Lippes Mathias LLP counsel Naomie A. Droll will present at the Scholars Equity Network's Pay It Forward 2026 Summit at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Aug. 14. Droll, a member of the firm's Indian law practice team, will deliver a presentation titled "From Idea to Entity: Business Formation and Federal Contracting for Minority-Owned Businesses," covering business succession planning. 

Founded in 2020 by the GMS Alumni Association, Scholars Equity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to provide professional and personal development, civic engagement, and economic empowerment opportunities to scholars from underserved communities. 

About Naomie A. Droll 

Naomie A. Droll, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is a member of the firm's Indian law practice team, where she advises tribal governments, Alaska Native entities, and tribally affiliated organizations on matters involving tribal governance, economic development, federal Indian law, and public policy. 

Droll's work in tribal governance includes counseling clients on tribal codes, election issues, tribal-state compacts, Section 17 corporations, nonprofit governance, contracts, and compliance. She also advises clients on legislative and regulatory developments affecting Indian Country and assists with advocacy efforts before Congress, federal agencies, and the Executive Branch. 

Prior to joining Lippes Mathias, Droll maintained a tribal law and policy practice serving tribal governments and organizations nationwide. She spent several years providing legal and public policy counsel to tribal governments and Alaska Native entities, assisting clients with legislative strategy, coalition building, and federal engagement. Her experience includes serving as general counsel to a regional tribal government in Alaska and supporting Alaska Native subsistence rights through federal regulatory processes. She has also worked with tribes and federal agencies on issues involving treaty rights, natural resources, and community development. 

Earlier in her career, Droll served as an attorney with the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, where she advised on commercial development, procurement, gaming, intellectual property, and voting rights matters. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm ranked among the top 200 law firms in the U.S. by size, with nearly 230 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.