Assists with regulatory and legislative strategies for American Indian tribes.
Supports litigation and appellate work for Indian tribes across the United States.

Jenny advises clients regarding American Indian law and policy in a variety of areas involving rights-of-way, Indian gaming, tribal law, land use, and regulatory issues. She provides counsel on regulatory and legislative strategies, and assists in litigation and appellate work for Indian tribes and tribal instrumentalities.

Prior to law school and joining Akin, Jenny worked in the health care industry. She advised a community health center in California on the development of strategy and work-flow analyses for the implementation of new Health Information Technology systems.

Jenny also served in a product strategy, research and development capacity at Blue Shield of California, where she formulated demand and complexity analyses of health care products to understand competitor plans and market gaps.

In addition to her law degree, holds an S.M. in health policy and management from Harvard School of Public Health and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University.

Jenny is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and is Native Hawaiian.

Representative Work

Navigating federal and tribal rights-of-way regulations to obtain rights-of-way grants.
Working with the Department of the Interior to secure land status in restricted fee.
Vigorously lobbying for the passage of the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act and advising on applying the law to tribal tax needs.
Represented a tribally owned federal corporation that provides insurance to tribes and tribal entities, in a dispute with a tribal housing authority to enforce contractual terms preserving tribal sovereign immunity and specifying jurisdiction for dispute resolution. Obtained an injunction against the tribal housing authority to prevent further litigation in tribal court in violation of the contract.

Education
J.D., Columbia Law School, 2013
M.S., Harvard University, 2010
B.A., Stanford University, 2007

Bar Admissions
California
District of Columbia
New Mexico

Recognitions

Diversity Journal, Native American Indigenous Leadership Award, 2023.
National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, Native American 40 Under 40, 2020.
National Native American Law Students Association (NNALSA), Moot Court Competition Finalist.
NNALSA, 3L of the Year Honoree.

Affiliations and Public Service

Member, California Indian Law Association.
Member, National Native American Bar Association.
Member, Native American Bar Association of D.C.
Past president, Columbia NALSA.

Speeches and Publications

Moderator, “The Future of Tribal Sovereignty and Governance,” Stanford Indigenous Alumni Summit, October 20, 2022.
Moderator, “Tribal and Federal Election Law 101,” Federal Bar Association D.C. Indian Law Conference, October 25, 2019.
Moderator, “Litigating Indian Law Issues in State and Federal Appellate Courts,” Federal Bar Association D.C. Indian Law Conference, November 3, 2018.