Mark Reeves focuses his practice on litigation, devoting a majority of his time to the representation of Indian tribes and individuals. He has significant experience representing tribes in a broad range of litigation matters in federal courts and before federal administrative agencies, including a number of cases before the Interior Board of Indian Appeals. Among other issues, Mr. Reeves has worked on litigation involving questions of tribal sovereignty and immunity, the enforcement of the United States' trust responsibilities, and the protection and acquisition of tribal land and other resources.
In addition to his work on behalf of Native American clients, Mr. Reeves has substantial experience in medical malpractice defense litigation and in representing business clients involved in complex civil litigation, including products liability work and commercial contract disputes. He has also participated in the representation of numerous individual plaintiffs who were victims of catastrophic injuries.
Professional & Community Activities
State Bar of Georgia, 2008 Young Lawyers' Division Leadership Academy
Young Lawyers of Augusta, President (2011)
Sacred Heart Cultural Center, Board Member
Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, Secretary & Board Member
Tri My Best Triathlon, Volunteer
Clerkships
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - Honorable R. Lanier Anderson, III (Sep 2004-Aug 2005)
Industries
Native American
Experience
Worked on teams handling the following matters:
Medical malpractice litigation for a Georgia hospital, Represented a Georgia hospital in medical malpractice litigation.
Nisqually Indian Tribe v. Christine Gregoire, et al., Successfully represented Frank's Landing Indian Community (Frank's Landing) in contract litigation dispute. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's decision that had foreclosed the Nisqually Indian Tribe's (Nisqually) challenge to an agreement between Frank's Landing, the state of Washington, and another tribe, the Squaxin Island Tribe. In the suit, Nisqually contended that it had exclusive jurisdiction to sell tobacco products at Frank's Landing despite federal statutes from 1987 and 1994 that confirmed that Frank's Landing is a "self-governing dependent Indian Community" and not subject to any other tribe's jurisdiction. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Frank's Landing and the Ninth Circuit affirmed, holding that the federal statutes at issue were passed for the benefit of Frank's Landing and did not expressly or impliedly create a private right of action for Nisqually. That is a major win for our client, which otherwise may have been forced to defend against similar challenges to any future endeavors.
Nisqually Indian Tribe v. Christine Gregoire, et al., appeal docketed, No. 09-35725 (9th Cir. Oct. 4, 2010).
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick Townsend
Publications
18 April 2011, CPSC Launches Publicly Accessible Database of Consumer-Generated Safety Reports; Rules Give Companies Only 10 Days to Comment on Reports Before Publication, Legal Alerts
01 June 2003, Make Sense to Me: How to Moderate, Targeted Federal Tort Reform Legislation Could Solve the Nation's Asbestos Litigation Crisis
Source: Vanderbilt Law Review, Articles
News
31 January 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend's Mark Reeves Elected President of the Young Lawyers of Augusta, News Releases