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#Stetson Law Office Attorneys

Stetson Law Attorneys

Timothy J. Humphrey, Sr.

Timothy J. Humphrey, Sr. (head of Blackfeet family) received his Bachelor s Degree with honors from New Mexico State University, a Masters of Social Work from the Worden School of Social Services in San Antonio, Texas, and his law degree from the University of Montana in 1983. Tim has had a wide range of experience with tribal courts, including employment as the Court Administrator to the Blackfeet Tribal Court for two years after graduating from law school. Tim worked as an independent contractor for six years with Kevin Gover at Gover, Stetson Williams, P.C. focusing on environmental issues, tribal corporations, code development, and gaming before leaving to work for Stetson Law Offices, P.C. Tim brings important experience in the fields of cultural resources and environmental assessments and works extensively with our tribal housing clients. He has been instrumental in the development of tribal environmental laws and regulations, including solid waste management, and in the development of tribal-specific construction documents. Tim lectures nationally on Indian Housing issues. He was involved extensively with the negotiations that resulted in the first EPA approval of a tribal municipal solid waste facility permitting program. Tim served as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources Committee on Native American Natural Resources for the 2009-10 ABA year. Tim is licensed in New Mexico and Montana.

Bob Gruenig has worked closely with Indian tribes since 2000, having been first employed by the Indian Country Environmental Justice Clinic at Vermont Law School and focusing on such matters as tribal water quality standards and solid waste issues. Bob subsequently joined the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) in 2002 where he served the next nine years in a number of capacities including Air Program Director, Interim Executive Director and Senior Policy Analyst. In this latter position, Bob provided legal, policy and technical support to tribes on a number of environmental and natural resources issues, with a particular focus on air quality, chemical and pesticide management. As part of these efforts, Bob regularly prepared policy materials and briefing documents, and also drafted comment letters on a number of administrative and legislative actions impacting Indian tribes. In addition, Bob spent a considerable amount of his time on climate change matters, working closely with members of Congress to improve domestic legislation to the benefit of tribes, and also actively engaging in international climate treaty negotiations on related matters.

Bob graduated with both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science from Western Illinois University, a Master of Science in Environmental Biology from Governors State University, a Juris Doctorate from the Southern Illinois University School of Law, and Master of Laws in Environmental Law, magna cum laude. from Vermont Law School.

Bob has been a frequent speaker and writer on tribal environmental and natural resource issues. In addition to the many conferences and workshops to which Bob has been invited to speak, he has also served as a course instructor for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Falmouth Institute, Law Seminars International, and Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. Complementing these speaking engagements have been Bob s regular written contributions on a myriad of environmental issues facing Indian tribes, with such contributions made to weekly, monthly and quarterly publications.

Bob has also served on a number of boards and committees in support of Indian tribes such as the Board of Directors for the Indian Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico; the Native Dispute Resolution Network as a Provider in conjunction with the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution; the EPA s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, and the Agency s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee s Advanced Coal Technology Work Group; the Department of Energy s Transportation External Coordination Working Group; the Tribal Pesticide Program Council; and the Steering Committee for the Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center. Bob also currently serves as a Vice Chair for the Native American Resources Committee of the American Bar Association s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources Committee, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico.

James M. Burson

James Burson found himself drawn to the law field while teaching music at an Indian tribe s reservation school and serving as mayor of a small town in rural New Mexico. He then pursued a law degree from the University of New Mexico, simultaneously clerking with the U.S. District Court for New Mexico and the Department of the Interior s Regional Solicitor s Office, volunteering for the SW Indian Law Clinic, serving as Lead Articles Editor (Nat. Resources J.), and ultimately graduating with certificates in Indian Law and Natural Resources Law. Before joining Stetson Law Offices, he worked for over 10 years with the firm of Hobbs, Straus, Dean Walker, LLP, performing general counsel and gaming counsel services for a number of Oklahoma-based Indian tribes and tribal enterprises. Prior to that he worked with Quinlan, Bloom Assoc. in New Mexico serving the interests of Mescalero Apache Tribe and Gerald Champion Medical Center.

Jim has handled both transactional work and litigation for almost two decades, protecting tribal interests in construction, financing, real estate, economic development, and vendor relationships. He provides policy advice and development of regulations related to: gaming, ethics, taxation, HIPAA compliance, housing, natural resource development and protection, child welfare, tort and prize claims, and employment matters among others. Licensed to practice law in Oklahoma and New Mexico, he has litigated in the U.S. Supreme Court, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Court of Federal Claims, all Federal District Courts for Oklahoma and New Mexico, the Court of Indian Offenses, Osage Nation Court, Muscogee Creek Nation Court, and Absentee Shawnee Tribe Court.