Christine L Swanick

Practice Areas

Christine Swanick has advised clients on all aspects of federal Indian and tribal law matters for over 30 years, with a particular focus on tribal-related financing projects, including restructuring of tribal debt. She is leader of the firm’s Native American Law team.

Recognized by Chambers USA with a band 1 nationwide ranking for Native American law: finance, Christine is a premier practitioner representing tribes, tribal entities, financial institutions and entities doing business with tribes in complex contractual, gaming, regulatory and economic development matters.

Christine has worked on over 175 Native American and gaming credit transactions involving over 50 different Native American tribes. Her work puts her in regular contact with federal decision-makers, including attorneys at the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Starting her tribal law career working as an in-house tribal attorney for three different federally recognized tribal nations, Christine developed gaming ordinances and regulations to start tribal gaming operations, advised tribal governments on land status and tribal trust matters, formed tribal instrumentalities and agencies and provided a broad range of legal advice and services to her tribal clients.

Today, Christine advises on the financing of casino resorts as well as non-gaming uses of tribal lands—such as hotels owned by third parties, commercial business space, data centers, shopping malls, and industrial and energy projects. She also advises on off-reservation projects such as tribal investments in residential and commercial real estate and, for large financial institutions, managing risk with respect to investments with tribes including in cannabis-related businesses.

Christine brings a broad background in commercial financing and other credit transactions to the work she does for tribes and large financial institutions, including experience with commercial loans, letter of credit facilities, syndicated credit facilities and note and bond financings.

Professional Memberships

Native American Editorial Advisory Board, Law360, 2018

Lecturer in Law for NALSA section Legal Practice Workshop, Adjunct Faculty Member, Columbia Law School, 2014-2017