Russ Brien

Russell A. Brien (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska) established Brien Law, LLC in 2009. He is a former partner in the corporate finance group of a national law firm where he concentrated on structured finance transactions and also led that firm’s Indian Law and Tribal Governance practice. Russ’ current practice primarily involves working as outside general counsel to tribes and their enterprises on a variety of issues, with an emphasis on gaming, economic development, governance, finance, taxation, and doing business in Indian country. He frequently speaks on a variety of topics including gaming, federal Indian law, tribal economic development, Indian lands issues, estate planning in Indian country, protection of tribal records, ethics for tribal leaders, negotiation, and tribal constitutions and bylaws. Russ is a former adjunct instructor at the University of Kansas School of Law where he taught the Indian Gaming and Economic Development and Indigenous Nations courses in the law school’s Tribal Lawyer Certificate Program. Russ, past President of the Kansas Bar Association Indian Law Section, is listed in the Best Lawyers in America for Native American Law as well as Securitization and Structured Finance Law. Russ received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.