Gabriel Stefan Dumea

Gabriel Dumea is an Associate at Patterson Real Bird & Rasmussen LLP, where his practice areas encompass Federal Indian Law, Litigation and Appeals, Energy and Natural Resources Law, Environmental Law, Transactional Law, Probate and Estate Planning and General Counsel Services. His work emphasizes complex litigation and appellate advocacy, with further focus on Tribal energy and environmental projects and economic development initiatives.

Before joining Patterson Real Bird & Rasmussen LLP, Gabriel began his legal career as a Staff Attorney for the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, where he advanced Tribal sovereignty and protected Tribal interests. In this capacity, he provided legal counsel and representation to the Tribe and Tribal entities across a broad range of matters, including litigation and appeals, business transactions, economic development, housing, education, finance, healthcare, Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”) cases, and administrative and government affairs.

Gabriel later served as a Prosecutor in the State of New Mexico, where he handled felony and misdemeanor prosecutions across Eddy, Lea, and Chaves Counties, with a particular emphasis on white collar crime and organized retail crime.

Most recently, Gabriel practiced at a law firm representing state entities, government agencies, and private clients in a broad range of complex civil litigation, including civil rights litigation, oil and gas litigation, toxic tort litigation, municipal liability, and general tort litigation, as well as matters involving title examination and probate and estate planning. This work further strengthened his focus on civil rights claims, on disputes arising in the energy and natural resources sector, as well as environmental and land use matters.

Gabriel holds a J.D. from the University of North Dakota, where he also earned a Certificate in Indian Law. While in law school, he worked as a Law Clerk for the Tribal Judicial Institute and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Spirit Lake Nation.