Steve M. Bodmer is an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina and veteran of the U.S. Navy. He received his JD from Arizona State University College of Law, where he also earned the Indian Legal Program Certificate for extensive study in the area of Federal Indian law.

Bodmer practiced Indian law in the private practice setting for several years in Phoenix, Arizona, until leaving to serve as general counsel for tribe in Central California. Bodmer has also previously worked in Washington, D.C., for Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota on the senator’s Indian Affairs team and also worked for the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice.

Bodmer serves as general counsel for the Pechanga Band of Indians in Temecula, California. In this role Bodmer provides legal counsel to the Tribal Council, the Pechanga Development Corporation, and oversight for the legal affairs of the Pechanga Resort and Casino and other economic diversification projects of the tribe. Among other areas of practice, Bodmer specializes in federal Indian law, gaming law, tribal governance and tribal economic development. He is also an adjunct professor with Arizona State University Law, teaching Contemporary Issues in Tribal Economic Development. Bodmer is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and has presented at conferences throughout the U.S. and internationally for over a decade on topics such as the future of tribal sovereignty, gaming law and sports betting.