Tribal Law & Federal Indian Law
At GRSM, we celebrate the significant historical, cultural and environmental contributions of indigenous peoples and aim to promote advantageous relationships between tribal nations, governments, and businesses. When tribes team with GRSM, we leverage our national presence, our broad scope of legal knowledge and our proven results to deliver swift and successful outcomes.
We have a depth of experience across several disciplines and practice groups that related to the practice including:
- Federal Indian Law
- Tribal Codes and Governance
- Tribal Business Transactions and Structures
- Cannabis, Hemp & CBD
- Cyber, Privacy & Data Security
- Energy and Environment, including Solar
- Intellectual Property and Patent
- Internal Investigations (Employment, Harassment, and Ethical Violations)
- Indian Gaming Regulatory Act & Gaming Compacts
While tribal governments face unique challenges, they also have unique opportunities for growth, prosperity and leadership. Our Native Nations lawyers are licensed in federal, state and tribal courts and are skilled at navigating complex business-to-business and government-to-government matters. We successfully defend tribes faced with lawsuits, working closely with tribal leadership to advance tribal sovereignty, jurisdiction and community interests. We bring fresh perspectives deriving from a variety of past and present experience with drafting tribal law, advising tribal leadership on cutting-edge initiatives and emergency response, investigating and resolving internal tribal disputes and training management and employees on areas involving employment, harassment and pandemic safety.
Representative Experience
- Represented Michigan tribe in successfully resolving retirement benefits dispute with tribal official.
- Served as advisory counsel to tribe in Washington on drafting constitutional provisions.
- Drafted and secured financial agreements for gaming operations of California tribe.
- Represented several Native American ranchers to secure more than $900,000 in loan forgiveness.
- Legal counsel for marijuana commission of tribe in South Dakota.
- Legal counsel for tribal election board in Michigan.
- Successfully resolved dispute between tribal government and former attorneys in Oklahoma.
- Successful defense of tribe against employment claims stemming from gaming operations.
- Successful defense of several tribes in western United States in lawsuits alleging injury at gaming facilities.
- Successful representation of tribe in lawsuit concerning gaming compact.
- Successful defense of tribal board in federal court.
- Represented tribe in real estate and commercial dispute regarding development agreement with former joint venture partner.
- Prosecuted commercial claims on behalf of tribe against former investor and borrower concerning funds owed to tribe.
- Legal counsel for cases in Connecticut tribal court.