- Protecting Cultural Heritage
Cultural Heritage is a
Human Right
Cultural Heritage Partners is a law firm committed to the idea that a community’s strength is rooted in its heritage and that Cultural Heritage is a human right. We represent Tribal Nations, communities, institutions, and advocates who steward irreplaceable sacred sites, historic properties, traditional knowledge, and cultural landscapes.
We empower clients to protect, recover, and invigorate their unique histories and cultural identities, through powerful legal tools and advocacy, because doing so is a matter of justice.
When the irreplaceable is damaged or destroyed, we pursue accountability and ensure that those responsible answer for their actions.
Together, we advance justice, self-determination, and lasting protection for what defines and sustains your community, because when communities are free to celebrate their culture, they affirm their dignity, strengthen their identity, and help build a more just and equitable future.
- About CHP
Advancing Sovereignty and Safeguarding Cultural Heritage
Cultural Heritage Partners PLLC represents Tribal Nations, local governments, institutions, and community coalitions in the essential work of protecting sacred sites, natural resources, and culturally significant landscapes and in strengthening governance to ensure their voices are heard and their history is protected. Our attorneys, archaeologists, and Tribal specialists work together across every engagement. Our practice is built on a foundational principle: cultural heritage is a human right deserving of meaningful protection.
Our Approach: Strategy, Governance, and Enforcement
We work alongside our clients to transform legal rights into enforceable power. Our dual-track approach ensures that cultural resources are protected both through internal governance and external accountability:
- Operationalizing Sovereignty:We help Tribal governments build durable legal systems and regulatory frameworks grounded in Tribal law. We advise federally recognized Tribal Nations on governance, land-into-trust acquisitions, and cultural and natural resource protection. We draft and enforce Tribal codes, develop tribal regulatory frameworks, build enforcement and recovery strategies for trespass, cultural and natural resource violations, and support the development of Tribal court systems and dispute resolution processes. We advise on rights-of-way governance, co-management agreements, and the intergovernmental frameworks that shared stewardship of lands and waters requires. We also structure Section 17 corporations and Tribal LLCs, negotiate business development agreements, and help Tribes build the economic architecture that self-determination requires. We position Tribes to prevent harm, address violations of Tribal and federal law, and manage repatriation obligations from a position of strength.
- Federal Compliance and Accountability: We assist clients in ensuring that federal agencies and private developers treat the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and other federal and state laws as meaningful safeguards rather than procedural formalities. We intervene before irreversible harm occurs, enforcing accountability and strengthening the consultation process. When agencies reduce compliance to a box checking exercise, both cultural resources and project proponents face serious risk. We help correct the record, recalibrate the process and ensure accountability.
- Vision
Securing the Future of the Past
At Cultural Heritage Partners, we partner with Tribal nations, descendant communities and grassroots coalitions to ensure that development never comes at the cost of identity and history. We are dedicated to ensuring that the legal obligations of the present are used to protect the heritage of the future. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you protect the past for the future.
- Our legal Expertise
What We Do
We provide comprehensive legal guidance across multiple practice areas, each designed to protect and advance cultural heritage rights.
- Heritage Preservation Practice
“Cultural Heritage is a Human Right”
Representing Tribal Nations, local governments, nonprofit organizations, descendant communities, and grassroots coalitions to protect historic, sacred, and culturally significant places threatened by federal or federally permitted development.
- Tribal Nations Practice
“Tribal sovereignty is only as strong as the systems built to protect it. We build those systems.”
Advising Tribal governments, attorneys, THPOs, and land departments on sovereignty, governance, enforcement, and the protection of Tribal lands and cultural heritage.
Protecting What Matters Most
- Our Team
Legal Professionals Committed to Serving With Integrity
Our team at Cultural Heritage Partners PLLC is a multidisciplinary collective of legal experts in NHPA, NEPA, and federal Indian Law and cultural resource specialists. We combine deep knowledge of federal law with an unwavering commitment to the Tribal Nations, communities, and advocates who steward irreplaceable sacred sites, historic properties, traditional knowledge, and cultural landscapes.
Let's Discuss Your Heritage Protection Needs
Whether you’re facing immediate threats to cultural resources or building long-term preservation infrastructure, our team is ready to provide strategic guidance tailored to your unique situation.