counsel for the choctaws when I

graduated from Law School in 1974.

and except for the time that I spent on

the bench

I’ve been general counsel and

represented the Choctaw Nation and the

Chickasaw Nation and have also performed

work for other tribes such as the

Cherokee Nation the Muskogee creeks and

so forth you’ve got to get the tribes to

have a basic understanding with regard

to sovereignty

when to exercise the sovereignty don’t

overplay it and

that’s achieved by meeting with the

tribal councils the chief the the

executive officers and and training them

and trying to instill the concept in

them that even though they are

sovereignty they have to work with other

sovereigns such as cities such as

counties such as states such as the

United States so all of that takes place

outside of the courtroom the education

process with regard to sovereignty what

it means and when to exercise it