Trust Land Acquisitions
The firm has helped numerous Indian tribes acquire, convey into trust status, and secure formal reservation proclamations for hundreds of thousands of acres, allowing them to restore their traditional homelands, pursue economic development, provide housing and community services, and preserve their natural resources and sacred sites. In connection with this work, the firm has handled complex real estate transactions, addressed numerous title issues, and coordinated with tribal, federal, and private entities to ensure prompt and proper progress.
Through this work, the firm also has supervised the preparation, review, and implementation of environmental site assessments, including site characterizations, open dump and UST remediation, preparation of Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plans, and negotiation of environmental indemnification agreements. The firm also has handled NEPA and NHPA compliance for a 1,600-acre master planned community and NEPA and CEQA compliance and issuance of permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for construction of a marina and a compensatory mitigation wetland. The firm also has negotiated groundbreaking cooperative agreements with federal, state, and local agencies to facilitate trust acquisitions and avoid litigation over potential jurisdictional disputes.
The firm has served as counsel in many substantial land purchases, including review and resolution of issues regarding title matters, environmental remediation, and water rights. The firm also has handled intergovernmental land exchanges involving both federal and state agencies. In helping Indian tribes to secure trust land acquisitions, the firm has prepared and shepherded acquisition packages through the complex and evolving federal regulatory regime. In some instances, this has entailed both defending trust acquisitions in administrative appeals and challenging efforts to hinder those acquisitions, including through litigation in state and federal courts. Finally, the firm also has represented several tribal clients in administrative rulemakings regarding revision of the federal regulations governing trust acquisitions, tribal consultations, and administrative appeals.
