Jesse Heibel has over a decade of experience helping tribal governments and entities achieve their economic goals and defend their sovereign interests. His practice primarily focuses on advising clients in highly regulated industries and advocating for his client’s interests before administrative agencies and in courts across the country.
As general counsel, Jesse has represented clients in virtually all aspects of tribal governance including the development and enhancement of tribal programs, high stakes consultations with state and federal entities, and the negotiation of complex commercial transactions. Jesse has years of litigation experience fighting for tribal interests in the areas of natural resources, health care, treaty rights, tribal jurisdiction, and federal breach of trust claims. Jesse also possesses unique expertise in litigating and advising clients on issues related to open government laws including the federal Freedom of Information Act and New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act.
Prior to joining the Firm Jesse practiced federal Indian law in Colorado where he advised clients during the COVID-19 Pandemic through coordination with federal agencies and the administration of over $55 million in federal relief funds distributed under the CARES and ARP Acts. He also has experience representing tribes on the international stage in hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and in consultations with the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In addition to his legal advocacy, Jesse has authored scholarship on tribal issues which has published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, the University of Colorado Law Review, and the American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine. He has also presented numerous seminars and CLE’s on issues including cannabis in Indian country, land leasing under the HEARTH Act, and best practices in government-to-government consultations.
Jesse holds a JD with certificates in federal Indian law and natural resources law from the University of Colorado Law School. He is admitted to practice law in New Mexico, Colorado, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.