In recent days, the law firm of SNR Denton announced that it has added four attorneys to its Indian Law and Tribal Representation and Public Policy and Regulations practices in the Washington, DC, office.
Heather Sibbison joined the firm as a partner, Suzanne (Susi) Schaeffer and George Skibine joined as counsel, and Joshua Clause joined as an associate.
Alan R. Fedman, head of SNR Denton’s Indian Law and Tribal Representation practice was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “These lawyers are some of the most highly regarded professionals working in the tribal area. Their arrival underscores SNR Denton’s commitment to building its tribal practice with outstanding lawyers who are recognized advocates for tribal interests.”
Sibbison focuses her practice in matters related to fee-to-trust land acquisitions, Indian lands determinations, compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and federal recognition issues. Before entering private practice in 2001, Sibbison served for six years in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of the Interior and at the Department of Justice as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources. There, her responsibilities included management of settlement negotiations involving Indian land claims, treaty fishing rights, Indian gaming and Indian water rights.
Schaeffer focuses her practice on Indian lands and environmental compliance matters and draws on her years of experience in both the federal government and private sector working to resolve issues pertaining to tribally owned natural resources and the federal environmental regulatory system. She has significant experience in land claims, leasing and rights-of-way matters and Section 81 approval requirements, as well as with the acquisition of land in trust for gaming and non-gaming purposes. Before she entered private practice, she served for over four years as the Assistant Solicitor for Environment, Land & Minerals at the Department of the Interior (DOI).
Skibine is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. He concentrates his practice on gaming and tribal land acquisitions including compliance with a broad range of National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and DOI regulations. He is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management (Indian Affairs) at the Department of the Interior, and also served as the Acting Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, Director of the Office of Indian Gaming, Deputy Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development and Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.
Clause is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation and is enrolled at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He assists tribal governments with navigating the fee-to-trust process with an emphasis on Carcieri-related issues; as well, he advises tribal clients on gaming matters including Indian Gaming Regulatory Act compliance, tribal-state gaming compact compliance, drafting tribal gaming ordinance provisions and preparing Indian lands opinion requests. Clause also defends and pursues tribal clients’ rights in federal and state court proceedings.
Over the last ten months, with the addition of Sibbison, Schaeffer, Skibine and Clause, SNR Denton’s Indian Law and Tribal Representation team has added 10 lawyers and professionals.
International law firm SNR Denton operates in 60 locations across 43 countries with over 1,250 lawyers.