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Native American Law

We are committed to serving Indian Country.  Our guiding principles are centered on providing personalized service for each tribe’s unique goals and needs.  Our experience working with Indian Country affords us the ability to better understand the challenges faced by tribal governments and resolve them in a thoughtful manner.  Our experience assisting and representing tribal governments includes: Environmental and Natural Resources, Cultural and Historic Resources, Self Determination and Tribal Governance, Litigation, Real Estate, Fee- to- Trust Application, Tribal Infrastructure and Capacity, Governmental Affairs, and Economic Development and Business/Corporate Affairs.  Our practice was founded on the commitment to advance the interests of individual tribes, both on and off reservation lands.  We further that commitment by working with tribes to achieve their goals.  This approach builds a collaborative relationship, promoting self-determination and sovereign governance, rather than dependence.

 

Cultural Resources

It has been our experience that preservation of traditions, heritage, and culture on and off reservation lands is paramount to tribes to exist as culturally distinct people.  We work with tribes, assisting in developing tribal capacity to manage and protect cultural values and resources.  This collaboration includes, but is not limited to, assisting in: the protection of culturally significant sites, federal and state consultations, development of agreements, development of on and off reservation protocols, assumption of federal programs on reservation lands, development of governmental frameworks, development of mechanisms to increase tribal capacity, and movement of fee lands into trust.  When it comes to preservation of cultural values and resources, we are devoted to serving tribes so that future generations will know what it means to be a member of their respective tribe.

 

Self Determination, Tribal Governance and Capacity

It has been our experience that the right to live the way the tribes choose to live, is deeply personal and paramount to tribal governments.  Despite policy statements from federal and state agencies claiming to promote self-determination and sovereignty, tribes are often faced with many obstacles in being able to govern themselves in culturally traditional ways.  We are committed to work with tribes to overcome those obstacles and create opportunities for the tribes to choose their own destiny.  Self-governance encompasses the ability to manage education, healthcare, law enforcement, child welfare, legal services, natural resources, housing, economic development, and elder care, among others. We collaborate with tribal governments to assist with: developing culturally appropriate governmental frameworks, negotiating agreements to assume federal and state programs, developing tribal capacity to govern themselves, and developing mechanisms to manage tribal resources.  We are committed to assisting each individual tribe achieve their vision of what self-determination and sovereignty means to them.

For more information, contact Michelle Diffenderfer, Co-Chair, Kenneth W. Dodge, Co-Chair or Telsula C. Morgan, Vice Chair.