Frank Ronald Lawrence

Frank R. Lawrence is a partner in the Indian Law Practice Group with more than two decade’s experience exclusively representing tribal governments and entities in a broad range of tribal, federal and state law matters. Mr. Lawrence’s practice includes appellate and civil litigation, with an emphasis on sovereignty and jurisdictional matters. He has extensive experience in advising Tribes as outside counsel, in creating tribal governmental and economic entities, and in counseling clients in all aspects of federal Indian law, litigation and dispute resolution, contracts, administrative law, employment issues and environmental law, among other areas. Mr. Lawrence has written numerous amicus curie briefs for the National Congress of American Indians, the National Indian Gaming Association and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, as well as many tribal governments, in Indian law cases at the United States Supreme Court and the federal circuit courts of appeal.

Mr. Lawrence has extensive experience in all aspects of Indian gaming, including compact compliance, NIGC and tribal gaming commission compliance and all aspects of casino operations. He has served as corporate counsel to the California Nations Indian Gaming Association since the early 1990s together with Holland & Knight's Indian Law Practice Group leader Jerome Levine. Mr. Lawrence has participated in litigation and negotiations leading to compacts in California and Washington states. He was the Proponent of California’s Proposition 5 (the first successful tribal statewide ballot initiative in the nation), and was a spokesman for both Proposition 5 and Proposition 1A.

Mr. Lawrence has represented tribal governments and entities in a number of published cases including:

• Blue Lake Rancheria v. U.S. Internal Revenue Service, 653 F.3d 1112 (9th Cir. 2011)
• Jeffredo v. Macarro, 130 S.Ct. 3327 (2010); 590 F.3d 751 (9th Cir. 2009)
• Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community v. California, 618 F.3d 1066 (9th Cir. 2010)
• McCracken v. Perdue, 201 N.C. App. 480 (2009)
• Havasupai Tribe v. Arizona Bd. Of Regents, 220 Ariz. 214 (2008)
• San Pasqual Band v. California, 295 Fed. Appx. 880 (9th Cir. 2008)
• San Manuel v. N.L.R.B., 475 F.3d 1306 (D.C. Cir. 2007)
• In re Sonoma County Fire Chief, 228 Fed. Appx. 671 (9th Cir. 2007)
• Friends of Sierra R.R. v. Tuolumne Park and Recreation Dist., 147 Cal. App. 4th 643 (2007)
• Maine v. Johnson, 498 F.3d 37 (1st Cir. 2007)
• Colorado River Indian Tribes v. National Indian Gaming Commission, 466 F.3d 134 (D.C. Cir. 2006); 383 F. Supp. 2d 123 (D. D.C. 2005)
• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Superior Court, 40 Cal. 4th 239 (2006)
• Proschold v. United States, 90 Fed. Appx. 516 (9th Cir. 2004); 244 F. Supp. 2d (N.D. Cal. 2002)
• Lobo Gaming, Inc. v. Pit River Tribe, 537 U.S. 1190 (2003)
• Artichoke Joe’s v. Norton, 353 F.3d 712 (9th Cir. 2003); 216 F. Supp. 2d 1084 (E.D. Cal. 2002)
• Pourier v. South Dakota Dept. of Revenue, 658 N.W. 2d 395 (S.D. Sup. Ct 2003)
• Shoshone Indian Tribe of the Wind River Reservation v. United States, 58 Fed. Cl. 542 (Ct. Cl. 2003)
• Mayes v. Cherokee Nation, 294 B.R. 145 (10th Cir. BAP 2003)
• Chickasaw Nation v. United States, 534 U.S. 84 (2001)
• C&L Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, 531 U.S. 1140 (2001)
• United States v. 162 Megamania Gambling Devices, 231 F.3d 713 (10th Cir. 2000)
• Turner v. Martire, 82 Cal. App. 4th 1042 (2000)
• Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Intern. Union v. Davis, 21 Cal. 4th 585 (1999)
• Confederated Tribes & Bands of Yakama Indian Nation v. Locke, 176 F.3d 467 (9th Cir. 1999)
• Pueblo of Santa Ana v. Kelly, 104 F.3d 1546 (10th Cir. 1997); 32 F. Supp. 1284 (D. NM 1996)
• Adams v. Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, 991 F. Supp. 1218 (D. NV 1997)
• Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation v. Lowry, 968 F. Supp. 531 (E.D. Wash. 1997)
• U.S. Dept. of Interior v. South Dakota, 519 U.S. 919 (1996)
• Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida, 517 U.S. 44 (1996)
• Poarch Band of Creek Indians v. Alabama, 517 U.S. 133 (1996)
• Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians v. Pete Wilson, 99 F.3d 321 (9th Cir. 1996); 64 F.3d 1250 (9th Cir. 1994); 112 F. Supp. 1185 (E.D. Cal. 2000); 39 F. Supp. 1227 (E.D. Cal. 1998)
• Western Telcon, Inc. v. California State Lottery, 13 Cal. 4th 475 (1996)
• Temecula Band of Luiseno Indians v. Rancho California Water District, 43 Cal. App. 4th 425 (1996)
• Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. State of Tex., 36 F.3d 1325 (5th Cir. 1994)
• Spokane Tribe of Indians v. Washington State, 28 F.3d 991 (9th Cir. 1994)
• Cabazon Band of Mission Indians v. National Indian Gaming Comm'n, 14 F.3d 633 (D.C. Cir. 1994); 827 F. Supp. 26 (D. D.C. 1993)
• Larson v. Neimi, 9 F.3d 397 (9th Cir. 1993)

Mr. Lawrence served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of California Davis School of Law, from 1995 through 1997, teaching federal Indian law, legal writing and legal ethics. In addition to U.C. Davis Law School, he has lectured on federal Indian law at the McGeorge School of Law, California State University, Sacramento and National Indian Gaming Association conferences. He served as the first law clerk to The Honorable David F. Levi (ret.), United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, presently Dean of the Duke Law School. Previously, Mr. Lawrence served as law clerk to The Honorable Lawrence K. Karlton, Chief Judge United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (now senior status) and as the last law clerk to The Honorable Raul A. Ramirez (ret.), United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. During law school, Mr. Lawrence served as a student law clerk to The Honorable Stanley Mosk (ret.), at the California Supreme Court.