Steven Paul McSloy

Partner

Steven McSloy is a Partner in the Indian Law and Tribal Representations practice. He advises clients on Native American law, gaming, corporate finance, capital markets and joint ventures.

Steve's experience includes serving as the General Counsel for the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and its Turning Stone Casino Resort and teaching American Indian Law at Columbia, NYU, Fordham, Cardozo, St. John's and Syracuse Law Schools. He has represented Indian Nations pro bono in submitting amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court, and for over 20 years has been involved in many of the largest and most complex financing transactions in Indian Country.

Steve has written eight law review articles defending Native sovereignty and several opinion pieces in Indian Country Today, and is the author of "Lending in Indian Country", a chapter in the multi-volume treatise Asset Based Financing. He has been ranked in the first tier of lawyers practicing Native American law by Chambers USA for every year since ranking began.

Steve was graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 1988, and before that was graduated magna cum laude from NYU. He has lectured on American Indian Law at numerous conferences and bar association meetings as well as at Yale, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia law schools.

Immediately prior to joining SNR Denton, Steve was Co-Chair of the Native American practice group in Hughes Hubbard’s New York office. Steve began his career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he worked as a corporate lawyer for nearly a decade. He also served three times as a Teaching Fellow for the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation.

During the financial crisis in 2008-09, Steve served as Deputy Chief Liquidating Officer for Lehman Brothers Inc., the broker/dealer arm of Lehman Brothers, which was in liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act.

Representative Experience

• Navajo Nation: Represented Keybank in a $60 million Build America Bond transaction, the first large scale loan to be governed solely by tribal law and tribal courts. This transaction was awarded the "Deal of the Year" award in 2010 by the Native American Finance Officers Association.
• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians: Represented the investment bank in $230,000,000 offering of investment grade notes underwritten by JP Morgan used to construct a new hotel and other amenities. 
• Poarch Band of Creek Indians: Represented Merrill Lynch in a $160,000,000 syndicated bank loan to build a destination resort casino complex in Alabama. 
• Navajo Nation: Representation of the Nation in its first venture into gaming, including six planned casinos in two states. 
• Snoqualmie Indian Tribe: Represented a hedge fund in a $85,500,000 unique bridge loan financing to allow the tribe to purchase land and place it into trust for a casino project near Seattle. 
• Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Representation of the Band in mergers and acquisition, finance, tax and real estate investment matters. 
• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians: Represented the investment bank in a $170,000,000 follow-on issuances of investment grade notes, including consent solicitation of holders of previously issued tax-exempt bonds. 
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York. $160,000,000 high yield bond offering by the Nation for expansion purposes. 
• Dry Creek Rancheria and its River Rock Entertainment Authority: Represented Merrill Lynch in a $58,500,000 in a series of tax-exempt and taxable issuances of debt for expansion and infrastructure improvements. 
• Represented JP Morgan Securities in connection with a $60 million letter of credit backed variable rate debt offering by an Arizona Tribe for gaming equipment and capital expenditures. 
• Tribal Joint Venture: Representation of a tribal entity formed to pursue off-reservation gaming opportunities. 
• Keybank: $17,000,000 bank credit facility for a Northeast Indian nation. 
• Tribal Hedge Fund: Research and analysis for the development of a hedge fund to be owned and operated by an Indian nation. 
• Northern California Tribe: Representing the investment bank in a $350,000,000 proposed high yield bond offering to construct a casino and resort facility. 
• Northeast Indian Nation: $40,000,000 secured credit facility to provide liquidity for Tribe facing challenges by the state and federal governments. 
• Las Vegas Gaming Company: Negotiation of a proposed management contract with an Indian nation. 
• Northeast Indian Nation: Representation in corporate restructuring and governance reform matters. 
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York: Representation in its 40+year-old land claim cases against New York State. 
• Represented Calyon in connection with a $230 million senior secured credit facility for the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, a $1.2 billion revolving credit facility for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, a $700 million senior secured term loan to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and a $900 million senior secured revolving loan to Wynn Las Vegas LLC. 
• Represented CIBC World Markets in connection with a $200 million term loan and $20 million revolving loan for the acquisition of the Reno Hilton Hotel & Casino by Grand Sierra Resorts. 
• Mining company: Negotiation of a minerals lease of Indian lands from an Indian tribe and related federal permits. 
• Bond Insurer: Representation in connection with $140,000,000 high yield bond offering by an Indian nation. 
• Insurance Company: Representation in researching and developing captive insurance companies on Indian land. 
• Accounting Firm: Representation in negotiation of engagements with Indian nations. 
• Gaming Technology Joint Venture: Representation of an Indian nation in negotiations involving a gaming technology joint venture. 
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York: $310,000,000 combined high yield, tax-exempt and secured bank loan facility to finance a major expansion of Turning Stone Casino Resort. 
• Native American Casino: $16,000,000 purchase of video gaming terminals and related licensed intellectual property. 
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York: $20,000,000 and $25,500,000 issuances of Tax Exempt Variable Rate Demand Bonds to finance eligible resort expansion projects. 
• Upstream Point Molate: $500 million project to convert a San Francisco Bay naval base into an urban Indian gaming facility and resort complex in partnership Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians. 
• Native American Entrepreneur: Representation in negotiations with financial sources and Indian nations in pursuit of leveraged buyout, wind power, Section 8(a) and other opportunities for Indian nations. 
• LiveNation/HOB: Represented LiveNation in negotiation of long term lease with Mohegan Sun Hotel/Casino for a House of Blues night club and Foundation Room private club to anchor the new hotel tower expansion at Mohegan Sun.
• Real Estate Developer: Development of a planned $700,000,000 phased gaming and entertainment destination in an environmentally sensitive area, in partnership with an Indian nation, and negotiation of development and management agreements.
• Nautica: Development of retail space at the Viejas Outlet Center on the Viejas Indian reservation in Southern California, including negotiations with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• Ann Taylor, The Gap and Sportsac: Representation of three lessees of space in the Tulalip Tribe's Seattle Premium Outlets in Washington State. 
• Real Estate Investor: Investigation of Native American casino and resort opportunities and obstacles in Northern California. 
• Investment and Commercial Banks: Representation of lenders and placement agents in secured loans, private placements, high yield and tax exempt issuances and other matters with respect to Indian nations in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Washington.

Honors and Awards

• Ranked in Chambers USA as one of the first tier top lawyers in Native American law in the United States, 2006-2011
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America in the area of Native American law, 2007-2012

Organizations

• Elected Member, International Masters of Gaming Law
• Special Member, National Native American Bar Association 
• Member, Indian Law Section, Federal Bar Association 
• Member, Native American Bar Association of Washington, DC 
• Special Member, Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 
• Associate Member, NCAI 
• Friend, NNALSA

Publications

• "Tom Cruise and the Indian Subprime Crisis," Indian Country Today, March 11, 2011
• "Lending in Indian Country," Chapter 4A of Asset Based Financing, Lexis Nexis 2011 
• “Theodore Custer Abramoff: The Worst Since Little Bighorn," Indian Country Today, February 24, 2006 
• “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money -- Sovereignty's Hit the Fan," Indian Country Today, June 17, 2005 
• Co-author, “What to Know Before Leasing Space on Indian Land," Commercial Tenant's Lease Insider, March 2005
• “After the ‘New Buffalo:’Tribal Wealth Management," Indian Country Today, November 5, 2004 
• “’Because the Bible Tells Me So’: Manifest Destiny and American Indians," Indian Country Today, September 10, 2004 
• Co-author, “A Great Nation Breaks its Word: Indians, Unions and the NLRB," Indian Country Today, June 25, 2004 
• “Ode to Billy Jo: The Supreme Court's Latest Look into Indian Law," Indian Country Today, May 17, 2004 
• “A Bird's Eye View of American Indian Law and its Future," Indian Country Today, September 26, 2003 
• “The ‘Miner’s Canary’: A Bird’s Eye View of American Indian Law and its Future," 37 New England Law Review 733, 2003 
• “Border Wars: Haudenosaunee Lands and Federalism," 46 Buffalo Law Review 1041, 1998 
• “’Because the Bible Tells Me So’: Manifest Destiny and American Indians," 9 St. Thomas Law Review 37, 1996 
• Co-author with Ray Halbritter, “Empowerment or Dependence? The Practical Value and Meaning of Native American Sovereignty," 26 N.Y.U. Journal of International Law and Politics 531, 1994
• “Revisiting the ‘Courts of the Conqueror’: American Indian Claims against the United States," 44 American University Law Review 537, 1994 
• “Back to the Future: Native American Sovereignty in the 21st Century," 20 N.Y.U. Review of Law and Social Change 217, 1993 
• “American Indians and the Constitution: An Argument for Nationhood," 14 American Indian Law Review 139, 1990 
• Co-author, “Toward Consent and Cooperation: Reconsidering the Political Status of Indian Nations," 22 Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review 507, 1987

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