebred cattle herds
Native American Representation
-Represented members of Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes in disputes involving environmental contamination, timber sales, employment, and sale of trust property on the Flathead Reservation. See, e.g., Krause v. Neuman, 943 P.2d 1328 (Mont. 1997)
-Represented other individual Indians in trespass and personal injury claims and Indian Will probate proceedings
-Pro bono work for United Peoples Foundation and Missoula Indian Center
Bar Associations and Memberships
Admitted to practice before the following courts:
Montana Supreme Court, 1988
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, 1988
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 1989
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1989
U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1990
Salish & Kootenai Tribal Court 1990
U.S. District Courts for the District of Puerto Rico (1989) and
Western District of Texas (1994) (pro hac vice)
U.S. Supreme Court, 1995
Member of the following voluntary bar associations:
American Bar Association
Court of Federal Claims Bar Association
Federal Circuit Bar Association
Western Montana Bar Association
Board of Visitors, UM School of Law, 1997- present
C. SHELL OIL COMPANY, 1975-1985
Buckskin Mine, Gillette, Wyoming (1980-1985)
Manager Organization Development and Training: Worked with upper management and supervisors to implement participative management system for surface coal mining operation employing 100+ personnel. This work was a continuation of the organizational design project we began in Houston before the mine was constructed. Served as facilitator for team-building exercises for staff and operating personnel; supervised Training Coordinator and MSHA-required training certifications; obtained Wyoming Mine Foreman’s certificate.
Manager Purchasing and Warehousing: Coordinated all purchasing activities for the 6 million ton-per-year coal mine, including heavy equipment, parts, fuel, tires, explosives, security, construction contracts and blanket purchase orders for operating supplies. Also supervised on-site warehousing activities and staff; helped organize local chapter of National Association of Purchasing Managers.
Accounting Supervisor: Supervised accounting staff in all areas of accounting for the coal mine subsidiary company, Triton Coal Company. Implemented a mine operating and maintenance expense reporting system linked to mainframe computers in Houston; coordinated local development and implementation of computerized coal pricing and customer billing system for calculating inflation, quality and tax pass-through adjustments to the price of coal.
Services Representative: On-site auditor for $60 million mine construction project; provided administrative services for Shell construction inspection staff; oversaw set-up and operation of 70 mobile home units for construction worker housing. Participated in management team for Buckskin Mine start-up planning, including socio-technical organizational design. Coordinated development of proprietary operating and maintenance expense accounting and reporting system for Buckskin Mine and Shell’s Ohio surface mining operations.
Shell Mining Division, Head Office, Houston, Texas (1975-1980)
Senior Administrative Analyst, Coal Marketing Department: Participated in customer negotiations and developed long-term coal sale contracts for mines in Wyoming, Texas, and Arkansas. This work required a current knowledge of comparative regional coal production costs; railroad and barge shipping methods and costs; effects of coal quality on sulfur dioxide emission control costs and other utility plant operating costs; federal, state and Tribal production taxes and royalties; and BLS price indexes to adjust for inflation mining costs in long-term and captive coal supply contracts.
Analyst, Planning & Economics Department: Conducted profitability analyses for proposed coal mines and contracts based on corporate planning premises and using proprietary economic evaluation program. Developed database of proposed new coal-fired plants nationwide. Completed internal studies of metallurgical coal market, international coal trade, port facilities and ocean shipping of bulk materials.
©1999 William C. Watt P.C.
All Rights Reserved