Hal J. Pos Salt Lake City, Utah
| phone | 801-532-1234 |
| fax | 801-536-6111 |
| hpos@parsonsbehle.com | |
| vCard | ![]() |
Hal Pos is a shareholder in the Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources department where he concentrates on environmental and mining matters with particular emphasis on CERCLA liability and property acquisition transactions. His practice experience includes conducting environmental due diligence in connection with mineral and real estate acquisitions and financings and environmental liability reviews and audits for mining facilities, including gold and coal mines; development of mine and landfill closure programs with a particular view toward minimizing potential CERCLA liability; negotiating and drafting environmental indemnity agreements; representing potentially responsible parties under CERCLA in negotiations and litigation with other potentially responsible parties, state and federal agencies and insurance companies concerning site cleanups; and representing parties in environmental civil and criminal enforcement matters.
He maintains Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating, an AV, is recognized in Band 1 in Chambers USA and in the environmental law section of Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Pos was named Best Lawyers' 2011 Salt Lake City Environmental Lawyer of the year.
Hal has published and presented numerous papers before state bars and professional organizations on CERCLA and brownfields topics and on liability issues associated with carbon capture and sequestration. He currently serves as Vice Chairman, Vice President/Treasurer and is on the Board of Directors of Parsons Behle & Latimer. Hal formerly chaired the firm's hiring committee. In addition, he currently serves on the Executive Committee and as the President and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The McGillis School. He also is a former Chairman of the Board of Litigation of Mountain States Legal Foundation and of the Environmental Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Related Activities and Skills:
- Board of Trustees, TerraLex
- Board of Litigation, Mountain States Legal Foundation
- Past Chairperson of the Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Section of the Utah State Bar Association
- Past Chairperson, Environmental Law Committee of the Utah State Bar Association
- Utah State Bar Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section Lawyer of the Year
- Past Chairperson, Environmental Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
- Member of the Utah Mining Association Environmental Committee
- Member of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
- American Bar Association: Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section; Tort and Insurance Section
- Attended the University of Copenhagen School of International Business in Denmark
- Attended the Warsaw School of Economic Planning in Poland
Published Works:
- Co-authored ABA Publication, Utah Chapter, titled Implementing Institutional Controls at Brownfields and Other Contaminated Sites, 2011
- Use of Institutional Controls in Mine Closures, Mine Closure, Financial Assurance and Final Reclamation, 8-1 (Rocky Mt. Min. L. Fdn., 2009)
- Use and Enforceability of Institutional Controls in Risk-Based Environmental Cleanups-They're Cheap And Good Looking, But Will They Last? by Patricia J. Winmill and Hal J. Pos, 49 Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute 23-1, 2003
- You Want to Build What? Where? Using Environmental Insurance to Manage Cleanup and Development Risks, by David W. Tundermann, Hal J. Pos and J. Michael Bailey, 47 Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute 20-1, 2001
- Strategic Considerations in Litigating and Settling Private Cost Recovery Actions for Environmental Cleanups, 40 Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute 6-1, 1994
- Contributing author: Utah Environmental Law Handbook, Government Institutes, 1993
- Areas of Practice:
- Environmental Law
- Environmental Appeals & Litigation
- Climate Law
- Brownfields
- Environmental Management
- Insurance Coverage
- RCRA/Hazardous & Solid Waste
- Superfund
- Retail & Commercial Property Development
- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Mining & Mineral Processing Law
- Coal
- Natural Resources & Water
- Energy & Regulatory Law
- Litigation & Appeals
- Bar Admissions:
- U.S. District Court District of Utah, 1985
- Utah, 1985
- Education:
- Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri,
1984
J.D. degree - Carleton College,
1981
B.A. degree
Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Presented: "Brownfield's Projects - Liability Protection," Utah Brownfields Conference: New Opportunities for Communities, May 2010
- Presented: "Use of Institutional Controls in Mine Closures", Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Special Institute, November 2009
- Presented: "Legal Issues Associated with Carbon Captive and Geologic Storage", Terralex Annual Meeting, 2007, Mexico City, Mexico
- Presented: "Use and Enforceability of Institutional Controls in Risk-Based Environmental Cleanups - They're Cheap and Good Looking, But Will They Last," 49th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Institute, July 2003
- Presented: "You Want to Build What? Where? Using Environmental Insurance to Manage Cleanup and Development Risks," 47th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Institute, July 2001
- Presented: "Administrative, Legislative and Judicial Developments Concerning the Federal Superfund Program," Government Institutes, 1999
- Presented: "Recent Developments in Environmental Coverage Litigation," Government Institutes, 1999
- Presented: "Strategic Considerations Concerning Environmental Coverage Claims," Utah State Bar, 1996
- Presented: "Strategic Considerations in Litigating and Settling Private Cost Recovery Actions for Environmental Cleanups," 40th Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, July 1994
- Presented: "Early De Minimis Settlements Under Superfund," Arizona State Bar Annual Meetings, 1993
- Presented: "Minimizing Superfund Transactional Costs," Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management, 1992
- Presented: "Considerations in Selecting Qualified Environmental Consultants," National Contracts Management Association Meeting, 1992
- Presented: "Overview of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Process Under CERCLA," Utah State Bar, 1990
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Journal of Contemporary Law, 1983 - 1984
- Recent Development Editor

















