Maurisa Bell

Maurisa Bell is an Associate at Dentons, based in Washington, DC, focusing on Administrative Law. She is a member of Dentons’ Native American Law and Policy and Regulatory, Public Policy and Government Affairs practices.

Her practice focuses on Federal Indian law issues, Indian energy, fee-to-trust, gaming, water rights, land claims, and federal recognition. She has extensive experience advocating before federal agencies and Congress to advance clients’ priorities, including drafting testimony, preparing materials for meetings with federal agencies and congressional offices, and drafting legislative proposals to address clients’ issues and priorities.

Maurisa earned her JD from Michigan State University College of Law. During law school, she worked at the National Indian Gaming Commission, Office of General Counsel, and the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice.

She was raised in Wyoming and is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. She is recognised in Best Lawyers in America as “Ones to Watch” for Native American Law (2027) and as a Rising Star in Native American Law by The Legal 500 (2023). She received Jurisprudence Awards in Federal Jurisdiction (Spring 2019) and Federal Law and Indian Tribes (Fall 2017) from Michigan State University College of Law, the 3L of the Year Award from the National Native American Law Student Association (2018–2019), and the “Best Brief” Award from the Pre-Law Summer Institute, American Indian Law Center (August 2016).

She is the editor of and a contributing author for the Dentons Indigenous Intellectual Property Newsletter, and is a member of the Native American Bar Association of D.C., where she is President-Elect for 2025. Her practice areas include advocacy and government affairs, Native American law and policy, public policy and regulation, and regulatory, public policy and government affairs. She holds a Juris Doctor with an Indigenous Law Certificate from Michigan State University College of Law (2019) and a Bachelor of Arts, graduated with Honors, from Montana State University (2015).