gabe-s-galanda-profile.jpg

(206) 300-7801
gabe@galandabroadman.com

8606 35th Ave NE
Suite L1
Seattle, WA 98115

Download CV ›

Gabe is an Indigenous rights attorney and the managing lawyer at Galanda Broadman.

His practice focuses on complex, multi-party litigation and crisis management, representing Indigenous nations, businesses and citizens. He has been named to Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Native American Law and Gaming Law from 2007 to 2026, and dubbed a Super Lawyer by his peers from 2013 to 2025.

Gabe is skilled at defending Indigenous nations and business against legal attack by governmental or private parties, as well advocating for the human rights of Indigenous American citizens. He advocates against tribal disenrollment and citizenship rights violations, as well as other domestic Indigenous human rights abuse, including law enforcement violence.  He also assists Indigenous clients with transactions and strategy related to various economic diversification initiatives.

The American Bar Association awarded Gabe the Spirit of Excellence Award in 2022 and named him a Difference Maker in 2012.  The Washington State Bar Association honored him with the Excellence in Diversity Award for his "significant contribution to diversity in the legal profession" in 2014.  For his staunch disenrollment advocacy, the University Arizona College of Law awarded him the Professional Achievement Award, and Western Washington University named him a Distinguished Alumnus, in 2018. The University Arizona College of Law also named Gabe its 2022-23 Alumnus of the Year.

Indian Country Today honored Gabe as one of “five people are rocking the world with their forward thinking, innovation and commitment to social justice” in 2013, and as one of "Fifty Faces of Indian Country" in 2017.  In 2009, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development honored him as Native American 40 Under 40.  He has also received the Native Justice Award from the Northwest Indian Bar Association.

Gabe writes frequently about Tribal Treaty and sovereignty rights and Indigenous human rights issues, having been published over 100 times in such other national periodicals as National Law JournalBusiness Law Today, and Gaming Law Review & Economics.  Most notably, he co-authored a law review article titled, “Curing the Tribal Disenrollment Epidemic: In Search of a Remedy,” which published by Arizona Law Review in 2015.

He also often lectures about Indigenous human rights issues at universities and law schools, having talked at Harvard University and Yale, Cornell, Berkeley, Arizona, and Kansas law schools.

Since 2023, Gabe has published a series of scholarly essays about existential challenges facing Indigenous peoples:

His anti-disenrollment advocacy and scholarship have been included in several books, including David and Shelly Wilkinses’ “Dismembered” (2017); David Treuer’s “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee” (2019); and Carrie Schuettpelz’s “The Indian Card” (2024).

Gabe is a frequent media commentator as well, having been interviewed and quoted by mainstream and international news outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Guardian, and Le Monde.

In his "spare" time, Gabe founded and now operates Huy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing religious, cultural and other rehabilitative opportunities for Indigenous prisoners.  Serving as Chairman of the Huy Board of Advisors, he has lead the organization’s amicus curiae efforts before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts across the country as well as the group’s human rights advocacy efforts before the United Nations.    

Gabe belongs to the Round Valley Indian Tribes of California, descending from the Nomlaki and Concow Peoples.

Cases

Accolades

Super Lawyer, 2013-2025
Best Lawyers in America, Native American Law and Gaming Law, 2007-2026
Chambers Top Tanked Native American Law Attorney, 2021-2025
Spirit of Excellence Award, American Bar Association, 2022
College of Law Alumnus of the Year, University of Arizona, 2023
Alumnus of the Year, University of Arizona College of Law, 2022-2023
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Western Washington University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2018
Professional Achievement Award, University of Arizona College of Law, 2017
Washington State Bar Association Excellence in Diversity Award, 2014
Difference Maker, American Bar Association, 2013
Best Lawyers in Washington State, Puget Sound Business Journal, 2011
Best Lawyers in the Puget Sound, Seattle Business Monthly, 2010, 2012
Seattle’s Best Indian Law Attorneys, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, 2010-2013
40 Under 40, Puget Sound Business Journal, 2009
Native American 40 Under 40, National Center for American Indian Economic Development, 2009
Rising Star, Washington Law & Politics/Super Lawyers Magazine, 2002, 2004-2008, 2010-2012
Washington State Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 2004
Northwest Indian Bar Association Native Justice Award, 2004
Leading Edge Litigator, Washington Law & Politics, 2003
Alumni of the Year, National Native American Law Students’ Association, 2001

Memberships

Washington State Bar Association

  • Indian Law Section, Chair, 2004

  • Indian Law Newsletter, Editor-in-Chief, 2004-2010

Northwest Indian Bar Association

  • President, 2002-2003 (two terms), Governing Council, 2001, 2003-2006

  • Indian Legal Scholars Program, Chair, 2003-2010

National Native American Bar Association, Executive Board Member, 2007-2018

Gaming Law Review & Economics, Editorial Board, 2007-2018

Indian Gaming Magazine, Board of Directors, 2007-Present

American Bar Association

  • Gaming Law Committee, Chair, 2007-2010

  • Business & Corporate Litigation Committee, Tribal Court Litigation Co-Chair, 2007-2012

  • Annual Review of Developments in Corporate & Business Litigation, Editor-in-Chief, 2007-2009

International Masters of Gaming Law, Admitted Member, 2007-2011

American Arbitration Association, Trained Arbitrator

U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution

  • Native Dispute Resolution Network, Partner, 2010-Present

Bar Admissions

Washington State
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States Court of Federal Claims
Chehalis Tribal Court
Cow Creek Tribal Court
Grand Ronde Tribal Court
Hualapai Tribal Court
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court
Lummi Nation Tribal Court
Nooksack Tribal Court
Muckleshoot Tribal Court
Nisqually Tribal Court
Paskenta Tribal Court
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Court
Puyallup Nation Court
Quileute Tribal Court
Quinault Tribal Court
Sauk-Suaittle Tribal Court
Quapaw Tribal Court
Suquamish Tribal Court
Swinomish Tribal Court
Tulalip Tribal Court
Warm Springs Tribal Court
Winnebago Tribal Court
Yakama Nation Tribal Court

Education

University of Arizona (JD, Tribal Law & Policy Program)
Western Washington University (BA, English)
Peninsula Community College (AA)

Publications

The Original Peoples Deserve Freedom, Bar Bulletin, October 2024

Durability and Duress: Inter-Tribal Kinship and Indian Gaming Capitalism, Starting Points, March 5, 2024

The Federal Indian Blood Quantum Fiction, SSRN, September 14, 2023

Into The Void: Indigenous American Civil Rights, Trial News, February 2023

In the Spirit of Vine Deloria, Jr.: Indigenous Kinship Renewal and Relational Sovereignty, SSRN, January 26, 2023

Tribal Nationhood Requires Civil Rights Protection, Indian Country Today Media Network, March 7, 2022

Disenrollment and the Missing and Murdered, Indian Country Today Media Network, October 6, 2020

Tribal Members Bear the Cost of Ending Blood Quantum Certificates, High Country News, October 11, 2019

Interior’s Depopulation Idea, Indianz, May 16, 2019

The Indian Reorganization Act: Realigning Tribal ‘Membership’ With Kinship, Indian Country Today Media Network, June 14, 2017

Obama’s Disenrollment Legacy, Indian Country Today Media Network, January 25, 2017

Let’s Seize New Market Tax Credit Opportunities, Indian Country Today Media Network, December 24, 2016

Don't Join the Disenrollment Club, Indian Country Today Media Network, November 16, 2016

Reinvigorating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, Indian Country Today Media Network, May 12, 2016

The Reluctant Watchdog – How National Indian Gaming Commission Inaction Helps Tribes Disenroll Members for Profit and Jeopardizes Indian Gaming as We Know It, Gaming Law Review & Economics, April 2016

Shared Faith: Tribal State Indian Religious Rights Reform, Bar Bulletin, February 2016

Tribal Lawyer Ethics: Gaming Per Capita Disputes, December 10, 2015

Back to the Future: The GOP and Tribal Termination, Indian Country Today Media Network, September 9, 2015

Disenrollment IS a Federal Action, Indian Country Today Media Network, March 10, 2015

The Unintended Consequences of Disenrollment, Indian Country Today Media Network, February 2, 2015

Disenrollment is a Tool of the Colonizers, Indian Country Today Media Network, January 16, 2015

Indian Country Stylebook, December 1, 2014

Exploiting, or Filling, the Ethical Void for Tribal Lawyers, Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section, November 2014

Inside the Dirty-Tricks Playbook of Jack Abramoff, Indian Country Today Media Network, October 20, 2014

Tribal Per Capitas and Self-Termination, Indian Country Today Media Network, August 13, 2014

Defending the Religious Rights of Native Prisoners, Indian Country Today Media Network, May 29, 2014

Seminars

Speaker, “The Indian Country Lawyer Ethics Void,” Federal Bar Association's 50th Annual Indian Law Conference, April 2025, Albuquerque, NM.

Speaker, “Tribal Sub-citizenship, Fractured Kinship & the MMIWP Epidemic,” Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, April 2025, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “The Original Peoples Deserve Freedom—and Representation,” Clallam-Jefferson County Pro Bono Lawyers CLE, November 2024, Sequim, WA.

Speaker, “The Perils of Tribal Per-Capitalism,” Harvard University Kennedy School of Governance, March 2023, Cambridge, MA.

Speaker, “From Colonization to Indigenous Consultation & Consent,” Washington State House of Representatives State Government & Tribal Relations Committee, January 2023, Olympia, WA.

Speaker, “The Demise of Indian Civil Rights & Cry for Indigenous Kinship Renewal,” Berkeley Law School, November 2022, Berkeley, CA.

Speaker, Indigenous Land Acknowledgment and Plenary Session Keynote, Access to Justice Conference, August 2021, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “Overcoming the Felony Bar,” Representing Victims of Police Misconduct CLE, June 2021, Seattle, WA.

Co-Chair, 18th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2020, Seattle, WA.

Co-Chair, 17th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2019, Seattle, WA. 

Speaker, “Indian Law for the Washington Port Commissioner,” Washington Public Ports Association Annual Meeting, November 2019, Tacoma, WA.

Speaker, “Indian Law for the Washington State Legislator,” Washington State Legislature Joint Work Session, September 2019, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “Indian Law and Policy for the DOC,” Washington State Department of Corrections, February 2019, Tumwater, WA. 

Co-Chair, 16th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2018, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “Re-imagining Tribal Citizenship,”The Next Horizon Symposium, Harvard Kennedy School, May 2018, Cambridge, MA.

Keynote, “Keeping it Real: Indian Lawyers & Indian Law Scholarship,” American Indian Law Journal Banquet, April 2018, Seattle, WA.

Co-Chair, 15th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2017, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, American Indian Civil Rights Advocacy, Clallam-Jefferson Pro Bono Lawyers CLE, November 2017, Sequim, WA.

Speaker, “Tribal Kinship Versus Disenrollment,” UNM Gallup, October 2017, Gallup, NM.

Speaker, “Restoring Indigenous Kinship Amidst America’s Nationalist Movement,” Western Washington Univerity, October 2017, Bellingham, WA.

Keynote, “Blood Quantum, Identity, and Sovereignty: Contemporary Legal Battles in Indigenous Communities," March 2017, UC Irvine, CA.

Co-Chair, 14th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2016, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “Get Your Hands Off My Trust Responsibility? Debating the Federal Government’s Role in the Trust Responsibility,”41st Annual Indian Law Conference, Federal Bar Association, April 2016, Scottsdale, AZ.

Speaker, “Origins of Tribal Disenrollment,” University of Washington School of Law Diversity Week, February 2016, Seattle, WA.

Co-Chair; Speaker, "Tribal Lawyer Ethics: Gaming Per Capita Disputes," 13th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2015, Seattle, WA.

Co-Chair; Speaker, "Ethical Considerations," 12th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2014, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, "What are the Ethical Considerations of Representing Opposing Factions in Tribal Government Disputes?," Federal Bar Association 16th Annual DC Indian Law Conference, November 14, 2014, Washington, DC.

Lecturer, "The American Indian Disenrollment Epidemic: Finding A Cure," Lewis & Clark Law School, October 27, 2014, Portland, OR.

Speaker, “The Perils of Indian Law Buy Back," 2nd Annual Tribal Lands Conference, January 27, 2014, Tucson, AZ.

Co-Chair, 11th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2013, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, "State Tax Man Cometh: New Threats to Tribal Economic Development," November 6,  2013, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, "Building a Book of Business," April 2013, Seattle, WA.

Speaker, “Tribal Tax Revenue Opportunities for Tribes” and “Modern Federal Indian Tax Implications for Economic Development," RES 2013, March 13, 2013, Las Vegas, NV.

Co-Chair, 10th Annual Northwest Gaming Law Summit, December 2012, Seattle, WA.

“Economic Diversification: The Time is NOW,” 14th Annual Native Nations Law Symposium, September 14, 2012, Kickapoo, KS.

“American Indian Treaties: The Consultation Mandate,” United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, July 16-17 2012, Palais de Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

“The Federal Indian Consultation Right,” Silver State Mining & Tribal Forum, April 17, 2012, Winnemucca, NV.

Speaker,  "Myths and Realities of Limited Sovereign Immunity Waiver" & "Talking Tribal Sports and Entertainment," RES 2012, February 29 & March 1, 2012, Las Vegas, NV.

Speaker, “ADR’s Role in Tribal/Non-Tribal and Inter-Tribal Disputes,” ADR and Contract Disputes Symposium, Seattle, WA, June 30, 2011.