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Padraic's practice focuses on representing Indian tribes and their Indian country partners on a wide variety of matters, with a particular emphasis in Indian lands, and also including federal-Indian law, land into trust/land consolidation, Indian land determinations, reservation proclamations, leases, gaming, debt financing, environmental law, federal recognition, and Indian Child Welfare Act, and substantial experience with BIA and NIGC processes. Padraic also represents clients in litigation matters in federal and state courts and in front of administrative tribunals.
Padraic, a descendant of the Quechan Nation (Ft. Yuma Reservation), has worked as an attorney for nationally recognized firms in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Denver. While in law school at UCLA, Padraic served on the Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, the UCLA Environmental Law Review, the Tribal Legal Development Clinic and the Empirical Research Group. He also served as President of the American Indian Law Student's Association, as extern for a U.S. District Court and Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge, and authored a subsequently published law review article. Following law school, Padraic completed his Masters degree in American Indian Studies at UCLA.
Padraic's transactional and litigation experience includes:
Successful fee-to-trust acquisition and initial reservation proclamation for the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington
Successful NIGC Indian lands determination for off-reservation allotment in California, for Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians
Successful representation of tribe in all pre-development phases of $280 million tribal government gaming and entertainment resort for Big Sandy Entertainment Authority and Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians near Fresno, California
$330 million Rule 144A offering by the Snoqualmie Entertainment Authority for casino and entertainment facility near Seattle, Washington
$200 million Rule 144A offering of senior notes by the River Rock Entertainment Authority for development of River Rock Casino in Sonoma County, California, by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians; $265 million bond issuance for San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino for San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; $70,000,000 bond offering for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Oregon
Mckay v. Pacific Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 40 IBIA 26 (2004). Successfully defended tribe's right of self-government in intra-tribal dispute and attempted takeover of tribal government
Smith v. Pacific Regional Director (2005). Successfully defended tribe's sovereign right to determine membership and resolve disputes, and established Department of the Interior's lack of jurisdiction to intervene in intra-tribal disputes
Troilo v. Mono Wind Casino (Cal. Superior Ct. 2005). Defense of tribe and tribal government gaming facility against wrongful prosecution, including successful resolution of illegal seizure of tribal assets and violation of tribe's sovereign immunity
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation v. Douglas County Public Utility District. Participated in successful representation of tribe in $950 million claim against public utility involving payment for use of tribal land near FERC licensed Wells Dam on upper Columbia River, Washington
Various fee-to-trust and Indian lands projects in California, New York, Oklahoma, and Washington
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