-- Practice/Services --Administrative AgenciesAlaska Native MattersBreach of Trust and Government MismanagementBusiness Law, Economic Development and Corporate CounselingChild WelfareConstruction and TransportationElection and Campaign LawEmployment LawEnvironmental LawGamingGeneral CounselHealth LawHousingHunting and Fishing RightsJurisdictional and Tribal Sovereignty IssuesLand ClaimsLegislative and LobbyingLitigation: Trial, Appellate and Supreme CourtNatural Resource DevelopmentSelf-Determination and Self-GovernanceTax LawTribal CodesTrust Land AcquisitionsWater Rights

We have an active practice in helping tribes develop their natural resources. Our experience has been primarily in oil, gas, coal, and electrical production through water power, fossil fuels and wind energy. In oil and gas we have assisted tribes in negotiation of leases, joint ventures, and independent tribal production. Some of these arrangements require careful and creative establishment of the division of authority between the oil company and the tribe, and handling accounting in a way that assures the tribe gets what it bargained for. We developed such joint ventures long before Congress passed the Indian Mineral Development Act, which, in fact, was largely based on the successes we had achieved for our clients with such ventures.

We represent one tribe in its contracts and litigation with a major western coal company that is one of the largest producers in the nation. And we are working with that tribe and others to develop power projects so that the tribe sells electricity, not coal, and participates in the larger income that produces.

We regularly represent tribes concerning revenues from water power projects and other water and electricity issues, including electrical production from hydro-power and from wind energy.