Erin has a robust employment law practice in which she advises and defends employers against all types of employment claims, including those brought pursuant to specific tribal employment laws (e.g. the NPEA). Such work involves both routine matters (hiring, firing, discipline) and more unusual maters (drug policy violations, disability issues). Generally speaking, Erin has represented her clients in cases involving race, gender, disability, and religious discrimination claims, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Arizona Employee Protection Act. She has successfully defended her clients in employment-related tort cases, including trade secret, unfair competition, defamation, wrongful termination, and invasion of privacy. Erin litigates on behalf of her clients before the EEOC, ACRD, NLRB, and in tribal, state and federal court.

In her Indian law practice, Erin has represented tribes, tribal employees, insurance companies, and businesses operating in Indian Country in a wide variety of matters. For instance, she has successfully defended tribal police officers in a catastrophic injury case in state court, handled election challenges, obtained dismissal of discrimination and wrongful termination claims against a tribal gaming official, and successfully defended a medical airlift company from a wrongful death claim in Navajo tribal court. Erin currently is defending two insurance carriers in a case on a reservation involving environmental damage. She is also handling several ongoing wrongful death matters on Navajo. Erin’s Indian law experience also includes substantial experience in handling issues related to representing P.L. 93-638 entities and employees, as well as related issues arising under the Federal Tort Claims Act. She has also been hired by various tribal entities to conduct internal employment-related investigations. Erin has also litigated and tried matters involving tribal water rights.

Erin’s litigation experience is vast and includes a successful trial practice. She has tried employment cases in federal court, obtaining impressive results. Erin has also tried employment before the Navajo Nation Labor Commission. Most recently, over a period of more than two months, Erin tried the initial phase of a Native water rights case in state court on behalf of a municipal client.

Her trial work informs the way Erin approaches litigation – she is detail-oriented and works closely with clients to strategize to ensure the best outcome according to the client’s needs and goals. Erin is licensed in Arizona, Oklahoma, and in the following tribal courts: Ft. McDowell Yavapai Apache, Gila River Indian Community, Hopi, Navajo, Pascua Yaqui, Quechan, Tohono O’odham, and White Mountain Apache.

Finally, Erin has served as general counsel for two Native grant schools for more than 10 years, and has represented many other public and charter schools throughout the state. She has also served as general counsel to an Arizona university. In this work, she has counseled clients on human resources, fiscal management, and other routine matters. Erin has also worked with her Native clients on Capitol Hill to ensure the continuation of educational funding, to secure financing for capital projects and construction, and on various legislative matters of value to these tribally controlled grant schools.