Racheal M. Brinson

Counsel

Services

Biography

Racheal Brinson (formerly White Hawk) is counsel in Snell & Wilmer’s Litigation, Investigations, and Trials Practice Group, where she represents tribal governments, gaming enterprises, and businesses in complex litigation and other legal matters involving Indian country. Her practice encompasses tribal litigation, gaming, employment, real estate, finance, and commercial matters. She represents clients in tribal, state, and federal courts and in arbitration, with experience involving sovereign immunity, tribal court jurisdiction, construction, tort, insurance, and employment disputes.

Racheal also advises tribal governments, gaming enterprises, and businesses on transactions, governance, and regulatory matters involving tribal lands and enterprises. She has led and closed complex commercial real estate transactions involving more than $200 million in tribal leasehold interests and negotiated leases, easements, rights-of-way, gaming vendor contracts, construction agreements, and other commercial agreements. Her experience also includes advising on Tribal-State Gaming Compacts, fee-to-trust applications, land acquisitions, tribal governance, employment matters, and regulatory compliance.

With more than a decade of legal experience, Racheal advises both tribal and non-tribal clients conducting business in Indian country on litigation, transactions, and regulatory matters. She works with clients to address legal and business risks and protect their interests in complex and evolving areas of law.

Racheal has been recognized by Best Lawyers as One to Watch in Native American Law (2024–2027). She is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and her B.A. in International Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

Arizona
California

Court Admissions

United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
United States District Court, Central District of California
United States District Court, Eastern District of California
United States District Court, Southern District of California
United States Supreme Court

Education

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University (J.D., magna cum laude)
- Order of the Coif
- First Place Ross-Blakely Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research
- Alan Matheson Service Award
- Tipping the Scales Best and Brightest Award
- Jurimetrics, The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology, Editor-in-Chief
- National Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) Moot Court Competition
- ASU NALSA, Vice President
- Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition (Vienna, Austria)
- Certificates in Indian Law; Law, Science and Technology
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.A., International Studies)
- Southeast Nebraska Native American Coalition, Media Co-Chair
- University of Nebraska Inter-Tribal Exchange

Languages

Mandarin
Spanish

Experience

Awards & Recognition

The Best Lawyers in America^®: Ones to Watch
- Native American Law (2024-2027)

Representative Experience

Represented tribal governments and businesses in securing favorable rulings, including dismissals, in litigation involving tribal sovereign immunity and jurisdictional defenses in federal, state, and tribal courts and arbitration. (The result portrayed was dependent on the facts of that case, and the results will differ if based on different facts.)
Led and closed complex commercial real estate transactions involving more than $200 million in tribal leasehold interests, including acquisitions, sales, financings, due diligence, and regulatory compliance.
Negotiated leases, easements, rights-of-way, and other land use agreements involving commercial developments and utilities on tribal lands.
Advised tribal governments on fee-to-trust applications, land acquisitions, and related federal regulatory matters.
Represented tribes in the negotiation and implementation of Tribal-State Gaming Compacts and other intergovernmental agreements with state and local governmental agencies.
Organized and structured tribal business entities, including drafting of governing documents, governance frameworks, and operational agreements.
Negotiated a wide range of commercial agreements, including gaming vendor contracts, construction agreements, and professional services agreements.
Drafted and revised tribal codes, ordinances, policies, and regulations addressing governmental operations, economic development, employment matters, dispute resolution, and commercial activities.
Counseled tribal governments, casinos, and enterprises on governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, and strategic business matters.
Represented tribal clients in protective order proceedings and other matters involving tribal law enforcement and public safety issues.

Previous Professional Experience

Procopio, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, Senior Associate
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Mary Schroeder, Law Clerk
Arizona Supreme Court, Chief Justice Scott Bales, Law Clerk
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP, Summer Associate
Arizona Court of Appeals, Judge Donn Kessler, Judicial Extern
U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Judge David Campbell, Judicial Extern
Indian Law Resource Center, Terrance A. Sidley Fellow

Professional Memberships and Activities

Federal Bar Association
- Chair of Judicial Clerkship Initiative, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (2020-2021)
- Indian Law Section
California Indian Law Association
Native American Lawyers Association of San Diego
Tribal In-House Counsel Association

Community Involvement

American Indian Law Center Judicial Clerkship Committee
- Chair (2020-2021)
- Co-Chair (2018-2019)
Phoenix Indian Center Future Inspired Native American Leaders, Mentor (2017)

Representative Presentations and Publications

“Indian Gaming – The Compacting Process,” Presenter, University of California, Irvine School of Law (April 15, 2026)
“Indian Gaming and the Law: Expressing Tribal Sovereignty,” Presenter, University of San Diego School of Law (April 1, 2025)
“Navigating the Storm: Current Legal Challenges in Lexington Insurance Litigation within the Ninth Circuit,” Panelist, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) 28th Annual Western Indian Gaming Conference (February 26, 2025)
“Indian Gaming and the Law,” Panelist, San Diego County Native American Lawyers Association / East County San Diego Bar Association (August 29, 2024)
“Are Tribal Officials Subject to Employee Handbooks and Codes of Conduct?” Panelist, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) 27th Annual Western Indian Gaming Conference (February 22, 2024)
“Best Practices for Tribal Casinos When Facing Unionization,” Panelist, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) Western Indian Gaming Conference (February 15, 2023)
“Labor and Employment,” Panelist, 19th Annual Indigenous Law Conference (November 17, 2022)
“Five Tips for Tribal Employers to Reduce Liability,” Author, Blog (February 26, 2021)
“The California Consumer Privacy Act’s Applicability to Tribes and Tribal Gaming Enterprises,” Co-Author, Blog (January 22, 2020)
“Cybersecurity, Sports Betting, Hemp, and Child Welfare: 2020 Indian Law Updates,” Co-Author, Blog (January 6, 2020)
“Federal Indian Law 101,” Presenter, San Diego Law Library MCLE Series (January 16, 2020)
“Strengthening Tribal Justice Systems and Empowering Native Attorneys: The Benefits of Judicial Clerkships,” Presenter, 10th Annual Tribal Leadership Conference: Transitions (October 1, 2019)
“The Revised Regulations for Federal Recognition of Indian Tribes: An Analysis Under the Tunica-Biloxi Precedent,” Presenter, National Congress of American Indians Conference (October 18, 2015)
“Federal District Court in Texas Defies Precedent, Holds ICWA Unconstitutional,” Co-Author, Blog (October 9, 2018)
“Community-Scale Solar: Watt’s in It for Indian Country?” Author, 40 Environs Environmental Law & Policy Journal (2016)
“Comment, a New Formula for Tribal Internet Gaming,” Author, 56 Jurimetrics Journal 47 (2015)
“Federal Indian Law and Policy,” Presenter, NAFOA Tribal Financial Manager Certificate Program (May 19, 2015)

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