Supreme Court & Appellate: Indian Tribes
No other national large firm can boast both a full-service American Indian law practice and a nationally renowned Supreme Court & Appellate practice. Our practitioners collaborate closely to offer clients the benefit of the combined knowledge and experience of these highly esteemed practices.
Our American Indian Law & Policy practice provides legal and strategic advice to American Indian tribal governments and other entities that share a commitment to tribal political empowerment, sovereignty and economic development. Our lawyers and consultants design legal strategies, defend tribal rights and formulate public policy recommendations that make it possible for our tribal clients to accomplish their business, legal and political goals.
We are well situated to blend the depth of our American Indian experience with our firm’s appellate experience, top-flight advocacy skills and hands-on approach to litigation.
Listed by Chambers and The Legal 500 as a leader in the field, our appellate practice was recently ranked by Corporate Counsel as one of the top three appellate practices nationwide and by Law360 as a Practice of the Year. A mainstay on The National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List, Akin is also recognized nationally in Tier 1 in the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers’ sixth annual joint ranking of America’s Best Law Firms.
Our industry-leading appellate practice has extensive experience in areas of key concern to American Indians. Whatever the issue—the protection of treaty rights, gaming eligibility determinations, water rights litigation, settlement negotiations, sovereignty issues, environmental issues, treaty rights violations, Indian Child Welfare Act issues, natural resource damage claims and the management of tribal lands, to name a few—we can assist tribes in effectively protecting their rights.
Our Team
Our appellate practice is nationally recognized as having “the capabilities to handle anything and everything we throw at them; they bring great heft,” demonstrating “considerable strengths in Native American Law” (Chambers USA).
Leading that appellate charge is Pratik Shah, who has argued 18 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and dozens more in federal courts of appeals across the country. Elected into the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Pratik is ranked among the country’s top appellate litigators by a number of leading publications. He has been noted as “practicing before the highest court in the land on some of the most groundbreaking cases of the 21st century” (Washington Business Journal) and recognized as “incredibly intelligent with a total command of appellate issues” (Chambers USA).
Pratik recently prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (“Gun Lake Tribe”) after developing an innovative approach focused on separation-of-powers and sovereign immunity that carried the tribe to victory (and which garnered a profile in a “How They Won It” feature).
Pratik has also successfully handled numerous federal court appeals on behalf of Indian tribes (including three consecutive 9th Circuit victories and a recent but rare en banc grant in the 1st Circuit). In addition, during his tenure as an Assistant to the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice prior to joining Akin, Pratik received the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s “Special Commendation” for his work on American Indian cases.
The team of appellate lawyers joining Pratik is composed of former clerks from the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. In addition to serving as primary drafter in the recent Supreme Court victory for the Gun Lake Tribe, partner James Tysse has represented and counseled tribes in litigation—often developing high-stakes trial strategy with an eye towards appeal. Appellate partner Julius Chen has successfully briefed and argued appeals and counseled tribes on critical issues like the Indian Child Welfare Act.
This deep bench—working hand-in-glove with Akin’s American Indian law experts and litigators—ensures that every case we handle is fortified by a wealth of on-the-ground experience and a critical understanding of how to frame appeals for successful resolution in favor of our tribal clients.
