Mctlaw Welcomes Attorney Jeffrey Nelson

Attorney Jeffrey Nelson Named Assistant Attorney General for Oklahoma Indian Tribe

Jeffrey Nelson was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. Mr. Nelson will represent the Tribe in matters involving tribal governance, Indian gaming, and other matters as assigned by the Attorney General. The Tribe’s Attorney General, Klint A. Cowan, stated “The Tribe is excited to have access to Mr. Nelson’s extensive gaming experience and wise legal judgment. We look forward to working with Mr. Nelson and his new Firm.”

One major area of law where Nelson will assist the Tribe will involve the legal ramifications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma that the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation was never disestablished by Congress, and therefore still exists. Because there are several reservations in Oklahoma that share the same history, the effect of this decision means that much of eastern Oklahoma is within one of several Indian reservations, including the 14-county Cherokee Reservation, shared by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. The Supreme Court’s decision brings into question many potential legal issues regarding the Cherokee Reservation.

Mr. Nelson recently joined mctlaw as a firm partner. He brings a wealth of experience to mctlaw, including his time as an Assistant Solicitor at the Department of the Interior and as a Senior Attorney at the National Indian Gaming Commission. “We’re honored to welcome Mr. Nelson to mctlaw as our firm’s practice in the Court of Federal Claims expands,” says Managing Partner Altom Maglio. In addition to his work for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Nelson will focus his legal practice on other federal Indian law issues and complex civil litigation, including vaccine injury cases.