Miller Nash welcomes Shawn Chase as a regulatory specialist to its Portland office, where he will support the firm’s tribal governments & enterprises team. Shawn brings over 29 years of experience with all aspects of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), including Class I, Class II, and Class III gaming, tribal gaming ordinance development, Revenue Allocation Plan development, and state‑tribal gaming compacts.
Shawn is a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe.
“Shawn’s arrival is an exciting addition to our firm,” said Brie Coyle Jones, leader of Miller Nash’s tribal governments & enterprises team. “His extensive background and insight into tribal gaming and regulation will be invaluable as we expand how we serve and support our clients.”
Prior to joining Miller Nash, Shawn served as Director of Gaming Commission Compliance for the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. He has also worked as a policy advisor for the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Indian Gaming, as a Region Director for the National Indian Gaming Commission, and as a gaming inspector, police officer, and Tribal Housing Board Commissioner for the Coquille Indian Tribe.
About Shawn Chase
Shawn brings deep experience in government relations. He has a proven record of building and maintaining collaborative relationships among tribal, federal, and state governments, and of fostering mutual understanding among diverse constituent groups. His work reflects a strategic, practical approach informed by a strong understanding of governance structures and regulatory processes at all levels. Shawn has also served on numerous committees and boards within his own tribe, such as Culture and Education, Health, Natural Resources, and Strategic Visioning. This background enables Shawn to provide informed, balanced guidance tailored to the operational realities facing tribal governments and gaming enterprises across a wide spectrum of areas. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Oregon University and will earn his master’s degree in Native American leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2026.
About Miller Nash LLP’s Tribal Governments & Enterprises Team
Miller Nash’s lawyers are proud to provide legal counsel and guidance to many tribes and their enterprises. We have the extensive experience and understanding to address the complex and sophisticated legal needs of tribal governments, organizations, and enterprises, while protecting each tribe’s sovereignty.
Our tribal governments & enterprises team understands that not only are tribes unique from other governments and enterprises, but each tribe itself is also unique. The depth and breadth of attorneys’ knowledge comes from having worked on numerous matters for a variety of tribes—from newly recognized landless tribes, to tribes that have succeeded in spite of difficult geographic obstructions, to tribes with checkerboard reservations located in urban areas. Our team provides counsel to tribes and tribal entities in the areas of gaming, tax, liquor, real estate, construction, cannabis, intellectual property, labor and employment, data privacy, and other economic development matters, including obtaining financing for infrastructure improvements, gaming facilities, and hotel properties.
We also regularly represent non-tribal clients in transactions with tribes and tribal enterprises, and advise them on regulatory and jurisdictional issues, as well as the nuts and bolts of entering into contracts with tribes and tribal enterprises.
