Services

Williams Kastner's Tribal Practice Group understands the often complex and individualized nature of Indian law. Our team of Native and non-Native attorneys provide tribal governments and enterprises with the highest quality legal counsel for business, litigation and governmental matters. The firm represents many tribal clients in Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, Montana and California as well as Fortune 500 and publicly-traded companies doing business in Indian Country.

Our firm’s extensive knowledge of litigation, employment, general business, labor, finance & tax, real estate, utility & regulatory law, natural and cultural resources, environmental law and land use complements our practice team’s understanding of federal Indian, treaty rights and tribal law and makes us well-qualified to meet the sophisticated legal needs of tribes, tribal businesses and Indian people and families, as well as non-tribal companies transacting in Indian Country.

Taking another step in serving the needs of Indian Country, Williams Kastner recently launched our Tribal Sports and Entertainment Law Practice. Our long-standing commitment to tribal cultural, social and economic advocacy, combined with our firm’s significant experience representing professional athletes, sports leaders and entertainment companies, makes us uniquely qualified to provide legal counsel in this emerging area of Indian law.  For more information regarding our capabilities in this area, please click on the link above.

Business Development:

  • Brokering various business dealings that further the diversification of Indian economies
  • Developing and accessing commercial financial programs and services for tribal governments, including tax-exempt offerings and federally-guaranteed housing loans
  • Serving as issuer or underwriter's counsel in tribal bond issuances
  • Ensuring tribal compliance with Bank Secrecy Act and other federal financial regulatory requirements
  • Handling federal and state income, excise, B&O, property and other tax matters for tribes and tribal businesses
  • Chartering tribal business enterprises under tribal, state and federal law
  • Registering and protecting tribal trademarks and copyrights
  • Negotiating franchise agreements for restaurants and retail stores on Indian reservations
  • Custom-tailoring construction contracts for tribes and general contractors
  • Helping secure federal SBA 8(a) and other contracting preferences for Indian-owned businesses
  • Facilitating contractual relations between tribes and tribal casinos, and gaming vendors
  • Building tribal workers' compensation and self-insurance programs

Government Relations:

  • Handling state and federal regulatory matters in the areas of tribal gaming, environmental and cultural resources, workers' compensation, taxation, health care and education
  • Negotiating tribal-state gaming compacts and fuel and cigarette compacts, and inter-local land use and law enforcement agreements
  • Advocacy before the Washington State Gambling Commission, Washington Indian Gaming Association and National Indian Gaming Commission
  • Preparing tribal codes and regulations, including tribal court, commercial, gaming, taxation, energy development, environmental and cultural resources protection, labor & employment, and workers' compensation laws
  • Developing employee handbooks, manuals and personnel policies
  • Advocacy in areas of treaty rights, gaming, jurisdiction, taxation, environmental and cultural resource protection
  • Brokering fee-to-trust and related real estate and jurisdictional transactions

Litigation & Appellate Services:

  • Handling complex Indian law litigation, including commercial, labor & employment, tax, land use, treaty rights, natural and cultural resource matters
  • Litigating tribal trust mismanagement claims against the United States, and evaluating tribal and individual property claims under the Indian Claims Limitation Act
  • Defending tribes and tribal insureds from tort claims brought against them in tribal, state and federal courts, including defense tenders pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act
  • Assisting tribal insureds in insurance coverage negotiations, and litigation
  • Representing individual tribal members in tribal and state civil and criminal proceedings, including BIA prosecutions and Indian probate proceedings
  • Assisting tribal governments with tribal, state and federal court appeals, including the preparation of amicus curiae briefs

Our Indian law & gaming attorneys collaborate to publish the quarterly "Indian Legal Advisor ", designed to provide Indian Country valuable information about legal and political developments affecting tribal rights.