WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 16, 2026) – Holland & Knight has bolstered its Federal Government Affairs Practice with the addition of Fatima Abbas, longstanding director of the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as a partner in Washington, D.C. Ms. Abbas brings more than 15 years of experience working across federal, state and Tribal jurisdictions in the private, nonprofit, legislative and government sectors.
At Holland & Knight she will focus on advising Tribal governments, Native entities, and their business and philanthropic partners on policy issues, federal relations, economic development and tax strategies, grants management and self-governance matters, including representing them in litigation. The Firm's Washington, D.C., office received a first-tier ranking in the 2026 edition of the Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" guide for Native American Law.
"Fatima has delivered wins for Tribal communities through a national crisis, a divided Congress and across the Biden and Trump Administrations in practice areas ranging from tax to broadband. Fatima's deep ties and tenacious advocacy for Tribal communities will make her an invaluable asset to our Native American Law Team," said Paul Stimers, leader of Holland & Knight's Federal Government Affairs Practice. "As Tribal governments and their economic enterprises continue to diversify their economic and policy portfolios amid an ever-changing legal and political landscape, Fatima’'s litigation and policy experience creates significant opportunities for collaboration across multiple practice groups. We're thrilled to welcome her to the team."
At the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Ms. Abbas advised the secretary and other senior leadership on department-wide matters impacting Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and Native Hawaiian entities. Her work included leading the implementation of $30 billion in Tribal and Alaska Native Corporation set-asides at the Treasury Department to more than 575 Tribes and 200 Alaska Native Corporations and leading the issuance of two tax regulations in 2025 that enable Tribes to exclude more than $40 billion in annual revenue from income tax.
Ms. Abbas also previously served as senior advisor in Treasury's Office of Capital Access, which managed more than $1 trillion in funding to 30,000 governments. In addition, she previously served as the vice president of government relations at the National Congress of American Indians, where she led a coalition that secured a historic $40 billion in Tribal set-asides from 2020 to 2021. Earlier in her career, she served as the first general counsel to the Karuk Tribe and as a deputy attorney general for the Colorado River Indian Tribes, providing broad-based legal counsel on economic development, tax, natural resources and governance issues.
"Fatima has a demonstrated record of success for Tribal communities. I am excited to have her on Holland & Knight's Native American Law Team to continue this work and further our multidisciplinary advocacy for Indian Country clients," said James Meggesto, co-leader of Holland & Knight's Native American Law Team. "I am confident that she will be a valuable addition to our team."
"The economic self-determination of Tribal and Native communities must be advanced in all political seasons and across practice areas. Holland & Knight's well regarded Federal Government Affairs Practice as well as its strong Native American Law group, which is active in multiple high-profile matters, make it the ideal place to continue my service to the advancement of these communities and their partners," Ms. Abbas said. "I look forward to leveraging my experience to serve the Firm's existing and prospective clients and further the development of the Native American Law practice as a full-service shop for Tribal government and commercial entity law, policy and federal advocacy."
Ms. Abbas received a J.D. degree from University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a B.A. degree from Temple University.
Not admitted to the District of Columbia Bar; admitted to the California, Arizona, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars only and practicing under the supervision of lawyers licensed to practice in the District of Columbia.