11-15 years

Garin began her political career in Washington D.C. working for Senator Wayne Allard and ran the government affairs department at Colorado Farm Bureau before joining Colorado Legislative Services in 2007. She became partner in 2012 and steadfastly through her career, Garin has honed her policy knowledge on issues related to agriculture, including water and property rights. She also is highly skilled as a strategist for higher education, business, liquor, and state licensure issues.

Growing up on a ranch in southwest Colorado gave Garin a strong work ethic and her dedication to understanding an issue completely shows up when representing CLS clients. Her adeptness in many policy areas and direct manner of speaking means that she is a trusted resource for legislators on both sides of the aisle. She is regarded as a top water policy expert in Colorado and has been recognized for her work bolstering the Colorado business climate by working to align agriculture and energy-- two of the top five drivers of the Colorado economy--on a variety of issues. Garin was recognized as one of Colorado's "Top Women in Energy" by the Denver Business Journal in 2017.

She is a proud graduate of Colorado State University where she earned an Agricultural Business degree. Garin has completed Colorado Farm Bureau's Elite Leaders Academy, is a member of the Women's Energy Network of Colorado and has served on the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program board and Butterfly Pavilion's Fund Development Committee.

In her free time, Garin cherishes time with her husband and two daughters, especially during trips to the mountains. She is an avid reader, sous-chef for her husband and wine connoisseur who frequents the Napa Valley.

Mr. Erskine was listed in the 2012-2017 editions of the Best Lawyers in America in the area of government relations.

He was also the architect of the Oil Field Clean-up Fund, which created an industry-supported fund that is dedicated to the plugging of the State's 48,000 abandoned oil and gas wells and the sites upon which they are located. It has become the model legislation for the states and has been adopted in many jurisdictions since its passage in Texas.

Mr. Erskine joined the firm in 1994 after seventeen years of service with Amoco Corporation as senior government affairs representative, where he was ultimately responsible for all legislative and political activities for the parent corporation and subsidiaries, including those involving exploration and production, refining and marketing, chemicals, pipeline, research and development, marine transport and waste disposal in Texas and New Mexico. From 1976-1978, he was an attorney in the state government affairs section of Dupont's legal department. Mr. Erskine was also associated with Alan M. Voorhees and Associates, where he was responsible for legal and political issues involved in transportation and environmental planning studies.

Mr. Erskine's practice with K&L Gates consists primarily of legislative representation and administrative law. He was instrumental in the formulation and passage of Proposition 2, which exempted pollution control equipment from property taxation. In addition to working with building the coalition that insured its passage by the legislature, he was deeply involved in the statewide campaign for voter approval.

He was also the architect of the Oil Field Clean-up Fund, which created an industry-supported fund that is dedicated to the plugging of the State's 48,000 abandoned oil and gas wells and the sites upon which they are located. It has become the model legislation for the states and has been adopted in many jurisdictions since its passage in Texas.

20+ years

Melanie joined CLS in 2000 and has nearly 25 years of expertise in public policy, lobbying, business, banking, bioscience and renewable energy. She enjoys working on complex economic development and tax policy, and has one of highest success rates passing incentives for varied industry sectors. She also has experience effectively lobbying k-12 education, capital development and healthcare. Melanie's strong network of relationships with legislators, as well as influencers in the government and public policy arena, ensures CLS' clients have unparalleled access to policy leaders.

Before beginning her lobbying career, Melanie was the Public Relations Director for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, then moved into lobbying as the Legislative Director at Colorado Farm Bureau, while obtaining a Master's from University of Colorado Denver's Graduate School of Public Affairs. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor's from Colorado Christian University. Melanie is a state board member of Girls on the Run and has served as an assistant instructor at the Colorado Mountain Club's High Altitude Mountaineering School.

Melanie is a married mother to three children and an extreme athlete. Her noteworthy accomplishments include finishing the Leadville 100 Ultra-Marathon, climbing all 58 of Colorado's mountains over 14,000', along with numerous high-altitude mountains around the world. Her current athletic focus is Pack Burro Racing, Colorado's official heritage sport, with her two rescued burros. Her dedication to these endeavors translates to the vision, planning and execution it takes to succeed in politics and advocacy.