The Dorsay & Easton Team

Craig J. Dorsay, Partner

Meet Craig J. Dorsay

Craig Dorsay has been practicing Indian law, representing tribal governments, for over 35 years. He was Assistant Attorney General on the Navajo Reservation for three years. He is a recognized national expert on the ICWA, with over 50 reported appellate decisions from many different states. He is experienced in treaty rights, land into trust issues, tribal sovereign immunity, jurisdiction disputes, contracting and self-governance under ISDA, legal challenges under IGRA, and in representing tribal casinos. He advises several Indian tribes and tribal governing bodies on a wide range of issues affecting tribes.

Craig Dorsay, Indian Law Attorney

University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, Oregon
J.D., December 1978

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
B.S., Natural Resources, August 1974

  • Oregon, 1979
  • Washington, 1979
  • New Mexico, 1983

State:

  • Oregon, 1979
  • New Mexico, 1984
  • Western District Washington, 1989
  • Eastern District, Washington, 1998

Tribal:

  • Navajo Nation Bar, 1983
  • Warm Springs Tribal Court, 1986
  • Siletz Tribal Court, 1989
  • Grand Ronde Tribal Court, 1998
  • Yakama Nation Bar, 2007

Federal:

  • United States Supreme Court, 1985
  • Ninth Circuit, 1985
  • Tenth Circuit, 1985
  • Federal Circuit, 2003
  • United States Court of Claims, 1989

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon; Samish Indian Nation; Hoh Indian Tribe; Navajo Nation; The Klamath Tribes; Native Village of Tatitlek (ICWA); Ketchikan Indian Corporation (ICWA); Yakama Indian Nation (ICWA); Tulalip Tribes (ICWA); Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (ICWA); Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (ICWA); Santo Domingo Pueblo (ICWA); Ho-Chunk Nation (ICWA); Prairie Island Indian Community of Minnesota (ICWA); Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (ICWA).

Native American Program, Oregon Legal Services, Portland, Oregon
Litigation Director 
July 1990 to January 1992

Native American Program, Oregon Legal Services, Portland, Oregon
Executive Director 
September 1987 to July 1990

Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Window Rock, Arizona>
Assistant Attorney General for Human Services
January 1983 to April 1985

Native American Program, Oregon Legal Services, Portland, Oregon
Staff Attorney 
September 1979 to January 1983

University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, Oregon 
Coordinating Editor of Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law (1982 Edition)
February 1978 to September 1979

National American Indian Court Judges Association, Boulder, Colorado
Project Coordinator of Long Range Planning for Study of Tribal Courts on Indian Reservations
February 1977 to January 1978

Native American Rights Fund, Law Clerk, Boulder, Colorado
September 1976 to November 1976

Dorsay & Easton, LLP, Portland, Oregon
Partner 
January 2008 to Present

Law Offices of Craig J. Dorsay, Portland, Oregon 
Attorney 
April 1985 to January 2008

"AV" rated in Indian Law. Private practice limited to Indian affairs.

  • "Employment Division v. Smith: Just Say 'No' to the Free Exercise Clause," 59 UMKC Law Review555 (1991)
  • Indian Child Welfare Act Handbook, Native American Rights Fund (2007) (contributing author)
  • Child Custody and Visitation Litigation Manual, chapter on "The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" (1993) (Matthew-Bender)
  • The Indian Child Welfare Act and Laws Affecting Indian Juveniles (Native American Rights Fund Resource Handbook) (1984, Update 1992)
  • Oregon State Bar Continuing Legal Education Manual on Juvenile Law, chapter on "The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" (2007 Update)
  • Cohen's Handbook on Federal Indian Law (1982 Edition), staff editor
  • Indian Courts and the Future (1978)

 

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1737 NE Alberta St, Ste 208

Portland, OR 97211

Phone: (503) 790-9060