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Christa O. Westerberg
  • Partner

Christa O. Westerberg

Christa Westerberg is a Partner with the firm's Litigation Practice Group.

While experienced in a variety of civil litigation, Christa concentrates her practice in environmental and land use law, as well as open government law. She has represented individuals, non-profit groups, businesses, municipalities, and others in their efforts to protect environmental resources. Christa has obtained judgments and settlements for her clients in venues ranging from administrative agencies to federal court, and she has handled numerous appellate cases on a range of issues.

Christa also uses her expertise in regulatory and zoning matters to help non-profits, homeowners, and renewable energy developers navigate rules for solar and wind projects, and to obtain permits and approvals where needed.

Christa's work on open government issues on behalf of media, individuals, and others has resulted in published court decisions protecting the public's right to know. Wis. State Journal v. Blazel, 21AP1196; Lueders v. Krug, 2019 WI App 36; Juneau County Star-Times v. Juneau County, 2013 WI 4; State ex rel. Citizens for Open Government v. City of Milton, 2007 WI App 114. Christa has also represented clients experiencing violations of their civil rights in public accommodation and free speech contexts.

Christa frequently presents on environmental and open government issues. She is Vice President of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, and is the former Chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Administrative and Local Government Section.

While in law school, Christa interned at the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment in Delano, California.

Practice Areas Include

  • Environmental and Energy Law
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Open Government and Media Law
  • Civil Litigation
  • Administrative Law
  • Appellate Law
  • Political Election Law

Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, Wisconsin
    • J.D. - 2002
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Senior Managing Editor
  • University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
    • B.A., Bachelor of Arts
    • Honors: summa cum laude
    • Major: Philosophy

Bar Admission

  • Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan

Honors

  • Wisconsin Superlawyers, 2021 and 2022
  • Wisconsin Superlawyers, “Rising Star,” 2008-2011
  • Charles Dunn Distinguished Author Award, State Bar of Wisconsin, for best article in Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, 2020 (shared with Aaron Dumas)
  • Charles Dunn Distinguished Author Award, State Bar of Wisconsin, for best article in Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, 2015

Published Works

  • Book Chapter entitled “Access to Digital and Electronic Records: Opportunity and Challenge,” in Ensuring an Informed Public: State Open Records and Meetings Law, American Bar Association 2021
  • Environmental Justice in Wisconsin: Law, Policy, or Neither?, State Bar of Wisconsin, Environmental Law Section Blog, July 15, 2020
  • Social Media, the First Amendment, and Government Actors, Wisconsin Lawyer, January 2020 (co-authored with Aaron Dumas)
  • Groundwater: Diminishing Resource, Increasing Conflict, Wisconsin Lawyer, July/August 2015
  • Contributing Author, Ethics for the New Investigative Newsroom: A Roundtable Report on Best Practices for Non-profit Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Center for Journalism Ethics, April 2010
  • Open Government and Economic Development: Getting the Best of Both Worlds, Wisconsin Lawyer, February 2009
  • Multiple columns for the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council’s monthly " Your Right to Know" series, published in newspapers statewide and available at www.wisfoic.org
  • Comment, From Attorney General to Attorney Specific: How State v. City of Oak Creek Limited the Powers of Wisconsin’s Chief Legal Officer, 2001 Wis. L. Rev. 1207
Christa O. Westerberg