JOB: Multiple positions at Ak-Chin Indian Community

Prosecutor
Ak-Chin Indian Community — Maricopa, AZ
$80,631 – $92,726 per annum
Minimum Qualifications: Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA accredited university. Experience euipvalent to three years full time work providing legal counsel in a tribal, local government, or corporate setting, at least one year of which involved trial work and supervisory experience. Must be licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona. The ideal candidate will have criminal trial experience and/or experience in a Prosecutor’s Office. A partial list of responsibilities are: Reviews/investigates cases involving violations of Community Code, signing charges when case is prosecutable. Prepares cases for prosecution in the Ak-Chin Indian Community Court; meets with defense attorneys/other representatives to discuss resolution of cases. Represents the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s interests in Indian Child Welfare Act cases in State Court. Manages the Ak-Chin Indian Community Prosecutor’s office, including preparing and monitoring the budget and assigning/reviewing the work of subordinate staff. For a complete job announcement, please visit our website at www.ak-chin.nsn.us. Open Until Filled. Send resume/job applications to: Human Resources Director, 42507 W. Peters and Nall Rd., Maricopa, AZ 85238

Assistant Prosecutor
Ak-Chin Indian Community — Maricopa, AZ
$57,685 – $64,608 per annum
Minimum Qualifications: Experience equivalent to two years of full time work providing legal counsel in a tribal, local government, or corporate setting, at least one year of trial work is preferred. Federal Indian Law course work or clinical experience in an Indian legal clinic or law school setting will be considered toward the required experience. Must be licensed to practice in law in the State of Arizona and possess a Juris Doctorate. A partial list of responsibilities are: Reviews/investigates cases involving violation of Community Code, signing charges when case is prosecutable. Prepares cases for prosecution in the Ak-Chin Indian Community Court. Interviews witnesses, including officers, to prepare an effective prosecution case. Drafts additions/revisions to the Community Code. Conducts legal research to prepare motions and other pleadings. For a complete job announcement, please visit our website at www.ak-chin.nsn.us. Open Until Filled. Send resume/job applications to: Human Resources Director, 42507 W. Peters and Nall Rd., Maricopa, AZ 85238

Chief Judge
Ak-Chin Indian Community — Maricopa, AZ
$87,988 – $100,557 per annum
Minimum Qualifications: Experience equivalent to seven years full time criminal justice, law enforcement, or closely related work, at least two years of which include supervisory/managerial responsibilities. Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA accredited university. Must be licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona. A partial list of responsibilities are: Presides over trials, arraignments, and sentencings at the Ak-Chin Indian Community Court, including informing defendants of their rights, charges, and penalties, hearing pleas/motions, setting trial dates, hearing testimony, evaluating the facts of the case to determine guilt/innocence, determining the legal disposition of the case, and imposing the appropriate sentence. Adopts and amends local rules of practice to facilitate the orderly operation of the Court, so long as the rules are consistent with applicable law. Creates, reviews and issues a variety of Court orders/documents, including bench warrants, subpoenas, orders to show cause, and formal decisions. Develops/administers the Judicial Services Department budget. Reviews/revises policies/procedures to ensure the efficient operation of the Ak-Chin Indian Community Court. For a complete job announcement, please visit our website at www.ak-chin.nsn.us. Open Until Filled. Send resume/job applications to: Human Resources Director, 42507 W. Peters and Nall Rd., Maricopa, AZ 85238

JOB: Senior VP of Legal Affairs – Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority

Background
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (the “Authority”) is an instrumentality of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, a federally recognized Indian tribe. The Mohegan Tribe has a 405-acre reservation in Uncasville, Connecticut, where the Authority has been granted an exclusive right to operate and regulate gaming activities on tribal lands. In October 1996, the Authority opened Mohegan Sun, a gaming and entertainment complex on 240 acres of the Tribe’s land.

Over the past six years, Mohegan Sun has and continues to undergo a series of major expansions. The complex currently operates in an approximately 3 million square foot facility, which includes the “Casino of the Earth,” “Casino of the Sky,” “Shops at Mohegan Sun,” a 10,000-seat arena that is home to the Women’s National Basketball Association Connecticut Sun, a 1,200-room luxury hotel, a 350-seat Cabaret, and 100,000 square feet of convention space. Further expansion of the complex is underway currently with “Project Horizon,” an estimated $925 million renovation scheduled for completion in 2010. The Tribe’s operation of Mohegan Sun is one of only two legally authorized gaming operations in Connecticut.
Through an Authority subsidiary, Downs Racing, LP, the Authority also owns and operates Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, a 400-acre harness racetrack and casino in Plains, Pennsylvania, as well as Pennsylvania off-track betting facilities in Carbondale, East Stroudsburg, Hazelton and Lehigh Valley. Harness racing has been conducted at Pocono Downs for more than 40 years. Downs Racing is the first harness track to offer slot machine gaming in Pennsylvania.
Through an Authority subsidiary, Mohegan Golf, LLC, the Authority also owns and operates Mohegan Sun Country Club at Pautipaug, an 18-hole championship golf course located in southeastern Connecticut. The Tribe continues to pursue a diversification strategy of its business interests either through management or ownership of, or investment in, other gaming enterprises. In pursuit of that strategy, the Authority has obtained development and management agreements for a proposed casino to be built in Clark County, Washington by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe; development and management agreements for a proposed casino to be built in Kenosha, Wisconsin by the Menominee Indian Tribe; and is pursuing other gaming projects at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York and Wyandotte County, Kansas.

The Position
The Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs will be responsible for all of the Authority’s legal matters and report to its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. The position will have two direct reports: the Vice President, General Counsel Mohegan Sun, who also has two lawyers on her team, and Vice President, General Counsel Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. The SVP of Legal Affairs will also supervise a paralegal/ administrator.

Specifically, the SVP of Legal Affairs will handle all legal maters for Mohegan Sun, Pocono Downs, joint ventures to which the Authority is a party, mergers & acquisitions, and general business and financial legal matters. Among other things, responsibilities will include:
– Advising management on legal matters for all its business interests;
– Assessing risk and providing practical solutions in a timely manner;
– Ensuring compliance with all regulatory schemes including securities, labor and employment, privacy, records retention and liquor laws;
– Reviewing, negotiating and drafting contracts and other documents related to mergers and acquisitions and other types of business ventures;
– Ensuring that contracts negotiated on the Authority’s behalf promote its best interests and comply with all applicable federal, state and tribal laws and regulatory requirements, including gaming and securities regulations, as well as financial commitments and obligations;
– Evaluating and supervising all threatened or pending litigation and seeking expeditious resolution as appropriate;
– Interfacing and interacting with the Mohegan Tribal Council as necessary;
– Recommending and developing changes to Authority policies and procedures as appropriate;
– Developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating departmental capital and operating budgets;
– Recruiting, training, supervising, counseling and evaluating in-house attorneys and staff; and
– Selecting, monitoring and overseeing outside counsel.

Requirements
– Outstanding academic credentials;
– Licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction, and a member in good standing;
– 10+ years experience, both in-house and at a major law firm, handling complex commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, finance, and real estate development, preferably in the gaming or hospitality industries;
– Expertise handling corporate governance matters under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
– Experience managing and supervising litigation;
– Experience with employment law;
– Knowledge of securities laws and regulations, including SEC reporting requirements;
– Experience supervising and training staff; and
– Receptive to becoming proficient in Indian and liquor laws.

Skills
– Exudes leadership and excellent interpersonal skills;
– Is very much a team-player who possesses the ability to build rapport with a small, cohesive senior management team, as well as with employees at all levels of the Authority;
– Is a strategic thinker that exhibits a high-degree of motivation and innovation in problem-solving who will help grow the business;
– Is hands-on and unafraid to roll up the shirt sleeves in order to achieve excellent results;
– Is patient and able to coach others in performing tasks;
– Is low-maintenance with a calm and pleasant demeanor and is able to embrace the Authority’s long-term goals and objectives; and
– Is able to divine trends, adapt to changing and/or emerging situations, and handle an array of complex legal and business issues.

The Authority Executive Team
The executive team is dynamic and seeks to function by consensus in running the business. Mitchell Grossinger Etess is Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Mohegan Sun. Mr. Etess joined Mohegan Sun as a member of the casino’s pre-opening team in 1996 as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Thereafter, Mr. Etess was promoted to Executive Vice President of Marketing and was responsible for marketing, food and beverage, sports and entertainment, and hotel operations. Mr. Etess was elevated to President and Chief Executive Officer of Mohegan Sun in 2004. Prior to his career at Mohegan Sun, Mr. Etess worked at Players Island Resort-Casino-Spa in Nevada, and at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. As well, Mr. Etess worked in virtually every capacity at his family’s Grossinger’s Hotel in Grossinger, New York.

Jeffrey Hartmann is Chief Operating Officer of the Authority, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Mohegan Sun. Mr. Hartmann came to Mohegan Sun in 1996 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for day-to-day accounting, financial reporting to the SEC and bondholder and banking relations. Mr. Hartmann was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2004. In that capacity, he oversees Mohegan Sun’s hotel operations.

Prior to joining the Authority, Mr. Hartmann was Vice President of Finance for Foxwoods Management Company for five years. A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Hartmann was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, as an Audit Manager for seven years before that.
Leo Chupaska is the Authority’s Chief Financial Officer; he has held that position since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Chupaska served as CFO of the Mohegan Tribe and was a member of the Financial Advisory Committee of the Authority’s Audit Committee. Prior to joining the Tribe, Mr. Chupaska served as Director of Financial Services for Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut.

Compensation
Compensation will consist of a generous base salary, depending upon the candidate’s experience. A discretionary bonus also is part of compensation which is based upon the Authority’s financial performance and other metrics.

Location
The village of Uncasville is part of Montville Township in New London County, Connecticut. Among other things, the county is a destination for travelers who are interested in historic maritime (Mystic Seaport). New London County also is home to the Stonington Winery, NASCAR racing at the Waterford Speedbowl, and Ocean Beach and Boardwalk for those interested in the beach. Waterfront property and excellent schools are within reasonable commuting distances to the resort.

Congratulations to Dan Lewis (1L)!

Congratulations to Dan Lewis (1L) for receiving two honors this month!

Dan was selected as one of the four 2008 AAABA Thomas Tang Scholarship Award recipients and will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Dan was also named a 2008 Cohen Professionalism Scholar. See article below about the Cohen Scholars.

Congratulations Dan!

Cohen Scholars named at Law School
Posing with (far left) Dean Patricia White and (far right) Maricopa CountySuperior Court Bruce R. Cohen and Loren Cohen are the 2008 CohenProfessionalism Scholars at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law,(left to right) Amy M. Coughenour, Daniel A. Lewis, Meghan McCauley,Natalie Greaves and Alison Atwater. For their prize-winning essays abou tintegrity, the students received scholarship money from the Cohens andwill visit the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles this summer.

Meghan McCauley, a first-year law student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, recently was chosen as the winner of the 2008 Cohen Professionalism Scholars competition, based on an essay she wrote about integrity. McCauley, whose essay was entitled, “Commandment 10: Honor who you are and you will bring honor to what you do,” received a $1,000 scholarship from the sponsors of the contest, Loren Cohen and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce R. Cohen, an alumnus of the College of Law. The Cohens awarded second place and a $500 scholarship to Alison Atwater, and honorable mentions, along with $250 scholarships, to Amy M. Coughenour, Natalie Greaves and Daniel A. Lewis. The Cohens will be taking the students to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in June. This is the third annual presentation of the awards. The Cohens visited the law school on Tuesday, April 8, to give the awards and to talk about the topic of the essay competition, integrity. “Integrity is not a black and white issue,” Judge Cohen said. “Integrity is the result of the struggle that goes on in your own mind and how you act upon those thoughts.” He showed a clip from the movie, The Rainmaker, in which actor Matt Damon portrays a young lawyer who is faced with right and wrong. Paraphrasing from the film, Judge Cohen noted that “every lawyer in every case has the opportunity to cross the line, and if you cross the line one too many times, it frequently disappears, and then you become a lawyer joke.” He encouraged the students to let their own standards be the highest against which they will be judged. “Every single day you have the opportunity to start with a clean slate – no matter what you did in the past, you choose what gets written on that slate,” Judge Cohen said. “No one can compromise your integrity, no one can tell you what to do.” The entire Class of 2010 submitted essays to the Cohens, writing about the greatest moral dilemmas they’d ever faced and how they were resolved. The Cohens said the submissions were entertaining and inspiring, making the judging very difficult. “If you’re not called up here, you nonetheless have inspired us and raised our optimism for the legal profession for the future,” Judge Cohen said. McCauley’s essay recounted her internal struggle with telling the truth about her past indiscretions when applying to get in to the Air Force, and risk not only being rejected, but bringing dishonor to three prior military generations of her family, or lying about her past and being admitted. “We never realize the dark skeletons we have in our closets until we are asked to fill out a character and fitness report, asking everything from, did we ever pull someone’s hair in the first grade to whether or not we took a sip of alcohol prior to the day we turned twenty one to whether or not we had committed misdemeanors or worse felonies,” McCauley wrote. To find out her decision, read her essay here. Atwater wrote a poem, “How Inmate Forty-Five Earned His Stripes,” a Dr. Seuss-metered, first-person view of a lawyer who was caught fudging a deal. The attorney’s conscience and guilt battle back and forth in the prose:
“I started with values, But where did they go? How the error escaped me I never will know.
I thought it was worth it To get where I was, But right has one reason, And that’s “Just because.” “So hand me that bucket, That mop and that pail. I must finish cleaning The floor of this jail.
To read Atwater’s poem, click here. Coughenour had no problem coming up with a topic for her essay. “Frankly, I’m jealous of whatever percentage of the class has to manufacture a problem to have something to write about,” she wrote. “In my 31 years, I’ve made so many moral and ethical decisions that I can hardly keep track, any one of which would be fertile ground for discussion here. The one she chose relates to the difficulty of being a law student and a single mother of three young girls and a proposal from her parents to allow the children to live with them during the week. She weighed the pros and cons, a moral battle that continues to rage in her head, and made her decision. In Greaves’ essay “The Kool-Aid Principle,” she spoke with her two children, Caleb and Aspen. The story focused on where she drew her line on ethics during a tiring visit to Wal-Mart. “We had finished a very long day of shopping for groceries,” she wrote. “I finally got you all out to the car, which is pretty much just like herding cats. I loaded you all into your car seats and put the groceries in the trunk. There, at the bottom of the otherwise empty shopping cart was the biggest, nastiest, test of integrity that any tired mom could ever have. It was a tiny little KOOL-AID packet. A ten cent, ruby red, bomb of temptation, aimed right at my strength and fortitude.” Read what Greaves did about it here. “My Ethical Dilemma” was the title of Lewis’ essay, which recounted his thought processes after finding a pair of sunglasses. The glasses were somewhat beat up, and not an expensive brand, and Lewis found himself thinking about keeping them. “Almost instinctively, humans know that it is immoral to take other people’s stuff,” he wrote. “Why had I even considered keeping them, even for a moment? I think that our human nature pushes us constantly and selfishly to seek gain. However we have to temper that nature with our morality.” To find out what Lewis decided, read his essay. Judge Cohen told the essay winners that he and Loren had no doubt that they will be exceptional representatives of the law school whose integrity will go a long way toward reducing, if not eliminating, lawyer jokes. “You moved us tremendously,” he said. “We have no idea where you stand in your class or where you are academically, but we know you will be successful professionals and bring honor to your work if you maintain what you evidenced in your writing.”

Meghan McCauley’s essayAlison Atwater’s essayAmy M. Coughenour’s essayNatalie Greaves’ essayDaniel A. Lewis’ essay

JOB: Colville Staff Attorney

Contact: Alice Koskela
Colville Tribes Office of Reservation Attorney
PO Box 150
Nespelem, WA 99155
Website: www.colvilletribes.com
Phone: 509-634-2381
Fax: 509-634-2387

JobTitle: Staff Attorney
Salary: $68k and up
Hours: 40 hrs/week

Description: The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation seeks a licensed attorney with at least two to five years experience in Indian Law (five years preferred), including at least some legal work experience in the areas of education, health and human services, including Indian Child Welfare work, to join the staff of its Office of the Reservation Attorney (ORA).
The Colville Reservation is headquartered in Nespelem, Washington and contains 1.4 million acres. The Colville Tribal government serves more than 9,000 enrolled members through a variety of health, social services, employment and education programs, to name a few. The attorney in this position would focus primarily on these and related issues, although all attorneys on staff have the opportunity to work on a variety of significant and interesting legal matters. Litigation experience in federal court is preferable but not required. This position provides a wide range of opportunities for professional growth and development in the increasingly-complex field of Indian Law. ORA is one of the oldest on-reservation tribal government law offices (established in 1981), with a tradition of excellence.

Applicants must be admitted to practice before the Washington State Courts upon hire or within two years of hire. Exceptionally strong research and writing skills are required.

The position provides a competitive salary, beginning at more than $68,000.00 annually for attorneys with two years? experience, with annual increases thereafter, and generous health and retirement benefits.

The position is open until filled. Please submit cover letter, resume listing at least three references, and writing sample to Alice Koskela, Managing Attorney, Office of the Reservation Attorney, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem, WA 99155.

ORA is an Indian Preference employer, and Native American attorneys are encouraged to apply.

Experience: Current Bar Members,Taking Next Bar,Bar Passage
Submit: Resume,Cover Letter,Writing Sample,References
SendBy: Mail,Fax,Email
Deadline: open until filled

JOB: Staff Attorney – Colville Reservation

Contact: Alice Koskela

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
PO Box 150
Nespelem, WA 99155
Website: www.colvilletribes.com
Phone: 509-634-2381
Fax: 509-634-2387

JobTitle: Staff Attorney- Natural Resources
Salary: DOE
Hours: 40/wk

Description: The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation seeks an attorney with particular experience and expertise in natural resources law and Indian Law, having at least 5 years experience as a licensed attorney, to work in its Office of the Reservation Attorney (ORA). The Colville Reservation, with headquarters in Nespelem, WA., contains 1.4 million acres and provides its attorneys the opportunity to work on significant natural resources and water law issues, among other areas, and to become engaged in a variety of interesting and important legal matters. ORA is one of the oldest on-reservation tribal government law offices (established in 1981), with a strong tradition of excellence. Applicants must be admitted to practice before the WA State Courts upon hire or within two years of hire. Applicants should have extensive civil litigation experience in federal courts and be able to perform all litigation tasks. Exceptionally strong research and writing skills are required. Otherwise strongly qualified applicants with less litigation experience will be considered. Salary DOE. Generous health and retirement benefits are provided. The position is open until filled. Please submit cover letter, r?sum? listing at least three references, and writing sample to Alice Koskela, Managing Attorney, Office of the Reservation Attorney, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem, WA 99155. ORA is an Indian Preference employer, and Native American attorneys are encouraged to apply.

Experience: Current Bar Members,Taking Next Bar,Bar Passage
Submit: Resume,Cover Letter,Writing Sample,References
SendBy: Mail,Fax,Email
Deadline: Until Filled

JOB: California Indian Legal Services

Contact: Patricia DeLaCruz-Lynas

California Indian Legal Services
609 South Escondido Blvd.
Escondido, CA 92025
http://www.calindian.org/
760-746-8941

AcceptingCalls: No
JobTitle: Staff Attorney
Salary: Competitive Salary-DOE
Hours: M-F, Must be flexible and able to work nights and weekends

Description: Job Description:
Staff attorneys will work with Indian individuals, families, organizations and tribal governments in all areas of Federal Indian law, including but not limited to, advising on issues involving jurisdiction, tax, estate planning, trust assets, environmental law, natural resource development, tribal governance, employment, and the Indian Child Welfare Act. Responsibilities may range from the provision of brief counsel and services to low income Indian individuals to representing individuals and tribes in state and federal court, negotiating contracts, advising tribal clients and developing and implementing constitutions, codes, and policies for tribal clients.

Experience: Graduate,Current Bar Members,Taking Next Bar
Submit: Resume,Cover Letter,Transcript

SubmitOther: Program Description:
California Indian Legal Services is a statewide, tribally controlled, non-profit corporation that provides legal services to Indians, Indian tribes, and Indian organizations on issues involving Federal Indian Law. CILS attorney services range from providing brief counsel and advice to low income Native Americans, to more extended representation on core legal issues affecting Native Americans and Indian tribes, to significant litigation, policy analysis and advocacy, to transactional services to tribes involving economic development and tribal infrastructure. Currently, CILS operates five offices in California.

Deadline: 7/31/08

State Bar Conference: Indian Law Section

Energy Development on Indian Lands
Friday, June 20, 2008
8:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Westin La Poloma in Tucson, Arizona

Sponsored by: Indian Law Section
Seminar Chair: Jim Stipe, Burch & Cracchiolo PA
Faculty:
Christopher L. Clark Deschene, Schaff & Clark Deschene LLC
Tracey LeBeau, Red Mountain Tribal Energy
Comm. Kristin Mayes, Arizona Corporation Commission
Michael C. Shiel, Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom & Schoenburg LLP

Events worldwide have increased pressure, and created more opportunity, for energy projects. Tribal governments locally and across the country have been engaged in mining, energy transmission and energy generation. Tribal economic development will lead to additional Tribal utilities and energy production from renewable resources.

This seminar will provide an overview of the myriad issues practitioners face when assisting a tribal government with an energy project. Presenters will examine financing issues, the tribal, federal and state laws and regulations that affect tribal energy projects, and ethical considerations when working with third party developers and various branches of tribal governments. There will also be a discussion of the transition from a BIA utility to a tribal utility.