Geoff Strommer joined Hobbs Straus in 1992 and is managing partner of the Portland, Oregon, office. His involvement in Indian law grew from interests in constitutional issues and American history. Geoff works with tribes on a wide range of issues, primarily self-determination and self-governance. He is dedicated to working with tribal clients to help them develop stable and strong tribal governments able to deliver a range of high quality services to tribal members.
Geoff is nationally recognized for his knowledge of and experience working with the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA). An active participant in the ISDEAA’s developments and implementation since 1992, Geoff worked on efforts to draft and lobby for amendments to various titles of the ISDEAA. He was involved with the development of regulations to implement Titles IV and V of the act as well as for the Indian Reservation Roads program. His work under the ISDEAA also includes negotiating contracts, compacts, and funding agreements with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and other federal agencies, including the first funding agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2003). He has successfully litigated a number of ISDEAA-related disputes in administrative forums and federal court.
Over the years, Geoff has litigated a number of different types of cases on behalf of the Firm’s tribal clients and he has provided counseling and guidance on a broad range of complex political and legal issues. He has also worked with a number of our tribal clients to interpret and revise constitutions, bylaws and ordinances. In addition, he has significant experience assisting our tribal clients with acquiring and placing land into trust, and was involved in the first-ever transfer of land to a tribe under the ISDEAA and the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Finally, he has extensive experience representing our tribal clients negotiate contracts with private parties.
In 1997, Geoff was adjunct professor of law at Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, where he co-taught a federal Indian law course. From 2000-2001, he was an instructor in the Department of Health and Human Services Executive Leadership Development Program, where he taught a negotiation-skills course. He has written several articles on Indian law issues, most recently “Indian Country” and “The Nature and Scope of Tribal Self-Government in Alaska,” coauthored with Stephen D. Osborne in the Alaska Law Review (June 2005).
Geoff is a veteran and served an active tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps. He grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, and enjoys traveling the world with his family. He is an avid mountain climber and has climbed a number of peaks in the U.S. and abroad.
Professional Organizations
Chairman, Executive Committee, Oregon State Bar Indian Law Section (1999)
The Federal Bar Association
The American Bar Association
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1990
University of California, Berkeley, B.A. (with distinction), 1986
Solano Community College, A.A. (with honors), 1984
Bar Admissions
Alaska
Arizona
Oregon
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Claims
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Districts of Oregon and Arizona
Hopi Tribal Court Bar |
