Alix Joseph
Denver,CO
Summary
Strategic Senior In-House Counsel with over twenty years of experience in infrastructure financing, real estate, enterprise risk, public-sector governance, and water rights. Leads cross-functional initiatives, negotiates high-value transactions, and transforms regulatory complexity into actionable business guidance. Enhances organizational risk posture and supports mission-critical operations through expertise in tax-exempt financing and policy design for large public enterprises.
Overview
1
1
Certification
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Attorney
Denver Water
Denver, CO
01.2017 - Current
- Acted as senior counsel for a municipal water utility serving 1.5 million customers, managing high-value transactional, regulatory, and governance matters.
- Negotiated, drafted, and structured complex contracts for real estate redevelopment, infrastructure financing and siting, procurement, and intergovernmental partnerships, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
- Provided guidance to executive leadership on regulatory compliance across federal and state levels, minimizing exposure and maintaining continuous service delivery.
- Advise executive leadership on compliance across federal and state regulatory regimes, reducing exposure and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
- Partner with finance to develop legally defensible rates and fees, aligning cost-of-service principles with TABOR requirements and public-process obligations.
- Designed and implemented enterprise policies for procurement, contracting, delegation of authority, data security, debt compliance, and record retention, enhancing operational compliance and risk management.
- Drove implementation of information governance to protect customer data and facilitate efficient open-records responses and e-discovery, balancing regulatory compliance with operational needs.
Associate → Shareholder
Burns Figa & Will, P.C.
Greenwood Village, CO
01.2004 - 01.2017
- Counsel to government entities, corporations, nonprofits, and individuals in water, governmental, real estate, and environmental law.
- Led litigation and transactional matters involving water rights, environmental regulation, real estate, and governmental operations.
- Negotiated and drafted contracts for government and private entities, aligning terms with client objectives and budgets to facilitate successful agreements.
- Conducted due diligence and drafted conveyance and loan documents for water rights acquisitions and facility purchases, supporting informed decision-making for clients.
- Advised clients on regulatory compliance, real estate matters, rulemaking, TABOR, open records, open meetings, and legislation to ensure adherence to legal standards and effective governance.
- Negotiated inclusions of areas into water districts and municipalities from both developer and government perspectives.
- Monitored ballot initiative processes, testified at Title Board meetings, and handled appeals related to water-focused initiatives.
- Communicated effectively with diverse audiences including judges, engineers, scientific experts, citizens, government officials, and boards.
Education
J.D. - Honors
George Washington University Law School
B.A. - Geology, Concentration in Environmental Science
Haverford College
Skills
- Client counseling
- Strategy development
- Contract negotiation
- Real estate transactions
- Cross-functional leadership
- Executive governance
- Legal analysis
- Legal drafting
Accomplishments
- Negotiated and drafted a multi-million-dollar agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation securing long-term water storage rights in a federally owned reservoir, strengthening regional supply reliability.
- Led legal strategy and documentation for preservation of a historic water canal, creating a recreational amenity while protecting water-works purposes; coordinated funding and protection concepts with government entities and a nonprofit.
- Issuer’s counsel for multiple tax-exempt bond issuances totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, ensuring compliance with IRS private-use rules and SEC disclosure obligations while meeting board financial objectives.
- Developed enterprise-wide governance and risk-management frameworks, improving compliance consistency and reducing operational exposure across a major public utility.
Affiliations
- Presenter on tax-exempt financing for lead service line replacement
- Denver & Colorado Bar Associations (member)
- Anti-Defamation League — Glass Partners in Leadership; Co-Chair, Outreach Network
- Larimer County Legal Aid Program — Chair
- Girl Scouts of America, Mountain Plains Council — Board of Directors
Certification
Colorado (Attorney Registration No. 33345)
Legal Publication
“Changes of Water Rights and the Anti-Speculation Doctrine: The Continuing Importance of Beneficial Use,” 9 U. Den. Water L. Rev. 553 (2006).
Timeline
Senior Attorney
Denver Water
01.2017 - Current
Associate → Shareholder
Burns Figa & Will, P.C.
01.2004 - 01.2017
B.A. - Geology, Concentration in Environmental Science
Haverford College
J.D. - Honors
George Washington University Law School