Professional Profile

Bree A. Evans

Associate Attorney

Bree Evans is originally from Connecticut, and has spent her adult life based in the cities of the Northeast. Growing up she spent her summers sailing with her family between the historic ports of New England, and still loves being close to the ocean.

As an undergraduate in Boston, Bree first fell in love with art history and the perspective-challenging aspects of cultural studies. Bree double-majored in Archaeology and Psychology, and minored in Architectural History. Following her undergraduate studies, Bree moved to New York where she worked and interned at a handful of museums and historic preservation organizations. Following her graduate degree, Bree worked for two years at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, helping the museum transition between physical locations and learning about the realities of museum management.

Bree then returned to school to pursue a law degree. While in school she interned with three federal agencies, each with a portfolio touching on matters of cultural heritage protection. She interned with the Department of Justice’s Office of Tribal Justice, where she worked on issues including protection of resources, sovereignty, and criminal justice. In addition, she interned with the Office of the General Counsel at the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the federal government’s largest grant maker for museums and libraries, as well as the International Section of the Office of the General Counsel of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. As a result of her work in public service during law school, Bree graduated as the Class of 2020 Pro Bono Scholar.

In law school Bree served on the staff of the National Security Law Brief, and contributed four posts to the Brief’s blog. Bree also published an article with the Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief, advocating that the Food and Drug Administration adopt species and location-specific market labels for shrimp to help increase supply chain transparency for consumers and to help support domestic fisheries in the fight against international illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. Bree wrote her Master’s thesis on the use of daylight in new museum construction, and remains passionate about sustainable building design and green infrastructure initiatives.

Bree considers it a great honor to work in service of Tribal Nations. She is passionate about advocating for tribal self-governance, ensuring that federal, state, and local governments recognize and respect the full extent of Tribal sovereign rights, and holding the United States accountable for its broken promises. Bree enjoys hiking, jogging, and exploring the outdoors. She also enjoys experimenting with various art forms, and visiting museums for inspiration. She loves caring for plants, sampling podcasts, and challenging herself to solve different types of puzzles.

Bree’s practice areas include tribal governance, cultural heritage, health care, opioid litigation, gaming, and administrative law.

Bree joined Hobbs Straus in 2021.

Selected Publications

Bree Evans, Nothing Shellfish About It: Why the FDA Needs to Update The Seafood List to Require Geographic Origin and Species-Specific Shrimp Labeling, Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief, Spring 2020

Bree Evans, The National Security Exception to the First Amendment Prohibition on Prior Restraints, National Security Law Brief, April 2020
Bree Evans, The Notre Dame Fire: Just How Safe Are Our Cultural Sites?, National Security Law Brief, November 2019

Bree Evans, National Security, the Sunken Military Craft Act, and Federal Cultural Heritage Law, National Security Law Brief, April 2019

Bree Evans, Changes in Military Attitudes Toward Cultural Heritage Law, National Security Law Brief, November 2018

Education

American University Washington College of Law, J.D. 2020
New York University, M.A. 2015
Boston University, B.A. 2013

Bar Admissions

Washington, D.C.

Professional Organizations

Co-Chair of the Native American Law Standing Committee of the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Community, D.C. Bar, 2022-2023.

Practice Concentration:

Gaming
Health Care
Cultural Preservation
Self-Determination and Self-Governance