Pitchlynn Law, PLLC has provided a wide range of legal services to federally recognized tribes, tribal businesses, and tribal people for over forty years.
Gary Pitchlynn has been an important figure in the growth and development of tribal gaming both in Oklahoma and across the nation since 1989.
The firm has a strong corporate and business practice that includes general advice and counsel services, as well as litigation services.
From on-the-job injuries in the oilfield, to automobile accidents and propane explosions, Gary Pitchlynn has aggressively represented his clients and succeeded in obtaining millions in awards.
The firm is regularly called upon to make use of its litigation experience and skills in diverse areas of business and government, whether for tribal clients or for individual, business or corporate clients.
Gary Pitchlynn is experienced in representing clients in arbitration and mediation processes. A trained arbitrator, he understands the expectations of mediators and can make the best case for success.
Pitchlynn Law, PLLC has provided a wide range of legal services to federally recognized tribes, tribally owned businesses and tribal people for more than forty (40) years. We have served as special counsel to various tribal administrations and legislative bodies and worked in such diverse areas as government relations, housing, health, gaming, employment, elections and economic development with many tribes and tribal entities. We have advised and assisted with the development of tribal codes and with the reorganization of tribal governments through government reform and constitutional amendments and reviews.
We also have been engaged on occasion to represent tribal officials and tribal employees in disputes involving attempted removals from office and for wrongful terminations from employment.
We have provided training for newly elected tribal officials on basic constitutional principles and on the importance of the separation of powers to the political and economic health of a tribe. Since many tribal officials come to office without a background or knowledge of the laws that apply to tribal, state and federal government relationships, we have been asked on occasion to address such critical topics as the uses and abuses of the sovereign immunity of federally recognized tribes, both as they impact government to government relations, and as they arise in various kinds of litigation. It is important for tribal leaders to understand that sovereignty immunity has limits, and in many circumstances, it is to the advantage of a tribe to provide limited waivers of sovereign immunity in business transactions.
Gary Pitchlynn has been an important figure in the growth and development of tribal gaming both in Oklahoma and across the nation since 1989. He played a critical role in guiding his tribal clients in the formation of a strategy for obtaining important rulings from the federal courts and in forcing the state of Oklahoma to negotiate a Tribal/State Class III Gaming Compact following the Supreme Court ruling in the Seminole v. Florida case in 1995. Although Pitchlynn obtained a favorable ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1994 overturning a lower court ruling which had denied the right of the Ponca Tribe to sue the state of Oklahoma for bad faith in the negotiation of a Class III Gaming Compact, the Seminole decision forced tribes to find creative approaches to dealing with their states.
Pitchlynn led the formulation of a key strategy for gaming tribes in Oklahoma, which included the manufacture and placing of electronic skill and amusement games in tribal gaming facilities in order to generate much needed revenue for the expansion and renovation of tribal facilities. The strategy included the generation of funds for the expected litigation services that would be required to defend the games in federal administrative forums and in the federal courts. This activity paralleled the efforts of several Class II manufacturers who were in the process of developing what would become Class II electronic bingo games following numerous regulatory disputes and litigation. Ultimately, through the combination of these efforts Oklahoma tribes were able to obtain their first gaming compact in 2005 following some 17 years of delay by the state.
The firm has a strong corporate and business practice that includes general advice and counsel services, as well as litigation services. Our business and corporate clientele is diverse and has included such varied interests as automobile dealerships, hospitals, clinics and medical professionals, non-profit and charitable organizations, manufacturing, distribution and construction firms, along with real estate development, management and gaming corporations. Our business litigation services have included employment law, construction law and the law of contractual disputes.
Throughout the years of his practice, Gary Pitchlynn has represented individual clients, families and estates in the pursuit of damages resulting from the accidental injury or death of individuals. From on-the-job injuries in the oilfield, to automobile accidents and propane explosions, he has aggressively represented his clients and succeeded in obtaining millions of dollars in settlements and awards. Pitchlynn also has successfully represented business clients in the collection of valuable settlements from reluctant insurers who routinely attempt to deny and devalue significant property damages for purposes of the payment of claims for loss.
Gary Pitchlynn is experienced in representing clients in both arbitration and mediation processes. A trained arbitrator, he understands the expectations of the mediator or arbitrator and can direct the client in the best presentation of a case for the best chance of success. He also is available to serve as a mediator or arbitrator of disputes and selectively accepts appointments to tribal appellate courts.
The firm is regularly called upon to make use of its litigation experience and skills in diverse areas of business and government, whether for tribal clients or for individual, business or corporate clients. Our diverse litigation experience has included significant state and federal administrative litigation and appeals that have involved everything from certification decisions denying 8A Classifications by the Small Business Administration, to the appeal of federal and state contract and licensing award decisions of federal agencies, as well as conflicts over the performance of construction contracts.
This office provides a wide range of consulting services that are related to the diverse experience in litigation, research and expertise of the founder, Gary S. Pitchlynn. Pitchlynn has been engaged to provide these services on a wide range of subjects, including tribal government reform and structuring; constitutional interpretation and amendment; tribal enrollment; tribal code development and drafting; Indian Child Welfare Act practices and principals and a wide range of subjects related to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the Indian Health Care Reform Act.
Pitchlynn has served as an expert witness in tribal gaming financial transaction litigation, testifying on behalf of his client as to the professional standards for attorneys practicing in the area of tribal gaming law and regulation and the interpretation of federal law and regulations.
He has been featured in various news and trade publications, such as Global Gaming Business Magazine, which is cited below. He has often been consulted, interviewed and quoted by newspapers and other media on issues related to gaming compacts, gaming law and regulation.
This website is for informational purposes only. Using this site or communicating with Pitchlynn Law PLLC through this site does not form an attorney/client relationship. This site is legal advertising.
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