Biography

Lloyd B. Miller joined the firm in 1979 and opened the firm's Alaska offices in 1984. Mr. Miller specializes in appellate and trial litigation, as well as congressional advocacy, for tribal governments, inter-tribal organizations, Native American health and social service providers and Native American-owned profit and non-profit corporations. 

Mr. Miller’s Indian law practice is wide-ranging and involves complex litigation, civil and criminal jurisdiction, Indian Self-Determination Act health and social service matters, labor law issues, gaming issues, Indian Child Welfare Act matters, fee and trust land acquisitions, land claims, corporate law, government contract negotiations, and environmental issues.  Mr. Miller's significant recent work includes victories in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, 132 S. Ct. 218 (2012), Arctic Slope Native Ass’n, Ltd. v. Sebelius, 133 S. Ct. 22 (2012), and Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt, 543 U.S. 631 (2005); follow-on settlements in these and related cases to date totaling nearly $1.7 billion; counsel to the Cherokee Nation in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 133 S. Ct. 2552 (2013), and counsel to Alaska Native tribal interests in Sturgeon v. Frost, 577 U.S. --- (2019).  Mr. Miller is deeply involved in the ongoing MDL National Opioid Litigation, where he represents numerous Tribes and tribal organizations and serves on the Tribal Leadership Committee.

A significant portion of Mr. Miller’s career has been devoted to litigation against the federal government on behalf of Tribes and tribal organizations contracting with the United States under the Indian Self-Determination Act, together with related legislative and appropriations work in Congress.  Mr. Miller was counsel for the Cherokee Nation and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes in the leading Supreme Court case setting the Government’s liability for contract support cost underpayments, Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt, 543 U.S. 631 (2005).  His successes also include the 2012 follow-on victory against the Indian Health Service in Arctic Slope Native Ass’n, v. Sebelius, 133 S. Ct. 22 (2012), on remand ASNA v. Sebelius, 501 Fed. Appx. 957 (Fed. Cir. 2012), and the successful Ramah litigation, Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, 132 S. Ct. 2181 (2012) (co-counsel to a class of over 600 Tribes and tribal organizations recovering $940 million against the Bureau of Indian Affairs).  Mr. Miller has led the firm’s successes in recovering over $750 million against the Indian Health Service, and was co-counsel in the groundbreaking Sage litigation against IHS (resolved for $128 million).

Mr. Miller’s congressional work has included multiple amendments to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, the recent rewrite to the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2017, and numerous appropriations-related measures.

Mr. Miller was a law clerk to the late James M. Fitzgerald of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, and for whom the Alaska federal courthouse is named.  He has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations and on the Conference Executive Committee for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He has also been honored by the National Indian Health Board, the Alaska Legislature, the First Alaskans Institute, and the Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation, all for his work on behalf of Native American interests.  Mr. Miller is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court and most of the federal courts of appeals, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Alaska Bar.

Honors

  • Lawrence R. Baca Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
  • National Indian Health Board Medallion Award (1987)
  • National Indian Health Board Tribal National Impact Award (2000)
  • Alaska Legislature, Legislative Citation (2012)
  • Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation President’s Award (2012)
  • Federal Bar Association, Chapter Activity Presidential Citation Award (2007)
  • Martindale Hubbell AV rating
  • Top Ten Super Lawyers in Alaska
  • Best Lawyers in America
  • American Health Lawyers Association’s Honor Roll for Alaska and for the Northwest for firm’s excellence and commitment in the practice of health care law (2012)
  • U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms Report as a national first-tier firm in Native American law, as well as an Alaska first-tier firm in this category (2011-2012)
  • Best Lawyers’ Anchorage Native American Lawyer of the Year (2011)

Appointments

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Lawyer Representative, 2005-2007
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Member, Conference Executive Committee, 2008-2010
  • Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Boardmember and President, 1984-1993
  • Alaska Bar Association, Chairman, Alaska Native Law Section, 1984-1993
  • Alaska Bar Association, Co-Chair, Appellate Law Section, 2010-2013
  • Federal Bar Association, National Council Member and former Alaska Chapter President
  • Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section Co-Chair, 1992-1993
  • Civil Justice Reform Act Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska Board Member (1992-1993)
  • Trustees for Alaska, Inc. (non-profit environmental law firm) Chair (2007-2009) and Board member (2006-2007)
  • Alaska Legal Services Corporation Partners in Justice Campaign founding Co-Chairman (1998)          

Professional Affiliations

  • Alaska Bar Association
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • United States Supreme Court Bar
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Federal Circuits
  • Member, Planning Committee. 1990 Northern Justice Conference (Alaska, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, former U.S.S.R.)
  • President (1986-1987), Vice President (1985-1986, 1992-1993) and Member (1984-1993). Board of Directors. Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Reported Decisions

  • Southcentral Foundation v. Roubideaux, No. 13-164, Dkt. 77 (D. Alaska Sept. 23, 2014) (holding IHS liable for failing to add contract support costs to certain contracted Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative and Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative tribally-contracted operations).
  • Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 133 S. Ct. 2552 (2013) (counsel for Tribe in case involving application of the Indian Child Welfare Act to non-Indian adoption of an Indian child).
  • Katie John v. United States, 720 F.3d 1214 (9th Cir. 2013), cert. denied, 134 S. Ct. 1759 (2014) (of counsel) (challenging failure of Interior Secretary to extend subsistence protections to waters appurtenant to Native allotments and upstream and downstream from federal conservation system units, while defending existing protections accorded federal waters).
  • Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, 132 S. Ct. 2181 (2012) (co-counsel in class action holding the United States liable in money damages for Bureau of Indian Affairs failure to pay contract support costs under Indian Self-Determination Act contracts).
  • Arctic Slope Native Ass’n, Ltd. v. Sebelius, 133 S. Ct. 22 (2012), on remand, Arctic Slope Native Ass’n, Ltd. v. Sebelius, 501 Fed. Appx. 957 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (holding United States liable in money damages for Indian Health Service failure to pay “contract support costs” under Indian Self-Determination Act contracts).
  • Arctic Slope Native Ass’n v. Sebelius, 699 F.3d 1289 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (holding Contract Disputes Act six-year limitations period equitably tolled by tribal reliance on related class action).
  • United States v. Jicarilla Apache Nation, 131 S. Ct. 2313 (2011) (counsel to amicus curiae Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section) (addressing fiduciary exception to attorney-client privilege in tribal trust funds litigation).
  • McCrary v. Ivanof Bay Village, 265 P.3d 337 (Alaska 2011) (upholding tribal sovereign immunity).
  • Chickasaw Nation v. NLRB, No. CIV-11-506-W (W.D. Okla. July 11, 2011) (granting preliminary injunctive relief preventing application of the NLRA to the Chickasaw Nation).
  • State of Alaska v. Native Village of Tanana, 249 P.3d 734 (Alaska 2011) (co-counsel) (holding Alaska Tribes possess inherent jurisdiction to adjudicate adoptions involving tribal children residing outside Indian country, and requiring Alaska give full faith and credit to such adoptions).
  • Kaltag Tribal Council, et al. v. Karleen Jackson, et al., Case No. 08-35343 (9th Cir. Aug. 28, 2009) (unpub’d), cert. denied sub nom., Hogan v. Kaltag Tribal Council, 131 S. Ct. 66 (2010) (of counsel with NARF) (holding Alaska Tribe possesses inherent jurisdiction to adjudicate adoption involving tribal child and non-member Indian father residing outside Indian country, and requiring that Alaska give full faith and credit to the adoption).
  • Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation v. Leavitt, Case No. CBCA 188-ISDA, 283-ISDA through 288-ISDA (C.B.C.A. 2008) ($42 million settlement by judgment on contract support cost damage claims) (see also multiple other tribal CSC damage claims against IHS settled in years 2009-2015).
  • Pueblo of Zuni v. United States, 243 F.R.D. 436 (D.N.M. 2007) (class action seeking damages for Indian Health Service failure to calculate properly and to pay contract support costs due under Indian Self-Determination Act).
  • Shoshone-Bannock Tribes v. Shalala, 408 F.Supp.2d 1073 (D. Or. 2005) (granting Rule 60(b) motion to set aside judgment dismissing contract support cost claim and reinstating judgment against IHS).
  • Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt, 543 U.S. 631 (2005), aff’g Thompson v. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, 334 F.3d 1075 (Fed. Cir. 2003) and rev’g Cherokee Nation v. Thompson, 311 F.3d 1054 (10th Cir. 2002) (holding United States liable in money damages for Indian Health Service failure to pay “contract support costs” under Indian Self-Determination Act contracts).
  • Pueblo of Zuni v. United States, Case No. CIV00-0365 LH/WWD (D.N.M.), consolidated into Ramah Navajo Chapter and Oglala Sioux Tribe v. Norton, Case No. CIV 90-0957 (class counsel in portion of nationwide class action brought to recover damages for Bureau of Indian Affairs failure to pay “direct” contract support costs required by Indian Self-Determination Act). See Ramah Navajo Chapter, Oglala Sioux Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni v. Norton, 250 F.Supp.2d 1303 (D. NM 2002) (approving $29 million settlement).
  • United Keetoowah Band v. United States, 67 Fed. Cl. 695 (2005), rev’d, 480 F.3d 1318 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (concerning Cherokee Nation intervention in litigation over UKB claim of successorship to Cherokee Nation) (action dismissed in 2014).
  • Cherokee Nation v. Norton and Delaware Tribe of Indians, 389 F.3d 1074 (10th Cir. 2004), cert. denied, 126 S. Ct. 333 (2005) (holding unlawful Secretarial recognition of an entity previously merged into the Cherokee Nation by treaty and a congressionally-ratified 1867 inter-tribal agreement).
  • Native Village of Eyak v. Daley, 375 F.3d 1218, (9th Cir. 2004) (en banc) (of counsel to NARF) (order vacating dismissal of claims).
  • Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. v. Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 959, AFL-CIO, CLC., 341 NLRB No. 139 (May 28, 2004) (declining to exercise NLRB jurisdiction over an Alaska tribal health care provider). See also Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. v. National Labor Relations Bd., 234 F.3d 714 (D.C. Cir. 2000), rev’g 328 NLRB 101 (1999) and 329 NLRB 86 (1999) (counsel for petitioner challenging NLRB ruling that National Labor Relations Act applies to Tribes administering a federal hospital under the Indian Self-Determination Act outside an Indian reservation, and remanding to the NLRB for further proceedings).
  • Appeals of Cherokee Nation, IBCA Nos. 4434/4435-2002 (IBCA 2003) (counsel of record in successful Indian Reservation Roads contract funding claim exceeding $800,000).
  • Navajo Nation v. DHHS, 325 F.3d 1133 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc) (counsel of record for Amicus Tanana Chiefs Conference in support of rehearing) (concerning whether Temporary Assistance to Needy Families is an “Indian” program under ISDA).
  • Runyon ex rel. B.R. v. Association of Council Presidents, et al., 84 P.3d 437, (Alaska 2004) (co-counsel with Native American Rights Fund for Amicus Alaska Inter-Tribal Council in successfully urging Court to reject Alaska Legislature’s request that the Court overrule John v. Baker, 982 P.2d 738 (Alaska 1999), which held that the Department of the Interior had lawfully recognized the political tribal status of Alaska Native villages).
  • Safari Club International, et al. v. Demientieff, et al., No. A98-0414-CV (HRH) (D. Alaska Jan. 16, 2004) (of counsel) (challenging 2002 Interior Department changes in the composition of the Regional Advisory Councils established under Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act, and defending Councils’ prior subsistence hunting determinations).
  • Katie John v. United States and Alaska Federation of Natives v. United States, 72 F.3d 698 (9th Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 116 S. Ct. 1672 (1996), on renewed appeal from final judgment 247 F.3d 1032 (9th Cir. 2001) (en banc) (of counsel) (cross-petition for writ of certiorari on issue of whether United States’ navigational servitude constitutes an “interest in waters,” title to which is in the United States, within the meaning of the “public lands” provision of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and of counsel in follow-on Ninth Circuit appeal).
  • In re the EXXON VALDEZ, Case No. A89-069 (D. Alaska) and Case No. 3AN-89-2533 (Alaska Superior Court) (Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and lead class counsel for the Alaska Native Subsistence Class). See also Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, 128 S. Ct. 2605 (2008) (remitting punitive damage award to $500 million).
  • Alaska Native Class v. Exxon Corp., 104 F.3d 1196 (9th Cir. 1997) (concerning Alaska Native subsistence hunting and fishing claims).
  • Eyak Native Village v. Exxon, 25 F.3d 773 (9th Cir. 1994).
  • Shoshone-Bannock Tribes v. Shalala, 988 F. Supp. 1306 (D. Or. 1997); Shoshone-Bannock Tribes v. Shalala, 999 F. Supp. 1395 (D. Or. 1998) (on reconsideration); Shoshone-Bannock Tribes v. Shalala, 58 F.Supp.2d 1911 (D. Or. 1999) (on remand), rev’d on appeal 279 F.3d 660 (9th Cir. 2002) (establishing de novo standard of review, agency burden of proof, and availability of damages remedy in Indian Self-Determination Act litigation, but reversing lower court award of damages for agency failure to pay contract support costs, overruled by Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt, 543 U.S. 631 (2005)).
  • Alaskans for a Common Language, Inc. and U.S. English, Inc. v. Kritz, et al., 170 P.3d 183 (Alaska 2007) (of counsel) (action successfully challenging portions of “English Only” law).
  • John v. Baker, 982 P.2d 738 (Alaska 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1182 (2000) (co-counsel for tribal Amici in first Alaska Supreme Court case to confirm the federally recognized sovereign status of Alaska Native villages operating outside Indian country).
  • CIGNA Ins. Co. and Native Village of Mekoryuk, et al. v. Moses, Case Nos. S-08908/ 8918 (Alaska) (co-counsel for Amici in case involving interplay between sovereign immunity and workers compensation laws) (appeal dismissed on settlement).
  • State of Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie, 522 U.S. 520 (1998) (co-counsel) (holding certain Alaska Native ANCSA lands do not constitute “Indian country”), rev’g State of Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie, 101 F.3d 1286 (9th Cir. 1996) (counsel for Alaska tribal amici).
  • Hernandez v. Lambert, 951 P.2d 436 (Alaska 1998) (counsel for amicus Native Village of Tanana in challenge to tribal court adoption decree terminating parental rights).
  • Ramah Navajo Chapter v. Lujan, 112 F.3d 1455 (10th Cir. 1997), on remand 50 F.Supp.2d 1091 (D.N.M. 1999) (counsel for absent “DCA” class members initially excluded from nationwide class settlement).
  • Ramah Navajo School Board and Puyallup Tribe of Indians v. Babbitt, 87 F.3d 1338 (D.C. Cir. 1996) (interpreting scope of agency authority and discretion under the Indian Self-Determination Act, and declaring invalid Bureau of Indian Affairs practice regarding contract support cost payments).
  • Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation v. Trust Insurance Plan for Southwest Alaska, 884 F. Supp. 1360 (D. Alaska 1994) (first-impression case establishing liability of third-party health plans under section 206 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to cover the costs of Indian Health Service-funded health care provided by tribes or tribal organizations under the Indian Self-Determination Act).
  • Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak, 501 U. S. 775 (1991) (counsel for Amici Native Village of Tanana, 95 Tribes and the Alaska Federation of Natives defending lower court rulings in favor of federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Native villages).
  • Native Village of Venetie v. State of Alaska, 944 F.2d 548 (9th Cir. 1991) (counsel for amici 197 Tribes, Alaska Federation of Natives, and Alaska Native Coalition in case holding Indian Child Welfare Act and Public Law 280 left intact the inherent authority of Alaska Native Tribes to adjudicate child custody and related matters, and entitling those decrees to full faith and credit).
  • Catholic Social Services v. C.A.A. and Cook Inlet Tribal Council, 783 P.2d 1159 (Alaska 1989), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 948 (1990) (concerning whether Indian Child Welfare Act mandates tribal notice of state court voluntary parental rights termination proceeding).
  • Matter of 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 Delinquent Property Taxes Owed City of Nome, Alaska, 780 P.2d 363 (Alaska 1989) (of counsel) (upholding immunity of IRA Tribe from city property taxes assessed on tribal property outside Indian country).
  • Aloysius v. Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, E.E.O.C. No. 380-88-0792 (Seattle Dist. Apr. 15, 1988) (counsel in four cases establishing Alaska Native nonprofit health care and social service providers enjoy tribal employer exemption under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act).
  • State of Alaska v. Venetie, 856 F.2d 1384 (9th Cir. 1988) (counsel for amici Alaska tribal interests in interlocutory appeal concerning the application of the tribal exhaustion rule at preliminary injunction stage).
  • Native Village of Stevens v. Alaska Management & Planning, 757 P.2d 548 (Alaska 1988) (counsel for amici seeking reconsideration of ruling determining that no federally recognized tribes exist in Alaska) (reconsideration denied but decision overruled by John v. Baker, 982 P.2d 738 (Alaska 1999)).
  • In re K.E., 744 P.2d 1173 (Alaska 1987) (holding Indian Child Welfare Act’s mandatory transfer provisions do not apply in States covered by Public Law 280) (overruled by State of Alaska v. Native Village of Tanana, 249 P.3d 734 (Alaska 2011)).
  • Sitka Tribe of Alaska v. Lujan, No. A91-492 CIV (D. Alaska 1986) (first-impression case ordering Secretary of the Interior to resume tribal constitutional elections in Alaska under the Indian Reorganization Act).
  • Jicarilla Apache Tribe v. Supron Energy Corporation, 728 F.2d 1555 (10th Cir. 1984) (co-counsel for Amici Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation regarding proper interpretation of oil and gas royalty regulations and lease terms).
  • Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes v. Montana, 568 F. Supp. 269 (D. Mont. 1983) (recovering tax refund for sales taxes unlawfully collected on on-reservation vehicle sales to Tribe, but denying refunds associated with sales to individual Indians).
  • Rice v. Rehner, 463 U.S. 713 (1983) (concerning whether Tribes possess inherent authority to regulate Indian liquor sales in Indian country). 

Representative Legislative Matters

  • Annual Appropriations Act measures
  • Diverse congressional oversight hearings on various matters
  • Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act of 2014, Pub. L. 113-275
  • Indian Self-Governance Amendments of 2000, Pub. L. 106-260
  • Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103-454, Title I
  • Tlingit and Haida Status Clarification Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103-454, Title III
  • Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994, Pub. L. 103-413
  • Indian Reorganization Act Amendments of 1994, Pub. L. 103-263
  • Pub. L. 103-138, Title III, sec. 308 (1993) (Federal Tort Claims Act provision)
  • Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 1992, Pub. L. 102-573
  • Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1990, Pub. L. 101-644
  • Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 1990, Pub. L. 101-630
  • Pub. L. 101-512, Title III, sec. 314 (1990) (Federal Tort Claims Act provision)
  • Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 1988, Pub. L. 100-713 
  • Indian Reorganization Act Amendments of 1988, Pub. L. 100-581
  • Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1988, Pub. L. 100-472
  • Pub. L. 100-202 (1987) (Federal Tort Claims Act provision)
  • Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Amendments (various)
  • Various pending measures including pending federal land transfers, Affordable Care Act amendments, amendments to Pub. L. 102-477, and amendments to Titles I and IV of the Indian Self-Determination Act.

Publications

  • A Most Unusual Alliance: Indian Tribes and Military Contractors Vindicate First Principles in the Ramah Litigation, The Federal Lawyer, Oct./Nov. 2012, at 48-51
  • Supreme Court Vindicates Tribal Contract Rights, Indian Country Today, Jul. 25, 2012, Vol. 2, Issue 27 at 9
  • A New Deal for Native America (2009), reprinted on Turtle Talk blog 
  • Editor and Contributing writer (1998-2000) and Work Group member (1998-2006). NCAI National Policy Work Group on Contract Support Costs
  • Principal Author: Analysis of the Department of the Interior Solicitor’s Opinion on the Tribal Status and Powers of Alaska Native Villages. National Indian Policy Center, George Washington University (1994)
  • Caught in a Crossfire: Conflict in the Courts, Alaska Tribes in the Balance 1990, by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
  • Author: Report of the Committee on Selected Regulatory Implementation Issues Arising under the 1987 and 1988 Amendments to the Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975. National Indian Health Board Self-Determination Act Committee (1988)

Presentations

  • Presenter: The NLRB in Indian Country. 19th Annual National Institute on the Gaming Law Minefield. American Bar Association (2015)
  • Presenter: The Supreme Court’s Decision in the Baby Veronica case. Alaska Bar Association Annual Alaska Native Law CLE Program (2013)
  • Presenter: What’s Next After Key U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Tribal Economic Issues and Tribal Enterprise Operations:  National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Jurisdiction. Tribal Rights, Sovereignty and Economic Development Conference (2012)
  • Presenter: Sections 106 and 107 of the Indian Self-Determination Act (Contract Support Costs). National Indian Health Board 28th Annual Consumer Conference (2011)
  • Presenter: Appellate Strategies. Alaska Department of Law Civil Division Retreat (2011)
  • Presenter: New Directions in Native Health. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, CLE Conference (2010)
  • Presenter: The Role of Tribal Governments in the Evolution of Federal Health Care Policy. 35th Annual Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference (2010)
  • Presenter: The Supreme Court’s Unanimous Opinion in Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt: Lessons for the Future . Federal Bar Association, Indian Law Conference (2005)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act and Contract Costs: An Ongoing Saga. National Congress of American Indians (2003) 
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Native Tribal Lands, Sovereignty and Subsistence. Yale University School of Law (2000)
  • Presenter: Racism and the Development of Federal Indian Law in Alaska. Federal Bar Association, Mid-Year Indian Law Conference (2000)
  • Presenter: The June 1999 Final Report of the NCAI National Policy Workgroup on Contract Support Costs (1999, 2003)         
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Georgetown University School of Law (1999)
  • Presenter: Tribal self-governance and self-determination under the indian self-determination act, Coming Together of the Peoples Conference–Seeding Charred Ground. University of Wisconsin Law School (1999)
  • Presenter: Federal “Indian Country” Law after the Supreme Court’s Venetie decision. Alaska Bar Convention and Alaska Judicial Conference (joint session) (1998)
  • Presenter: Indian law and the Supreme Court’s 1997-98 Term. Native American Bar Association and Federal Bar Association (joint session) (1998)
  • Presenter: Indian Tribes and the Federal Tort Claims Act . Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Program of the Native American Rights Fund (1996)
  • Presenter: Native American Hiring and Contracting Preference Laws. Federal Bar Association, Annual Federal Indian Law Conference (1996)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. University of Wisconsin Annual Sovereignty Symposium (Stevens Point) (1996)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Native Tribal Lands, Sovereignty and Subsistence. Harvard Law School (1995, 1996)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. Federal Bar Association, Annual Federal Indian Law Conference (1995)
  • Presenter: Indian Tribes and the United States Supreme Court. University of Wisconsin Annual Sovereignty Symposium (Stevens Point) (1995)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Winter Conference (1995)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. A seminar series held in Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Seattle and Anchorage (1995)
  • Guest Lecturer: Trespassers on ANCSA Lands. Bristol Bay Native Corporation Officers’ and Directors’ Workshop (1993)
  • Presenter: BIA and IHS Failures to Implement the Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1988. National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention (1993)
  • Presenter: Federal Indian Law in Alaska: A Brief Review of Litigation and Legislation Relevant to Selected Village Tribal Sovereignty Issues. Annual Alaska Judicial Conference (1992)
  • Presenter: Revisiting the Indian Self-Determination Act in the Next Congress: Necessary Reform – Again!. National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention (1992)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Harvard Law School (1991)
  • Presenter: Tribal Sovereignty in America and Alaska. Alaska Academy of Trial Lawyers, Community Law School (1991)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Harvard Law School (1990)
  • Presenter: Harvard Indian Law Symposium. Harvard Law School (1989)
  • Presenter: National Indian Health Board Annual Conventions (1986-1999, 2004) 
  • Presenter: The Supreme Court’s Decision in the Baby Veronica case. Alaska Bar Association Annual Alaska Native Law CLE Program (2013)
  • Presenter: What’s Next After Key U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Tribal Economic Issues and Tribal Enterprise Operations:  National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Jurisdiction. Tribal Rights, Sovereignty and Economic Development Conference (2012)
  • Presenter: Sections 106 and 107 of the Indian Self-Determination Act (Contract Support Costs). National Indian Health Board 28th Annual Consumer Conference (2011)
  • Presenter: Appellate Strategies. Alaska Department of Law Civil Division Retreat (2011)
  • Presenter: New Directions in Native Health. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, CLE Conference (2010)
  • Presenter: The Role of Tribal Governments in the Evolution of Federal Health Care Policy. 35th Annual Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference (2010) 
  • Presenter: The Supreme Court’s Unanimous Opinion in Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt: Lessons for the Future . Federal Bar Association, Indian Law Conference (2005)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act and Contract Costs: An Ongoing Saga. National Congress of American Indians (2003)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Native Tribal Lands, Sovereignty and Subsistence. Yale University School of Law (2000)
  • Presenter: Racism and the Development of Federal Indian Law in Alaska. Federal Bar Association, Mid-Year Indian Law Conference (2000)
  • Presenter: The June 1999 Final Report of the NCAI National Policy Workgroup on Contract Support Costs (1999, 2003)         
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Georgetown University School of Law (1999)
  • Presenter: Tribal self-governance and self-determination under the indian self-determination act, Coming Together of the Peoples Conference–Seeding Charred Ground. University of Wisconsin Law School (1999)
  • Presenter: Federal “Indian Country” Law after the Supreme Court’s Venetie decision. Alaska Bar Convention and Alaska Judicial Conference (joint session) (1998)
  • Presenter: Indian law and the Supreme Court’s 1997-98 Term. Native American Bar Association and Federal Bar Association (joint session) (1998)
  • Presenter: Indian Tribes and the Federal Tort Claims Act . Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Program of the Native American Rights Fund (1996)
  • Presenter: Native American Hiring and Contracting Preference Laws. Federal Bar Association, Annual Federal Indian Law Conference (1996)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. University of Wisconsin Annual Sovereignty Symposium (Stevens Point) (1996)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Native Tribal Lands, Sovereignty and Subsistence. Harvard Law School (1995, 1996)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. Federal Bar Association, Annual Federal Indian Law Conference (1995)
  • Presenter: Indian Tribes and the United States Supreme Court. University of Wisconsin Annual Sovereignty Symposium (Stevens Point) (1995)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Winter Conference (1995)
  • Presenter: The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994. A seminar series held in Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Seattle and Anchorage (1995)
  • Guest Lecturer: Trespassers on ANCSA Lands. Bristol Bay Native Corporation Officers’ and Directors’ Workshop (1993)
  • Presenter: BIA and IHS Failures to Implement the Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1988. National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention (1993)
  • Presenter: Federal Indian Law in Alaska: A Brief Review of Litigation and Legislation Relevant to Selected Village Tribal Sovereignty Issues. Annual Alaska Judicial Conference (1992)
  • Presenter: Revisiting the Indian Self-Determination Act in the Next Congress: Necessary Reform – Again!. National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention (1992)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Harvard Law School (1991)
  • Presenter: Tribal Sovereignty in America and Alaska. Alaska Academy of Trial Lawyers, Community Law School (1991)
  • Guest Lecturer: Alaska Natives and Federal Indian Law. Harvard Law School (1990)
  • Presenter: Harvard Indian Law Symposium. Harvard Law School (1989)
  • Presenter: National Indian Health Board Annual Conventions (1986-1999, 2004) 
  • Presenter (14 programs) and Planning Committee Chair, Co-Chair or member (representative topics included federal Indian law, U.S. Supreme Court developments in Indian law, tribal courts, the Indian Child Welfare Act, Alaska Native ANCSA land matters; ANCSA corporate law; surveys of recent federal legislative developments; tribal economic development; and self-determination and self-governance laws). Annual Alaska Native Law Conferences (1984-2000, 2003). Alaska Bar Association

Judicial Clerkships

  • Chief Judge James M. Fitzgerald - United States District Court for the District of Alaska

Education

University of Virginia School of Law, Juris Doctorate and Order of the Coif, 1978

Yale University Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology, 1975

Bar & Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia, 1979
  • Alaska, 1978
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1984
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1999
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 1980
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, 2010
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, 2013
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, 1996
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico, 2015
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 1981
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, 1979
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1979
  • Shoshone-Paiute Tribal Courts, 2009