Rebecca A. Patterson

Rebecca A. Patterson is a government lawyer and partner in the Anchorage office of Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Miller & Monkman, LLP. She works across the firm’s Native American law practice, including self-governance negotiations, tribal health matters, council and board governance, general counsel work, policy questions, and litigation under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Rebecca advises tribal governments and organizations on legal structures and federal relationships that directly affect governance, services, sovereignty, and program administration.

Rebecca earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2011, where she served as Assistant Managing Editor of the Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review and participated in public interest programs assisting criminal defendants. She received a B.A., summa cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007. Before law school, she worked on immigration issues at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. Her education and public interest background support a practice involving civil rights, tribal governance, and federal law.

Before joining the firm in 2013, Rebecca clerked for Chief Justice Walter L. Carpeneti of the Alaska Supreme Court and Judge Sharon L. Gleason of the US District Court for the District of Alaska. She became a partner in 2017. Her work includes administrative law, Alaska Native law, child welfare, employment law, health law, jurisdiction and tribal sovereignty, litigation, self-determination and self-governance, and tribal codes, with particular experience advising tribal health entities and governing bodies.

Rebecca A. Patterson serves as President of the Alaska Bar Association and has been recognized by Chambers USA for Native American Law in Alaska. Her practice combines litigation, governance counseling, federal Indian law, and self-governance work. Rebecca helps tribal clients interpret complex federal requirements, structure government-to-government relationships, operate programs, and protect legal interests while keeping advice grounded in the practical responsibilities of tribal councils, boards, health organizations, and other Native institutions.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Miller & Monkman, LLP
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association
• Member, Alaska Bar Association

Licensed State

• Illinois
• Alaska

Education

• Harvard Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Washington University in St. Louis
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges