Attorneys

Racheal M. White Hawk is an Associate in Procopio’s Native American Law Practice Group and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.  Racheal is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Fifth Circuits and for all of the state courts of Arizona and California.  She focuses her practice in the areas of tribal gaming, business, real estate and finance. 

Before joining Procopio, Racheal clerked for Judge Mary Schroeder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and she clerked for Chief Justice Scott Bales of the Arizona Supreme Court.  During law school, Racheal served as Editor-in-Chief of Jurimetrics, the journal of the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law.  Before attending law school, Racheal completed a Fulbright research grant in Chengdu, China, studying sustainable economic development.

• Assisted with refinancing multi-million dollar loans for tribal entity client, including providing guidance regarding Indian gaming law, tribal corporate governance law, and sovereign immunity and jurisdictional issues.

• Alan Matheson Service Award, recognizing a graduate for service to ASU law school (2016)
• Tipping the Scales, Best and Brightest Award for academic performance, leadership, and potential (2016)
• “Honorable mention” from the American College of Environmental Lawyers for excellence in a published student article on a noteworthy aspect of environmental law (2016)
• Willard H. Pedrick Scholar, for achieving high academic success (2013-2016)
• Gold ‘n Gavel Scholar, for contributions to ASU law school (2015)
• First Place Ross-Blakely Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research (2015)

• Federal Bar Association, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member
• American Indian Law Center, Judicial Clerkship Program Committee, Co-Chair
• National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Judge
• Future Inspired Native American Leaders Mentor - Past

• JD, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif (2016)
• BA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2009)

• “Majority of U.S. States, 75 Members of Congress, and More Than 30 Organizations File Amicus Briefs in Support of Native American Families and Children,” News Maven (Dec. 16, 2019).
• Westney, Andrew. “Native  Groups, Profs, States Champion ICWA to 5th Circ.,” Law360 (Dec. 13, 2019).
• Westney, Andrew. “Feds Say Indian Child Welfare Law Must Stand,” Law360 (Jan. 17, 2019).

• Federal Indian Law 101, San Diego Law Library MCLE Series (Jan. 16, 2020).
• Strengthening Tribal Justice Systems and Empowering Native Attorneys: the Benefits of Judicial Clerkships, 10th Annual Tribal Leadership Conference: Transitions (Oct. 1, 2019).
• Protecting ICWA, 17th Annual March to Honor Lost Children (Nov. 26, 2019).
• Protecting ICWA: A Convening of Natives and Allies, Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition Conference (Apr. 29, 2019).
• Fundamentals of the Indian Child Welfare Act, Phoenix Indian Center Parenting in Two Worlds Course (Nov. 23, 2015).
• The Revised Regulations for Federal Recognition of Indian Tribes: An Analysis Under the Tunica-Biloxi Precedent, National Congress of American Indians Conference (Oct. 18, 2015).
• Federal Indian Law and Policy, NAFOA Tribal Financial Manager Certificate Program (May 19, 2015).

• The California Consumer Privacy Act’s Applicability to Tribes and Tribal Gaming Enterprises, Blogging Circle (Jan. 22, 2020).
• Cybersecurity, Sports Betting, Hemp, and Child Welfare: 2020 Indian Law Updates, Blogging Circle (Jan. 6, 2020).
• Breaking News: Fifth Circuit Holds ICWA Constitutional, Rejecting Claims that it is Race-Based, Blogging Circle (Aug. 9, 2019).
• Arizona Supreme Court Denies Tribal Sacred Site and Cultural Practices Protection, Equating Such Practices With a Weekend Hike,Blogging Circle (Dec. 13, 2018).
• Federal District Court in Texas Defies Precedent, Holds ICWA Unconstitutional, Blogging Circle (Oct. 9, 2018).
• Community-Scale Solar: Watt’s in It for Indian Country?, 40 Environs Envtl. Law & Pol'y J. 1 (2016).
• Comment, A New Formula for Tribal Internet Gaming, 56 Jurimetrics J. 47 (2015).
• Wilma Mankiller: Leader of a Nation, Native Daughters (2014).