WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18) – Kilpatrick Stockton announced today the addition of prominent attorney Keith Harper to lead the firm’s Native American Affairs Team. Mr. Harper is joining the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Litigation Department. His practice will focus on litigation, property and infrastructure development opportunities, and the area of financing.
“Keith Harper is a significant addition to Kilpatrick Stockton,” said Bill Brewster, Managing Partner, Kilpatrick Stockton. “We are excited to have one the country’s leading Native American Affairs attorneys join the firm. Keith’s depth of experience will only enhance an already outstanding and well-recognized team.”
The Native American Affairs Team includes partners Bill Austin, Bill Dorris, Elliott Levitas, Mark Levy, David Smith, Earle Taylor and David Zacks.
“Keith has been an instrumental force in representing over a half a million Native Americans in our landmark case — Cobell v. Kempthorne,” said Elouise Cobell, Plaintiff and member of the Blackfeet Nation. “Keith’s hard work in this great struggle since the day it was filed over 10 years ago is a testament to his commitment and dedication. I look forward to continuing to work with him as part of Kilpatrick Stockton’s team.”
Cobell v. Kempthorne (formerly known as Cobell v. Norton) is a class-action lawsuit filed on June 10, 1996, in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. to force the federal government to account for billions of dollars belonging to approximately 500,000 American Indians and their heirs, and held in trust since the late 19th century. Kilpatrick Stockton has been involved in the representation of Cobell since 1996.
Mr. Harper is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He received a B.A. in sociology and psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from New York University (NYU) School of Law. While at NYU, Mr. Harper was a Root-Tilden-Snow Scholar, a Fellow at the Center for International Studies, a Graduate & Professional Opportunity Fellow and Articles & Notes Editor for the Journal of International Law & Politics. In addition, he served as Chair of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and on the National NALSA Board.
Following law school, Mr. Harper worked in private practice at Davis, Polk & Wardwell and then served as law clerk to the Honorable Lawrence W. Pierce of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Subsequent to the judicial clerkship, Mr. Harper was granted a Skadden Arps Fellowship to join the Native American Rights Fund, where he remained as a staff attorney until joining Kilpatrick Stockton. It is here, in addition to other cases, that Mr. Harper became class counsel in the Cobell case.
Mr. Harper is the past President of the Native American Bar Association of Washington, DC and is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s NGL Fellowship. He taught “Federal Indian Law” at Catholic University Columbus School of Law and American University Washington College of Law. Since January 2001, Mr. Harper has served as Appellate Judge on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.
About Kilpatrick Stockton
Kilpatrick Stockton LLP is a full-service international law firm with more than 480 attorneys in nine offices across the globe: Atlanta and Augusta, GA.; Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem, NC.; New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; London, England; and Stockholm, Sweden. Kilpatrick Stockton’s delivery of innovative business solutions provides results-oriented counsel for corporations, from the challenging demands of financial transactions and securities to the disciplines of intellectual property management. Collaboration among Kilpatrick Stockton’s corporate, litigation and intellectual property attorneys provides knowledgeable and proactive guidance for companies at every stage of the business life cycle.
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