Susan B. Montgomery, Esq.

Susan Montgomery is a founding partner of Montgomery & Interpreter, PLC. Her practice is focused in the area of Tribal and Federal Indian law, which includes providing legal representation, litigation services and strategic policy advice to clients confronting questions or challenges related to water law, renewable energy, natural resources, environmental law, cultural resources, and Indian gaming.

Ms. Montgomery provides legal advice to private businesses and other interests seeking to conduct business and develop projects in Indian Country. Throughout her career, Ms. Montgomery has also been honored to represent tribal governments and enterprises as they strive to develop their tribal economy, protect tribal resources, exercise self-governance and preserve tribal culture and traditional life ways.

Professional Experience

Counsel of record for two federally recognized Indian Tribes in Arizona’s General Stream Adjudication, In re the General Adjudication of All Rights to Use Water in the Gila River System and Source (W1-4).
Provide general counsel service to tribal governments and tribal consortiums on all aspects of federal Indian law.
Litigate on behalf of tribal clients and private parties on the role of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other key federal laws in Indian country.
Provide strategic advice to tribal clients, businesses and private parties on the development of economic and renewable energy projects in Indian country and on public lands.
Represent tribal governments, tribal enterprises and private interests on matters involving water and natural resources, sacred sites, cultural resources and traditional cultural properties.
Registered lobbyist on Indian law issues in Washington, D.C., working with members of Congress and various federal departments, agencies and bureaus, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to accomplish client objectives.
Negotiate and draft Intergovernmental Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding between tribal governments and local, state, county and city governments on a variety of matters, including intergovernmental relations, water and wastewater, law enforcement and mutual aid.
Provide legal advice and document drafting to facilitate the secure exchange of law enforcement information and criminal intelligence among participating law enforcement agencies in Indian country.
Provide legal advice to tribal gaming offices in their role under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and State and Tribal Gaming Compacts as the civil regulator of gaming activity on Tribal lands to ensure compliance with requirements of the law.
Federal law clerk to the Honorable Richard Battey in the Federal District Court for the District of South Dakota (1998-2001).

Representative Publications and Presentations

Cooperative Agreements in Indian Country, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention (2009)
Threats to the Verde River: Who are the Stakeholders? Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Tribal Leader Water Policy Forum (2010)
The Oak Flat Land Exchange, Presented at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C. (2011)
Tribal Sacred Sites and the Slow Evolution of the Federal Government, Tribal Law Clinic, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona (2012)
The Endangered Species Act in Indian Country: The ESA as a Sword or a Shield, Phoenix School of Law (2012)
Update on the Verde River: Ongoing and Emerging Issues, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Tribal Leader Water Policy Forum (2012)
The Federal Reserved Water Rights Doctrine: Background and Current Issues, Arizona Water Law Conference, CLE International (2012)
ADWR’s Development of the “Fourth Management Plan” for Arizona’s Active Management Areas, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Tribal Leader Water Policy Forum (2013)
The Federal Reserved Water Rights Doctrine: Background, Interesting Updates and New Developments, Arizona Water Law Conference, CLE International (2013)