Bryan Newland is an attorney with Lansing-based Fletcher Law--a national firm focused on Indian law--and a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe) in northern Michigan. He represents tribal clients on issues including the regulation of gaming facilities, negotiation of tribal-state gaming compacts, the fee-to-trust process, and leasing of Indian lands.

In 2008, Newland served as the Michigan Native Vote Coordinator for Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign, and was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2009 to 2012, he served as counselor and then senior policy advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior – Indian Affairs. In that capacity, he helped develop the Obama Administration’s policies on Indian gaming and Indian lands, reforming the Department of the Interior’s policy on reviewing tribal-state gaming compacts. He also led a team that reformed the BIA’s Indian leasing regulations and worked with key officials to help enact the HEARTH Act of 2012.

Prior to federal service, Newland worked in private practice representing tribes and commercial gaming companies on gaming matters arising under both state and federal law. He worked with tribal colleges on unique intergovernmental issues, including chartering public schools under state law.

In addition to working on Indian and commercial gaming issues, Newland has also worked with public officials, political candidates, and ballot initiative organizations on campaign finance and election law compliance. Prior to law school, he worked with tribes, ballot initiative organizations, and private companies to provide political and public relations consulting services.

Newland has served as a featured speaker at a number of events, and has published an article addressing tribal-state gaming compacts and revenue sharing. He is a regular contributor to the TurtleTalk Indian Law Blog, and was the author of the regular column "On My Fishbox," which appeared in the Bay Mills News until 2007 and won the National Native American Journalists Association Award in 2005 for Best Column Writing (Monthly).

He graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law and received his undergraduate degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University.