Tough legal cases require diligence, creativity, and a deep understanding of client needs.
How I represent clients at Schwabe
I am an Alaskan litigator who works closely with Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), tribal and state governments, public entities, and companies throughout Alaska. I help clients resolve disputes involving real estate, contracting, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) conveyances, torts, and intellectual property rights.
My experience working with diverse clientele throughout Alaska has given me a thorough understanding of the state’s legal landscape. Beyond my work with ANCs and Alaskan tribal governments, I have represented construction clients challenging competitive bid awards; employers looking to protect the misappropriation of company property and trade secrets; companies aiming to prevent their loss of options to purchase real property; and Alaskan school districts seeking legal counsel for liability concerns, contractual agreements, and employment issues.
After law school, I clerked for Justice Jim Rice of the Montana Supreme Court and U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah M. Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. I also graduated in the top five percent of my graduating law class.
Experience
Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs)
- Represented an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) Village Corporation in defending its U.S.C. § 14(c) procedure and conveyances.
- Served as counsel for multiple ANCs regarding improper proxy solicitations for the annual election of directors by shareholders.
Alaska tribal law
- Obtained dismissal of foreclosure for a federally-recognized tribe after local government attempted to impose real-property taxes on tribal lands.
- Represented a federally-recognized tribe regarding application of federal and state employment laws.
Litigation
- Served as counsel for a city in Alaska against a tort claim brought by a resident who struck a road hazard on a state-maintained roadway and obtained a directed verdict in the client’s favor at trial.
- Received a preliminary injunction to prevent a former employee from misappropriating company assets, trade secrets, and other intellectual property and starting a competing business for an oil field services company.
- Represented numerous school districts in employment and tort litigation.
- Obtained a preliminary injunction preventing the termination of an option to purchase real property with significant mineral extraction potential for a mining company.
Education
- University of Montana, School of Law, Juris Doctor degree, high honors (2012)
- Montana State University, Bachelor of Arts degree, Political Science, cum laude (2007)
Admissions
- Alaska Federal Courts
- Alaska State Courts
- Montana Federal Courts
- Montana State Courts
Awards
- Top Forty Under 40, Alaska Journal of Commerce (2018)
- Holland & Knight Public and Charitable Service All-Star Award (2017)
Additional Publications
The Unrealistic Geographic Limitations of the Supreme Court’s School-Speech Precedents: Tinker in the Internet Age, Montana Law Review, Volume 75, Winter 2014
Gonzales v. City of Bozeman: The Public Duty Doctrine’s Unconstitutional Treatment of Government Defendants in Tort Claims, Montana Law Review, Volume 72, Summer 2011
Services
Community Activities
- United Way of Anchorage, Emerging Leader (2014-2017)
- International Rotary, Member (2017-2020)
- Alaska World Affairs Council, Member (2016-2020)
Outside Interests
Fly fishing the Kenai River.
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