Klint A. Cowan

Bio

Klint Cowan is a civil litigator and a member of the firm’s Indian Law Practice Team. He focuses his practice in the areas of federal Indian Law, gaming, election law, and business law. Klint has handled numerous gaming matters and has represented clients before federal agencies such as the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Office of Indian Gaming. In addition, he works with tribal entities to procure financing for gaming facilities and related developments through various methods, including tax-exempt bond issuance, vendor financing, and bank loans.

Klint serves as a Justice for the Wyandotte Nation and as Special Municipal Judge for the City of Oklahoma City.

Articles & Publications

Author, “Marijuana and Tribes,” Journal Record, Feb. 25, 2015
Author, “Diversity Requires More American Indian Lawyers and Judges, Oklahoma Bar Journal,” May 17, 2014,
Author, “Making the Grade for the Public Good,” Journal Record, Mar. 6, 2014
Author, “IRS May Spur Renewable Energy Development in Indian Country,” Journal Record, July 15, 2013
Author, “Rules of Gaming,” Journal Record, Jan. 4, 2012
Author, “Native American Resources Annual Report,” American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Law, 2006-2010
- 2010 Annual Report, Year in Review 239 (2011) (with C. Rogers et al.)
- 2009 Annual Report, Year in Review 250 (2010) (with D. Pensley et al.)
- 2008 Annual Report, Year in Review 255 (2009) (with D. Suagee and D. Pensley)
- 2007 Annual Report, Year in Review 252 (2008) (with D. Suagee)
- 2006 Annual Report, Year in Review 266 (2007) (with D. Suagee)
Tribal Sovereignty v. State Court Jurisdiction, 81 Okla. B.J. 351 (Feb. 13, 2010)
International Responsibility for Human Rights Violations by American Indian Tribes, 9 Yale Human Rights & Dev. L.J. 1 (2006)
Note, Transmission Agency of Northern California v. Sierra Pacific Power Co., 24 Energy L.J. 365 (2003)
Mass Equivalence and Brecciation in the Mt. Padbury Mesosiderite, Lunar and Planetary Science XXIX, 1194 (1998) (with T. McCoy)

Indian Law

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

Oklahoma
Absentee Shawnee Tribe
Delaware Nation
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Sac and Fox Nation
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Oklahoma
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma

Education

University of Tulsa, J.D., with highest honors, 2004
University of Oxford, with distinction for dissertation, Bachelor of Civil Law, 2005
Antioch College, B.S., 1998

Professional Associations

Oklahoma Bar Association
- Evidence and Civil Procedure Committee, 2012-2013
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Bar Association
American Bar Association
- Native American Resources Committee, Vice-chair, 2006-2011
Ruth Bader Ginsburg American Inn of Court, Oklahoma City, 2006-2008
Phi Delta Phi, 2002-2004

Awards & Honors

The Best Lawyers in America, 2015-2022, 2024
- Native American Law
Lawyer of the Year, Native American Law, Oklahoma City, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022
Oklahoma Bar Association, Maurice Merrill Golden Quill Award, 2010
Upstate New York SuperLawyers®, 2013-2018
- Rising Stars, 2010-2012
The National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 under 40, 2012

Community Involvement

Teen Recovery Solutions, Board of Directors
Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, Legal Volunteer
Bricktown Rotary, 2012-2014

Past Activities

University of Tulsa, Energy Law Journal, Executive Articles Editor, 2004
University of Oxford, Commonwealth Law Journal, Associate Editor, 2005

Representative Matters
Financing for tribal projects:

Assisting a tribal gaming entity in obtaining financing for construction and development of a new casino.
Counseling a tribe on refinancing debt for the construction and development of casino projects.
Drafting and negotiating contracts between lenders and tribes.
Developing request for proposal (RFP) materials for hotel financing, as well as reviewing and advising on submitted proposals.

Additional matters:

Comanche Nation v. U.S. (W.D. Okla. 2008) – Resulted in an injunction protecting a tribal sacred site.
Berry v. Comanche Nation Casino, (W.D. Okla. 2010) – Successfully removed tort claims arising in Indian country to federal court.
Muhammad v. Comanche Nation Casino (W.D. Okla. 2010) – Obtained an order prohibiting the state court from exercising jurisdiction over an Indian country tort.
Osage Nation v. Oklahoma (W.D. Okla. 2010) – Secured a permanent injunction prohibiting Oklahoma courts from exercising jurisdiction over Indian country torts.
Advised on tribal elections

Speaking Engagements

Because of his tribal law experience, Cowan has been invited to speak on several occasions, including the following:

Jurisdiction in Indian Country, Muscogee (Creek) Nation 8th Annual Doing Business in Indian Country Conference, Tulsa, Oklahoma (May 20, 2010)
Protecting Sacred Sites: Comanche Nation v. United States, University of South Dakota Law Review Symposium, Twentieth Anniversary of Employment Division v. Smith (Feb. 18, 2010)
Transacting with Indian Tribal Governments, Indian Gaming Seminars in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Bar Association (Nov. 6 and 13, 2008)

Bio

Articles & Publications

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