Jennifer Weddle

Jennifer Weddle

Research Affiliate

Jennifer Weddle is the Co-Chair of the firm's American Indian Law Practice and has wide-ranging experience in complex regulatory and jurisdictional issues, with a focus in Indian law, handling a variety of matters for tribal and non-tribal clients. She has a dynamic, inter-disciplinary practice that centers on providing strategies for resolving complex jurisdictional problems. Much of her practice focuses in the areas of tribal economic development and natural resources development. Jennifer also has U.S. Supreme Court experience, including serving as one of the attorneys for the respondent in Nevada v. Hicks (2001) and representing the petitioners in Ute Mountain Ute Tribe v. Padilla (2012) and Grand Canyon Skywalk Development, LLC v. Grand Canyon Resort Corporation (2013) and cert stage amici in Saginaw-Chippewa Tribe v. NLRB (2016) and United States v. Cooley (2020) and amici on the merits in Lewis v. Clarke (2017), U.S. v. Washington (2018), Carpenter v. Murphy (2018), and McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020).

Jennifer's work also includes negotiations for mineral leasing employment matters and representation before federal agencies. She has also been involved in civil litigation, working on numerous complex federal, state and tribal litigation matters, including class action tort litigation and large commercial disputes. Jennifer also has securities litigation experience and products liability litigation experience, and her transactional experience includes oil and gas renewables projects throughout the west, as well as Endangered Species Act work.

Jennifer has broad trial and appellate litigation experience (more than 40 trials), and frequently litigates jurisdictional issues. She is also experienced in sovereign models for consumer lending and energy development. Jennifer frequently assists tribes, banks and non-bank entities with financing and regulatory matters with Indian law components.

Jennifer has wide-ranging project siting experience, including the application of NEPA, NHPA, and other environmental laws on tribal and public lands, including with respect to large linear multi-state energy and infrastructure projects.

Jennifer has deep transactional, regulatory and litigation experience involving very complex matters with both legal and policy components.