Dentons’s Washington DC- based group maintains an excellent market reputation with a proven track record successfully representing Indian tribes in a wide range of high stakes matters including natural resource protection, tribal governance, land and water rights, and Indian gaming. Drawing on experience working at the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and various congressional offices, the team is particularly adept in issues pertaining to federal regulations. The group also advises on reservation issues and operates a pro-bono practice with a focus on economically disadvantaged tribes. With extensive dispute resolution and litigation experience, the team led by Heather Sibbison is frequently called upon to handle matters involving questions on which there is little statutory or case law. Core members of the group include counsel Samuel Daughety, who has substantial experience advising clients on complex Indian lands and gaming issues, including tribal-state compacts and agreements, and the fee-to-trust process, and counsel Suzanne Schaeffer whose practice concentrates on Indian lands and environmental compliance issues. As a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, associate Maurisa Bell has particular expertise in issues related to trust land acquisitions and water rights claims.

Van Ness Feldman LLP’s team has demonstrable strength in regulatory, litigation and energy project development matters, particularly across midstream oil and gas for predominantly Alaska Natives as well as Indian tribes. While Andrew VanderJack  leads the team out of Washington DC with a focus on Alaska Natives and related corporations, counsel Laura Jones, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, manages the team out of Oklahoma focusing her practice on American Indian law with expertise in regulatory and environmental compliance matters, land use issues and economic development. On the West Coast, California-based Patrick Daugherty is the expert for complex civil litigation, consumer class action suits, and alternative dispute resolution in tribal, state, and federal courts for native tribes and is singled out for tribal economic development. The group counts Indigenous-owned businesses, tribal governments and financial partners such as the Native American Financial Services Association among its clients. DC-based counsel Melinda Meade Meyers focuses on federal regulatory law and policy advice pertaining to Native communities.

Combining extensive Washington DC experience with a strong presence in the western United States, WilmerHale is uniquely positioned to represent Indian tribal governments, bands and nations in the most contentious and unsettled Native American legal issues at every stage of dispute resolution, especially at appellate level. With long-standing relationships to various tribes, the team led by Supreme Court litigator Seth Waxman boasts a diversified practice handling disputes about energy resource development, land acquisitions, water rights, gaming, and most notably, tribal sovereignty and self-determination matters, routinely working with tribal groups, members of Congress and the administration on ways to reinforce principles of tribal sovereignty. The group’s expertise expands to tribal white-collar and criminal internal investigation cases, where Tom Strickland is often called upon, next to capabilities in natural resources and environmental law, healthcare regulation and securities law. Several team members have previously worked on Native American law matters in government positions including at the Department of Interior and Justice, respectively. Notable names include Christopher Babbitt, who is active at the intersection of public policy, public affairs, and strategy, representing clients in litigation and enforcement matters involving the federal government and Daniel Volchok, whose Native American practice incudes representing tribes and nations in trial and appellate litigation, as well as counselling in non-contentious matters.

Based in Washington DC, Akin acts for Indian tribes across a myriad of issues with tribal sovereignty and self-sufficiency at its core. Practice head Donald R Pongrace has vast experience representing tribal clients in complex private and governmental negotiations and, most recently, acted as principal negotiator in addressing the Colorado River drought crisis on a Basin-wide basis. Drawing on previous experience working within tribal governments, Congress and the relevant federal agencies such as the Interior Department and National Indian Gaming Commission, the team is adept in advising tribal governments on sovereignty issues, economic development, and land and water rights settlements. Allison Binney, who previously served as chief counsel to the U.S Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is the key contact for land, tax, and gaming matters and routinely defends tribal government before tribal courts and federal agencies. Jason Hauter’s practice focuses on economic development and business entity formation and governance- prior to joining the firm, he served as in-house counsel for the Gila River Indian Community.