Whitney A. Leonard

Whitney A. Leonard is a partner at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Miller & Monkman, LLP in Anchorage who works across the firm’s Native American law practice. She has particular interests in Native land rights, environmental justice, tribal public safety, and tribal self-governance. Her practice also includes general counsel matters, jurisdiction and tribal sovereignty, natural resources, treaty rights, and trust land acquisitions for tribal governments and organizations.

Leonard earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2015 and a B.A. from Williams College in 2008. At Yale, she served as a Comments Editor for the Yale Law Journal and on the boards of the Native American Law Students Association and Yale Environmental Law Association. She later clerked for Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the Ninth Circuit and Justice Dana Fabe of the Alaska Supreme Court.

Leonard has been deeply involved in litigation against major opioid companies on behalf of tribes and tribal organizations nationwide, as well as related litigation involving e-cigarette manufacturers. Before law school, she worked on land and wildlife conservation in Montana, experience that connects with her current work on land rights, environmental justice, and natural resources. Her federal appellate and Alaska Supreme Court clerkships also inform her approach to complex legal research and litigation.

Whitney A. Leonard joined the firm in 2017 and became a partner in 2023. She brings appellate training, conservation experience, and a focused understanding of tribal sovereignty issues to matters affecting Native communities. Her work helps tribes and tribal organizations address jurisdiction, land, public safety, natural-resource, and governance concerns through litigation and counseling that respects the legal frameworks governing federal, state, and tribal relationships.

Law Office Affiliations

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

Licensed State

• Alaska
• Montana

Education

• Yale Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Williams College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges