Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is pleased to announce the addition of Affie Ellis as a shareholder in the firm’s Cheyenne office. Ellis adds experience with tribal, state and federal governments as the firm continues to build its Cheyenne presence.
“Affie is well respected in Wyoming and within tribal communities. She’s a great addition to our growing American Indian Law & Policy practice as well as our Natural Resources Department,” said Ryan Smith, chair of the firm’s Natural Resources Department.
A respected advisor on federal Indian law and policy, Ellis is a member of the Navajo Nation and serves on the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprises Board of Directors. Counseling clients on public lands and natural resources regulatory and administrative matters, Ellis draws on her experience as assistant attorney general for the state of Wyoming where she litigated cases involving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act, National Forest Management Act and Federal Land Policy Management Act.
Ellis taught federal Indian law at the University of Wyoming as an adjunct professor and served as commissioner of the U.S. Tribal Law and Order Commission, which developed a comprehensive study of law enforcement and criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees on the commission’s work and findings and submitted recommendations to the president and Congress in 2014. Using her state and federal government sector experience, Ellis counsels clients on public land and natural resource regulatory and legislative matters, including permitting procedure, regulatory compliance and federal legislative and regulatory affairs.
“I’m looking forward to joining Brownstein’s Cheyenne team and working with their national American Indian Law & Policy team on critical tribal issues,” said Ellis.
Ellis earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming and her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.