Contact
Pearline Kirk
Partner
Los Angeles
633 West Fifth Street
Suite 4000
Los Angeles, California 90071
Phone: 213.281.5243
Fax: 213.250.7900
Email: [email protected]
Pearline Kirk serves as Partner and Chair of the firmwide Indian Nations Practice. She is a member of the Navajo Nation. Ms. Kirk has over 15 years working with tribes in Indian Country. Most recently she was in-house counsel for the Navajo Nation advising its financial and tax departments, the budget and finance, and investment committees. She has spent over four years as a Director of Finance for the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation, a diverse holding company with over 400 employees. She was in charge of financial reporting of over $120M revenues including businesses of casinos, convenience stores, grocery stores, tobacco stores, construction and a cabin resort. She was in-house counsel for a tribal nation in Arizona for three years. Prior to her legal career, Ms. Kirk worked as tribal tax auditor, as an oil, gas and coal minerals auditor and as a healthcare internal auditor.
Some of Ms. Kirk’s professional experience includes the following:
- Financing experience includes over $250M, including $45M real estate based private equity lending for acquisition and developments, $68M syndicated gaming finance/ refinance; $40M of bailout corporate finance/refinance/revolving financing; construction finance of over $4M for retail/gas convenience stores; and $100M line of credit. She has worked on all levels including negotiating, documenting, closing, funding, and due diligence.
- Experience in lease negotiations such as a 25-year leasing of mill property, including timber supply agreements which provided a tribe with stumpage and tribal members with jobs. She sought alternative financing such as arranging for sale-leasebacks of depreciable assets. Ms. Kirk’s expertise is monetizing the tribal and tribal status in order to conduct business on or off reservations.
- Experience in a highly-regulated casino business including financing and financial reporting.