Wilson Pipestem, Esq
Partner, Ietan Consulting, LLC

Wilson K. Pipestem is the Managing Partner of Ietan Consulting, L.L.C. He brings particular expertise in the area of Indian law and policy to the firm. Wilson has extensive experience in assisting clients with devising strategies to solve complex problems involving the three branches of federal government.

Before founding Ietan Consulting with Larry Rosenthal, Wilson was a Senior Vice President with Wheat & Associates, L.L.C. At Wheat & Associates and now Ietan Consulting, Wilson has successfully represented clients on matters before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Indian Gaming Commission.

A graduate of Stanford Law School and Oklahoma State University, Wilson formerly practiced law in the litigation group of Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman, L.L.P., one of the largest law firms in Washington, D.C. There he established an Indian law practice that advised and represented tribal and Indian clients on matters relating to treaty rights, commercial transactions, federal recognition, jurisdiction, and gaming. Wilson represented the Cherokee Nation in the Arkansas Riverbed controversy that involved the efforts of three tribes, the Cherokee, Choctaw and the Chickasaw Nations, to reclaim ownership and use of the riverbed lands. He also represented that Nation in its opposition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs' recognition of the Delaware Tribe, a group incorporated into the Cherokee Nation by treaty and tribal agreement. This representation led to two significant published decisions, Cherokee Nation v. United States, 124 F.3d 1413 (Fed. Cir. 1997), and Cherokee Nation v. Babbitt, 117 F.3d 1489 (D.C. Cir. 1997).

Wilson also is the founder of a new organization, Alliance for Tribal Justice, devoted to the protection and enhancement of tribal sovereignty by seeking appointments to the federal judiciary of persons with knowledge and understanding of the basics of tribal rights.

Wilson teaches Federal Indian Law as a Lecturer at Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, and as an Adjunct Professor at Washington College of Law at American University. He has spoken at professional conferences, such as the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference and the World Gaming Expo.

Wilson is a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the Chief Justice of that Tribe's Supreme Court. He also serves as President Emeritus of the Native American Bar Association of Washington, D.C. and a member of the board of directors for several national Indian organizations, including United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) and WINGS of America.