Brette Peña
Counsel
Areas of Focus
- Indian Water Rights
- Federal District Court & Tribal Court Litigation
- Supreme Court & Appellate: Indian Tribes
- Environment, Natural Resources & Land for American Indian Tribes
- Pro Bono
- American Indian Policy & Regulation
- Project Development & Finance for Indian Tribes
- Focuses on federal litigation involving American Indian law, with particular focus on water rights and other natural resource disputes.
- Represents Tribal Nations and provides strategic advice on American Indian law and policy, including matters at the intersection of litigation, regulation and governance.
- Maintains a robust public records and government accountability practice, counseling clients on the strategic use of FOIA and state open records laws.
Brette Peña is a litigator with a distinguished record of securing major victories for Tribal Nations in high‑stakes federal, state and tribal court litigation. Her practice centers on protecting tribal sovereignty; defending tribal land, water, and natural‑resource rights; and holding federal and state agencies accountable in strategic, precedent‑setting litigation.
Brette also serves as an advisor to Tribal Nations on issues arising at the intersection of policy, regulation and litigation. She and the entire AILP team are often called on to partner with tribal leadership to design forward‑looking solutions that strengthen long‑term governance and resource management objectives.
And, related to her work holding federal and state actors accountable, Brette maintains a robust national public records practice, counseling clients on the strategic use of public records laws to support regulatory, policy and advocacy goals.
Brette was a member of Akin’s 2016 summer associate class.
- Secured key victories in Indian water rights, land and natural‑resource litigation.
- Successfully represented tribal clients in complex litigation involving land‑into‑trust decisions and federal‑agency actions.
- Advised Tribal Nations on federal contracting, grants and ISDEAA §105(l) leasing.
- Extensive work in immigration matters and transparency litigation.
EducationJ.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2017
B.B.A., University of Oklahoma, 2014
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2017
B.B.A., University of Oklahoma, 2014
ClerkshipsU.S.D.C., Northern District of Oklahoma
U.S.D.C., Northern District of Oklahoma
Bar AdmissionsDistrict of Columbia
Oklahoma
District of Columbia
Oklahoma
- Board of Directors, Oklahoma Appleseed
- Akin’s Washington, DC Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, 2022
