John Andrews has over 30 years of practice experience in public lands, real estate, mineral, environmental and Native American law issues. Before joining Snell & Wilmer in 2018, he was chief legal counsel for Utah’s state land management agency, where he provided legal representation for a 3.4 million acre land portfolio in areas as diverse as renewable energy leasing, federal land exchanges, real estate entitlement and development, mineral leasing and royalty matters, eminent domain, environmental regulation, federal public lands, NEPA, and negotiations with Indian tribes. His current practice also includes state government legislative, legal and regulatory matters.
University of Utah College of Law (J.D., 1986)
Associate Editor, Journal of Energy Law & Policy (1983-1985)
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (Exchange Student in Law, 1985)
Thesis Topic: "Commonwealth Natural Resources & Environmental Legislation and the Australian Constitution"
Colby College (B.A., Economics and History, 1981)
U.S. Department of the Interior, Royalty Policy Committee (2017-2019)
Western States Land Commissioners Association, Legal Committee Chair (2012-2016)
Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Trustee-at-Large (2007-2009, 2017-2019)
Utah State Bar
Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law (ENREL)
Section Lawyer of the Year (1998)
Section Chair (2002-2003)
Officer/Committee Chair (1997-2003)
“State Trust Lands: Emerging Goals and Constraints,” Author, Proceedings of the 65th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute (2019)
"Federal Land Exchanges and Land Sale Legislation – New Developments,” American Association of Professional Landmen, Mining and Land Resources Institute (2018)
"Swapping with the Feds: An Updated Look at Federal Land Exchanges," Author, Proceedings of the 51st Annual Rocky Mtn. Mineral Law Institute (2005)
"Special Institute on Severed Minerals, Split Estates, Rights of Access and Surface Use in Mineral Extraction Operations," Presenter, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (2005)
"Wilderness and Roadless Issues," Presenter, ABA Section on Energy, Environmental and Resources (SEER) Annual Fall Meeting (2004)
"Urban Sprawl, Resource Conflicts and Economic Development: A Case Study in Reconciling Conflict," Panelist, ABA SEER Conference on Resources Law – 21st Century Challenges of Access to Public Lands & Resources (2001)
"State Trust Lands – Reconciling the Public Interest in Environmental Protection with Trust Management Principles," Presenter, Proceedings of the 44th Annual Rocky Mtn. Mineral Law Institute (1998)
The Best Lawyers in America®, Natural Resources Law (2020)
Utah Legal Elite, Government Lawyers, Utah Business Magazine (2018)
Utah Legal Elite, Energy and Natural Resources, Utah Business Magazine (2017, 2020)
Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award, Utah Congress of Parents and Teachers (Utah PTA) (1998)
