A member of Venable's Legislative and Government Affairs Practice, David A. Mullon Jr. has significant government and private practice experience. His practice focuses on a broad array of issues impacting various Native American tribes throughout the country with a particular emphasis on energy, water, land use, natural resources, environmental, and healthcare law, and legislative affairs.
Most recently, Mr. Mullon served as Chief Counsel to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), a nonprofit organization representing the interests of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and communities. Prior to that, Mr. Mullon spent over a decade with the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in various positions including Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel. While with the Indian Affairs Committee, Mr. Mullon worked for and advised five separate committee chairs and vice-chairs and played significant roles in drafting several bills including the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004; Title V (Indian Energy) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; and portions of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization; the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010; several Indian water settlement bills; and numerous other bills relating to other areas of Federal Indian policy.
Mr. Mullon also spent over a decade working for the Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) Nations. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Mr. Mullon served as the Nation's first in-house attorney and later Counsel. He represented the Cherokee Nation in federal, state and tribal court; provided legal advice and counsel to the Principal Chief; developed tribal legislation for the Nation's extensive Indian housing program; drafted extensive amendments to the Nation's membership and environmental codes; negotiated tribal-state compacts and cooperative agreements with the State of Oklahoma for law enforcement automobile licensing and registration; and communicated the Nation's legislative initiatives in Washington, DC. For the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Mr. Mullon served as Attorney General, the Nation's chief law enforcement officer, civil attorney and legal advisor to the Principal Chief and National Council. Through this position he represented the Nation in all criminal and juvenile proceedings in tribal court, all civil proceedings in tribal, state and federal court, including employment disputes, contracts and compacts; and represented the Nation before various federal agencies.
