Blaine Green

Blaine I. Green leads the Native American Law practice at Pillsbury, one of a small number of big firms nationally recognized in this area. Blaine represents tribes, as well as companies working with tribes, on a wide range of transactional (project finance, land-into-trust, construction) and litigation (disputes in courts and before the Interior Board of Indian Appeals) matters.

He also litigates and arbitrates a broad array of complex environmental and commercial cases. He has first-chaired jury trials, court trials and arbitrations, and successfully argued cases before the California courts of appeal and the Ninth Circuit, resulting in many published decisions.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE :

• Representing petroleum trade associations in a series of cases brought by environmental groups challenging the practice of hydraulic fracturing and other well stimulation techniques in California. Prevailed in three lawsuits to date.
• Representing tribal joint ventures, as well as companies doing business on Indian land, in disputes with state and local government over attempts to tax on-reservation property and activities.
• Representing a freight railroad in connection with environmental, commercial, transactional and litigation matters relating to California High-Speed Rail and related projects.
• As counsel for a California-based tribe, led a multi-disciplinary team of Pillsbury lawyers in the $47.5 million syndicated financing and construction of a new casino and hotel.
• Represented a tribe in connection with its application to take land in federal trust. California objected to Interior’s decision to take the land into trust and filed an appeal to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals. Led the successful defense of this appeal.
• Representing citizens group challenging San Jose’s approval of an option agreement for the sale of downtown land to build a new baseball stadium for the Oakland A’s.  Court ordered the city to withdraw the option agreement.
• Representing petroleum trade associations in two related lawsuits challenging the environmental impact report for Kern County’s ordinance that provides for the streamlined permitting of oil and gas wells.
• Representing petroleum trade association in case challenging the State of California’s environmental review of the statewide impacts of hydraulic fracturing and other well stimulation treatments. Prevailed at trial.
• Represented energy company in Superfund lawsuit seeking clean-up and damages arising from contamination at property used as a landfill.       Obtained grant of partial summary judgment, and settled remaining claims for nuisance value.
• On behalf of power plant owner facing long-running challenge over discharge permit, drafted winning briefs in the trial court and on appeal, culminating in published California Supreme Court decision in favor of client.
• Defended marketer and importer of mezcal against competitor’s allegations of trade secret misappropriation and related business tort claims.
• Represented financial services company in response to competitor’s allegations of copyright infringement and unfair competition. Dissuaded competitor from filing suit.
• Represented biotechnology company in suit brought by pharmaceutical firm over patent rights to a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Case settled on favorable terms.

EDUCATION :

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 1997
• B.A., Harvard University, 1994

ADMISSIONS : California

COURTS :

• Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. Supreme Court