Anela Summers
About Anela
Anela Summers is a transactional real estate attorney who advises clients on complex property matters across the Pacific Northwest. Her practice focuses on guiding projects from initial planning through completion, with an emphasis on practical, detail-driven counsel that helps clients move deals forward efficiently while supporting long-term community and economic development goals. Anela’s real estate experience includes representing clients in acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, development and infrastructure projects, and real estate finance. She regularly manages due diligence and escrow closings and drafts and negotiates easements, construction agreements, and other real property documents. Her work includes development projects located in Indian country, where she brings a strong understanding of regulatory considerations and stakeholder coordination.
In addition to her real estate practice, Anela advises Tribal governments and tribal economic development entities on a wide range of economic development initiatives that promote tribal sovereignty and growth. Her experience includes retail and regulatory matters involving liquor and cannabis, Tribal-State tax compact negotiations, and Indian gaming projects. She also represents clients in the sports, entertainment, and hospitality industries, drawing on in-house experience with an entertainment venue, a professional sports franchise, and a tribal hotel and casino. In these roles, she has drafted and negotiated a broad array of agreements and assisted with the development of standard contract forms and internal policies.
Anela joined Miller Nash in 2021 as a 1L Diversity Fellow and continued clerking with the firm throughout law school before joining full-time in 2023. During law school, she served as a judicial extern to Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis of the Washington State Supreme Court and volunteered with the Rural Alaska Tax Assistance Program, helping Alaska Native taxpayers secure more than $1 million in federal tax refunds. Prior to law school, Anela worked in communications and strategy for a private operating foundation in Honolulu and volunteered with the Court Appointed Special Advocate program in Hawaii Family Courts. She is a proud Native Hawaiian.
Representative Experience
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Real Estate Plus
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Regularly drafts office and retail leases for various commercial lease portfolios across Portland and Seattle.
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Played key role in multiple acquisitions by Washington tribe totaling nearly 1000 acres of forestland located in the Tribe’s ancestral homelands.
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Represented global leader in logistics real estate in negotiation and drafting of ground lease and development of property located in Indian country.
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Assisted Washington tribe with purchase of leasehold interest in aquaculture lease site and related equipment located in Kona, Hawaii to support tribal shellfish business operations.
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Helped lead team of attorneys in due diligence and historical research project to inform policy decisions of publicly-traded hospitality industry leader.
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Assisted banking client with multiple loan transactions secured by real property collateral.
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Assisted professional sports franchise with zoning compliance for sports complex development.
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Assisted national sports league with due diligence and negotiation of business lease on a tribal reservation.
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Tribal Economic Development Plus
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Advised publicly traded non-tribal entities in restaurant-related license agreements and with tribal gaming enterprises across the United States.
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Assist tribes and advocacy groups in monitoring relevant legislative and regulatory activities impacting tribal economic development.
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Assisted Washington tribe with the implementation of tribal regulatory structure for commercial cannabis activities.
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Drafted tribal cannabis and liquor codes and advised on other regulatory and transactional issues related to tribal cannabis and liquor activities.
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Assisted with negotiating tribal fuel tax compacts between Washington tribes and the State of Washington.
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Sports, Entertainment & Media Plus
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Assisted professional sports franchise with investigating public relations issues.
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Supported collegiate NIL collective and advocacy organizations with contract drafting and legislative efforts.
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Supported in-house legal department of professional sports franchise. Negotiated and prepared various marketing related agreements, SaaS agreements, and private event license agreements.
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Supported in-house legal department of entertainment and sports venue. Negotiated and prepared various public event license agreements, SaaS agreements, and vendor agreements related to day-to-day facility operations.
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Supported in-house legal department of tribal hotel and casino. Negotiated entertainment contracts, sponsorship and marketing agreements, consulting agreements, and agreements related to day-to-day facility operations of the casino, concert venue, hotel, and dining facilities.
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Activities
- Asian Bar Association of Washington, Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Member
- Native Hawaiian Bar Association, Member
- Native American Law Student Association (NALSA), Mentor, 2023-present
- Hawaii Innocence Project, Volunteer
- National CASA Program, Advocate
Recognition
- National NALSA Writing Competition, 1st Place, 2022
Insights from Anela
Outside the Office
Anela enjoys spending her free time at home, snuggling with her dog or tending to her blueberry bushes. She can occasionally be convinced to leave home if it involves wine, Seattle sports, or Disneyland.