Jeff Keohane counsels corporations, tribal governments, and individuals on environmental and natural resources issues, including water rights, redevelopment and energy matters, as well as all the major federal and California environmental statutes. He has also represented clients on matters of Native American law—from gaming and hospitality to recognition, jurisdictional, and land into trust matters. His 23 years of experience makes him one of the premiere environmental attorneys in Indian country.

Prior to joining Schwabe, Jeff had a thriving environmental and Native American law practice at several private practice law firms, and most recently, he served as Principal at Keohane Law. Early in his career, Jeff worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel.

Jeff has served as an Adjunct Professor of federal Indian and Native American tribal law at UC Davis School of Law. He also frequently donates his time as pro bono counsel to families facing eviction in the Bay Area.

Bar Admissions

• California State Courts
  
  District of Columbia Courts
  
  4^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
• 6^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
• 7^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
  
  9^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
  
  10^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
  
  U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• U.S. District Courts of California
• United States Supreme Court
• Washington State Courts

Education

• Stanford Law School, Juris Doctor degree (1997)‎
• Boston University, Bachelor of Arts degree (1992)‎

• Served as outside general counsel to several Indian tribes during construction and opening of their casino-hotels.
• Negotiated gaming compacts and amendments.
• Negotiated tribal water rights settlements.
• Negotiated a deal and legislation to provide initial potable water service to an Indian reservation.
• Performed environmental due diligence for land acquisition and M&A transactions.
• Negotiated cleanup standards for contaminated properties on behalf of tribes, corporations, and private equity clients.
• Negotiated completion of controversial fee-to-trust land acquisitions.
• Drafted environmental and gaming regulatory and legislative language.
• Successfully negotiated air quality permits and a path-breaking tribal air basin for a power plant in an extreme nonattainment area.
• Developed a tribal water trading scheme and groundwater management plan.
• Represented tribes in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and California Energy Commission (CEC) matters.
• Drafted tribal environmental, gaming, and other legal codes.
• Assisted tribes to develop EPA-approved environmental programs regulating nonmember activities.
• Advised tribal gaming enterprises on COVID-19 and other disaster responses.
• Advised corporations on committing to ESG principles.

• Murky Waters: Assessing EPA’s Draft Guidance on Groundwater Regulation After the Maui County Decision
• Case Challenging Political Classification of Natives Dismissed
• Environmental Enforcement and Regulatory Updates

Seminar

• Emerging Environmental Law Topics in the New Administration