About Robert
Robert Erickson built a layered academic foundation before entering legal practice. He earned a B.A. in Business and a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Montana–Missoula, and completed a minor in Communications. He then went on to Tulane University School of Law, where he received his J.D. and an Environmental Law Certificate. The combination of business, political science and environmental training shapes the way he approaches legal problems.
At Tulane, Erickson studied environmental statutes, regulatory frameworks and administrative process. The environmental certificate reflects concentrated coursework and practical training in that area. Those studies prepared him to handle disputes that cross state and federal lines, and to work with both public agencies and private clients. He carried that preparation into practice rather than into academia.
Erickson is admitted in Montana and New Mexico and is admitted to practice before the Ninth and Tenth U.S. Courts of Appeal. Those admissions allow him to operate in both trial-level forums and appellate venues. He works on matters that can involve regulatory compliance, enforcement proceedings and litigation. His training in business and political science also informs how he assesses the commercial and policy dimensions of legal problems.
He practices at Rhoades & Erickson PLLC. At the firm he handles cases that require an understanding of environmental law alongside state and federal procedure. He represents clients before agencies and in court when disputes arise over permits, land use, water rights and related issues. The work can be document-intensive and fact-heavy; he attends to both the technical and the procedural sides of those matters.
Colleagues and clients see him as someone who connects technical material to legal strategy. He regularly prepares filings for administrative proceedings and briefs for trial and appellate courts. The practice involves negotiation as well as litigation. Erickson balances those tasks while keeping an eye on the statutory and regulatory regimes that shape outcomes.
Outside of casework he maintains ties to the law schools and professional networks that shaped his training. He follows developments in environmental regulation and agency practice in the jurisdictions where he is admitted. He continues to take cases in both state and federal courts, and handles appeals in the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. His current practice centers on environmental and natural resources matters in Montana and New Mexico.
