Johnathon (“JR”) Loera is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and has dedicated much of his legal practice to the service of tribal nations. JR joined the firm in late 2024 following several years of practice with another law firm prominent in the field of Tribal Law.  

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JR works in nearly all areas of law that come before tribal governments on a day-to-day basis, such as the drafting of tribal resolutions, ordinances, and correspondence on behalf of tribal governing bodies. He regularly works on tribal employment matters, including the development of personnel manuals for tribes and tribal enterprises, and his experience includes the application of federal and state labor laws to tribes and tribal entities. His knowledge of tribal employment matters led him to the representation of tribal TERO departments which necessitated a focus on commercial activities, the application of Indian preference, and a practical skill set for the regulation of businesses in the oil and gas field

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JR also works to achieve tribe’s goals for their financial assets, including working with national investment and banking institutions like KeyBank and Mercer to further tribal economic development.  He has been the primary attorney on the legal aspects of managing portfolios ranging over a half billion dollars, and his work has achieved both short-term needs for tribes (additional tribal dividends, the growth of tribal services, etc.) and long-term needs for tribes (aggressive investments for tribes dependent on natural resource profits, establishing new tribal infrastructure, etc.). JR has drafted multiple investment policy statements and related portfolio management policies for tribal enterprises, which has led to the growth of his practice into non-tribal commercial transactions and experience in all steps of business development. JR’s work includes taking different types of business entities from cradle to grave.

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His focus on tribal economic development led JR to gain an expertise on tribal internet gaming.  As the wave of sports betting and placing bets on electronic platforms swept over the country in the 2010s and early 2020s, JR was on the front lines of the expansion of tribes and tribal jurisdiction into the same fields. Specifically, he has negotiated, drafted, and implemented online sports betting agreements and internet sports betting platforms in multiple states and has engaged with various gaming platform providers to provide any necessary level of gaming devices and infrastructure. He has experience in dealing with both federal and state gaming regulatory schemes and he has overseen all stages of the launch and maintenance of a tribal gaming operation, including the oversight of accounting requirements and regulatory requirements once a gaming operation is established.

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Primarily through his representation of a tribal social services department from 2019 to 2021, JR has litigated in tribal and state court for the protection of tribal members and parental rights. His tribal court litigation experience provided him with the desire to work towards the fulfillment of tribal codes and agreements by all applicable parties. This desire led him towards working directly on the revision of several tribal codes and ordinances, including leading a project for the complete overhaul of a Montana tribe’s law and order code.

JR’s dedication to his practice stems from his own cultural upbringing and personal experience. JR is inspired by the many individuals who support tribal communities and ensure that tribal voices are heard. The dedication of these individuals—including his own coworkers and the tribal leaders the firm represents—encourages JR to do all he can to address the challenges that tribes and their members face.

JR Loera was raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, in the heart of KCA country. He enjoys anything related to sports and is an avid fan of any University of Oklahoma team and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He participates in whatever outdoor activity the weather in Colorado allows for the weekend, and reading non-fiction works on history and economics.

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Education:     
University of Oklahoma College of Law, J.D. American Indian Law Certificate (2019); University of Oklahoma, B.A., Political Science and Native American Studies, (2016).

 

Practice Areas:
Federal Indian Law; Tribal Governance; Economic Development and Commercial Transactions; Internet Gaming and Sports Betting; Jurisdiction and Land Matters; Legislation and Code Drafting.

 

Admissions: 
State of Colorado, State of Utah, Utah District Court, Ute Indian Tribal Court.