Washington, DC — October 08, 2026 — Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC (CHP), a leading law firm focused on protecting cultural heritage as a human right, today announced that Charmayne S. Barczewski has joined the firm as an attorney in the firm’s Tribal Nations Practice.
Charmayne is a federal litigator whose practice sits at the intersection of federal Indian, environmental, and administrative law. CHP co-founder Marion Forsyth Werkheiser first met Charmayne nearly a decade ago, when Charmayne was working as an environmental attorney protecting public lands and critical habitat by litigating challenges to natural gas pipeline permitting and construction under federal statutes. Marion shared, “Charmayne’s creative and sharp lawyering impressed me when we first had the chance to collaborate on issues years ago, and I am so pleased now to welcome her to CHP, where she can deploy her talents on behalf of our clients.” Charmayne then spent seven years inside the federal government, first at the Department of the Interior and then at the Department of Justice, where she learned how decisions affecting Indian Country are made and defended. She brings that knowledge to CHP on behalf of Tribal Nations.
Strengthening CHP’s Federal Indian Law and Litigation Capacity
Charmayne’s arrival comes at a moment of rapid growth, both in CHP’s Tribal Nations Practice and in its growing federal litigation docket. She brings her longstanding commitment to defending Tribal sovereignty and self-determination, along with her experience litigating complex, high-profile federal Indian law cases. At CHP, Charmayne partners with Tribal Nations and Native organizations facing threats to their sovereignty and jurisdiction, lands, and natural and cultural resources. She counsels and litigates on trespass and unauthorized occupancy of Tribal and allotted lands and ensures clients have a seat at the table by helping them navigate the tangle of federal and state laws governing Indian Country.
Charmayne’s experience in administrative law also comes at the right time, as CHP gears up to fight existential executive, regulatory, and legislative threats to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). For sixty years, Section 106 has served as a bulwark against the destruction and diminishment of invaluable and irreplaceable historic and cultural resources for Tribal Nations, communities, local governments, and all Americans. “Now short-sighted efforts to undermine Section 106 threaten long-term harm to our shared cultural and historic heritage,” said Barczewski. “This is not a partisan issue. No matter which side of the aisle you sit on, you know and love the places that make up the fabric of our country. Those places are worth defending, and I’m thrilled to join CHP as it leads that fight.”
About Cultural Heritage Partners
Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC (CHP) is a law firm focused on advancing the principle of cultural heritage as a human right. We represent Tribal Nations, local governments, community organizations, and advocates who steward irreplaceable sacred sites, historic properties, traditional knowledge, and cultural landscapes. The firm’s clients include Indigenous nations, African American communities, historic cities and towns, and cultural institutions globally. The firm’s victories have strengthened international and federal preservation law, secured the protection of important sites, objects, and traditions, affirmed the sovereignty of Tribes and First Nations, and helped communities whose culture has been systematically devalued be heard in the courts, legislatures, and before international tribunals.
Media Contact
Greg Werkheiser
Founding Partner, Attorney at Law
greg@culturalheritagepartners.com
(703) 408-2002