Category Archives: Students

Pathway to Law alum: Morgan Oakes

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Morgan Oakes
Saint Regis Mohawk
Pathway to Law Workshop ’21 
Pre-Law Summer Institute ’22
JD candidate ’25, Indian Legal Program, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

What information did you find most important in the Workshop (i.e. LSAT prep, personal statement building, etc) and why?
Kate was very informative during the workshop and it provided me with pertinent information about the law school application process. 

Would you recommend students interested in law to attend the Workshop? 
I would recommend students interested in law to attend the Workshop, especially because it provides reimbursement for LSAT prep classes. 

Do you have any tips for prospective students? 
My tip for incoming law students is to start studying for the LSAT early, a year out was ideal for me.

Read more Native American Pathway to Law Initiative: Student Success Stories

Pathway to Law alum: Robin Bilagody

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Robin Bilagody
Gila River Indian Community
Pathway to Law Workshop ’19 
Pre-Law Summer Institute ’21
JD candidate ’24, Michigan State University College of Law

What was your experience with the Pathway to Law Workshop?
Overall, Pathway to Law is an amazing experience that provides valuable advice to Native students on how to prepare and approach the law school application cycle. Additionally, the law professors, deans and attorneys share their advice on everything from choosing the right law school to helpful tips on ways to succeed in law school, especially during the first year. Moreover, the PTL staff and volunteers are all extremely supportive and encouraging. 

What information did you find most important in the Workshop (i.e. LSAT prep, personal statement building, etc) and why?
I found the LSAT prep and personal statement building the most helpful. The LSAT prep portion introduced me to the actual LSAT and how challenging it can be, as well as the various prep programs that can be very useful in helping to increase my score. The personal statement building guided me on ways to begin my statement that would be useful for the application cycle. During the personal statement building, we received one-on-one feedback on our statement from admissions staff. Even after the workshop, I was fortunate to receive assistance from a law professor who provided me with endless support and feedback on my personal statement and the application process. 

Would you recommend students interested in law to attend the Workshop?
Yes, I would highly recommend students interested in law to attend the workshop, especially Native students. This workshop is such a valuable resource in educating and guiding prospective students on the daunting law school application process.

Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Attend the workshop and see if this is something you would like to pursue. If so, I highly recommend the Pre-Law Summer Institute, which is another amazing program for Native students interested in law school. These two programs are useful resources that are specifically structured to help Native law students succeed in law school and once we all enter the legal field. Remember your reasons for pursuing a law degree and stay motivated in the face of challenges, especially as Native people because we all deserve to be in these spaces.

Read more Native American Pathway to Law Initiative: Student Success Stories

Native American Pathway to Law Initiative: Student Success Stories

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The Native American Pathway to Law team is excited to host a five-day Pathway to Law Workshop from June 5–9 at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in Berkeley, California. This workshop offers resources, application review, LSAT preparation, financing information and more—all in a non-recruitment environment. We encourage aspiring law students to participate in this free workshop. 

Five law students share their experiences of how the Pathway Way to Law Workshop solidified their decision to go to law school and provided the tools necessary to strengthen their admissions application.

Eldred D. Lesansee, Pathway to Law Workshop ’19
Ashlee Fox, Pathway to Law Workshop ’20
Geoffrey Bacon, Pathway to Law Workshop ’19
Robin Bilagody, Pathway to Law Workshop ’19
Morgan Oakes, Pathway to Law Workshop ’21

Their success ensures that future Native American students can grow up seeing someone who looks like them and embody the power of possibility for the future of Indian Country.

We welcome any aspiring law students to apply at: law.asu.edu/pathwaytolaw

Application deadline is March 15.

Pathway to Law alum: Geoffrey Bacon

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Geoffrey Bacon
Denaakk’e Athabaskan, a member of the Native Village of Tanana
Pathway to Law participant ’19
Pre-Law Summer Institute ’20
JD ’23, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

In 2019, the Pathway to Law workshop helped me with my first case: persuade a law school to accept me. The personal feedback I received on my personal statement was priceless. Additionally, PTL demystified the application process, and gave me the confidence to know I had a competitive application even if I did not score a perfect LSAT.  PTL also helped me understand the cost of attending law school.  After experiencing paying student loans, my tip for prospective students is to control expenses where you can.  Coffee from a pot helps you study as well as the $7 latte from the school cafe. Apply for every scholarship for which you are eligible.  But most importantly, remember your family and friends who love and support you. 

Read more Native American Pathway to Law Initiative: Student Success Stories

Pathway to Law alum: Ashlee Fox

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Ashlee Fox
Cherokee Nation
Pathway to Law participant ’20
Pre-Law Summer Institute ’22
JD candidate ’25, Yale Law School

What was your experience with the Pathway to Law Workshop?
Like many other Native law students, I knew little about the law school admissions process before I attended the Pathway to Law workshop. The Pathway to Law workshop was an invaluable resource for me when I decided to apply to law school. The mentors, the community, and the information that Pathway to Law provided allowed me to understand the law school application process. Dean Kate Rosier was instrumental in supporting me on my journey to law school—no matter whether I eventually chose to attend law school. I am forever indebted to her for being an encouraging and supportive voice throughout the application process.

What information did you find most important in the Workshop (i.e. LSAT prep, personal statement building, etc) and why?
A: Every aspect of the Workshop was helpful, but I especially appreciated the personal statement building component and the mentorship component. I am grateful for Pathway to Law’s commitment to investing in the next generation of Native attorneys.

Would you recommend students interested in law to attend the Workshop?
Native students should take advantage of the wealth of resources provided by the Pathway to Law workshop. It is a resource we are fortunate to have, made possible by Native lawyers who care about training the next generation to defend tribal sovereignty and strengthen their tribal nations.

Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Take advantage of the mentorship and support Pathway to Law provides not only during the workshop, but beyond.

Read more Native American Pathway to Law Initiative: Student Success Stories

Call for articles: Special Indian Law edition of the Arizona Attorney 2024

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Deadline: February 23, 2024

The Indian Law Section is soliciting proposals for articles to be included in the 2024 special Indian Law edition of the Arizona Attorney magazine. The proposal should focus on an issue of interest to those who practice Indian Law.

Past articles from the 2023 Indian Law edition were:

Bones in Contention:

A Journey and a Cautionary Tale
BY: SHERRY HUTT

Up Shit Creek Looking for a Paddle
BY: M. KATHRYN HOOVER

Protecting Indigenous Sacred Places
BY: OLGA SYMEONOGLOU

The Trouble With the Tribal Law and Order Act
BY: CHRISTINA RINNERT

Avoiding Alphabet Soup in Your Legal Writing
BY: HON. KYLE FIELDS

Indian Law From Behind the Bench, Edition 2
BY: ALEXANDER MALLORY

Additional past articles from the
2022 Indian Law edition

See more

Either a short or a long article may be proposed. Generally, a long article will be between 2,000 and 2,500 words (in a Microsoft Word document, about 9 to 12 pages including endnotes) and will be about 3 to 4 pages in the magazine. A short article will be approximately 1,500 words and typically will be 2 pages in the magazine.

The proposal should provide the following information: author’s name and contact information (e-mail address, phone number, and name of employer/firm); the subject matter of the article (e.g., ICWA, NAGPRA, Water Rights, Land Use, Tribal Sovereignty, Gaming, etc.); the anticipated title; and a concise summary of the thesis of the article. 

Proposal authors will be notified on whether their proposed article has been accepted by March 1, 2024. The draft of the article for a selected proposal will be due on April 12, 2024. Final drafts of selected articles are due by May 10, 2024.

If you would like to submit a proposal or if you have questions, please contact:

Indian Legal Clinic offers rights restoration to the Hopi Tribe

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On Nov. 30, the Indian Legal Clinic (ILC) partnered with the Hopi Tribe and hosted a Rights Restoration Workshop to offer free legal assistance with restoring civil rights after a felony conviction. Student attorneys Maryam Salazar (3L), Clayton Kinsey (3L) and Natalia Sells (3L) traveled with Director Patty Ferguson-Bohnee and Democracy Director Joel Edman to Kykotsmovi Village, Arizona on the Hopi Reservation to meet with the Hopi Chairman, Timothy Nuvangyaoma, and other tribal members to present information on rights restoration. During the workshop, the student attorneys presented information on the rights restoration process for single and multiple felonies, marijuana expungement and the set aside process.

“It was an enriching experience to go out to the Hopi reservation and have their tribal leaders really engage with the information we were sharing, including how they could implement it into their tribal community programs,” said Natalia.

In Arizona, if a person is convicted of a felony, they automatically lose certain civil rights. These include: the right to vote, to hold public office, to serve on a jury and to possess a firearm.

Native populations are disproportionately impacted by these punitive laws due to being overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Arizona has more restrictive felony disfranchisement laws than 40 other states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona (ACLU) of Arizona. The Sentencing Project reported Arizona disenfranchised over 5% of the voting population in 2022, almost half of those disenfranchised had completely served their sentence.

The ILC remains dedicated to supporting citizens’ equal opportunity to vote.

“It’s insane to see how much rights restoration workshops are needed in the community and how many people would benefit from having their rights restored who may or may not know they need it,” said Natalia.

“This experience was great because it allowed us to apply what we learned in the classroom setting to the real world, especially in tribal communities. Working with real clients shows the impact our legal education can have in our own communities.”

We look forward to future community partnership events and appreciate the Hopi Tribe for hosting the Rights Restoration Workshop. 

ILC photographed with Hopi Tribe Elections Board

For more information, please contact Joel Edman at jedman@asu.edu. If you need your rights restored in Arizona, please submit this form.

____
Honore Callingham (’18)
Law Fellow, Indian Legal Clinic, ASU Law

Student attorneys representing in Tribal Courts

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In September, Professor Patty Ferguson-Bohnee and the Indian Legal Clinic students Autumn Adams (3L), Clayton Kinsey (3L), Maryam Salazar (3L), Natalia Sells (3L), Sophie Staires (3L) and Alexandra Trousdale (3L) traveled to the Gila River Indian Community Courthouse in Sacaton, Arizona and observed arraignments in person.

While at the Court, the Clinic student attorneys were sworn in to the Gila River Indian Community Court by Chief Judge Anthony Hill (’06). Judge Charles Aragon led an informative tour during which the students met other judges and staff. Before visiting the courthouse, the student attorneys met with members of the Gila River Prosecutor’s Office. ILC student attorneys work with the Gila River Prosecutor’s Office on traffic trials. Staires was prepared to represent the Gila River Indian Community in a civil traffic trial, but exercised prosecutorial discretion after investigating the facts.

On Sept. 29, Kinsey, Sells and Trousdale made their first appearance in the Ak-Chin Indian Community Court with supervising attorney Kate Rosier, to represent defendants at arraignment hearings.

Kinsey and Trousdale share their student perspective with the ASU Indian Legal Clinic.

Kinsey: Getting the opportunity to take on cases through the Ak-Chin Tribal Court, as a defense student attorney, is some of the most meaningful work I’ve done in law school. We get to work directly with real clients that are often facing substantial consequences if convicted. It’s a pleasure to provide them legal assistance while gaining real-world experience.

I would advise anyone considering a clinic to jump right in. In two months, I’ve learned so much about the courtroom, evidentiary proceedings, and working with actual clients. Working in Tribal Courts is something that so few law schools offer—I feel privileged to attend a law school that prioritizes such a connection to the surrounding Tribal communities.

Trousdale: Practicing in tribal court as a law student is a great experience. As someone who wants to be a litigator in tribal court, my experience in the clinic gives me time and experience to learn about the process, procedures and practice before entering my career. I enjoy having the opportunity to work with real clients. It helps prepare me for different situations I may face when I begin working. As well, it gives me a better understanding of applying the law to different cases.

My advice for future clinic students is to go in with an open mind. There are a lot of valuable learning experiences in the clinic. You may have an idea of the kind of work you want to do after school, but the clinic can show you other fields of work you may enjoy that you have otherwise not considered or ruled out completely.

On Oct. 5, Salazar made her first appearance with supervising attorney Ferguson-Bohnee, also to represent a defendant at an arraignment hearing. 

The Indian Legal Clinic appreciates the Gila River Indian Community and Ak-Chin Indian Community for providing clinic students formative career experiences.

Consulting with ILP students

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In August, ILP students Keely Driscoll (2L), Shandiin Herrera (2L), Morgan Oakes (2L), Sophie Staires (3L) and Natalia Sells (3L) traveled to O’ahu to assist Professor Derrick Beetso (’10) with a consultation project involving Native Hawaiians and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). 

“It was great learning how different communities can participate in the rulemaking process,” said Oakes. “There is nothing that can replicate listening to community members discussing their past experience and concerns with proposed regulations.”

“I really appreciated the opportunity to attend the Honolulu session and learn more about Hawaiian governmental structures and histories that guide the consultation process and responses there,” said Driscoll. “I learned just how distinct the conversations taking place in Hawaii are from those taking place in the states.”

Also pictured: Colin Kippen, interim CEO, OHA.

Indian Law articles published by ASU Law students

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We are so proud of our recent grads! ASU Law’s legal writing program has prepared ILP alumni Noah Goldenberg (’23) and Claire Newfeld (’23) with valuable skills needed for the legal profession. 

Goldenberg was one of 25 recipients of the Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award – Law School from the Burton Awards for his article “Indian Embryos as ‘Indian Children?’”

Newfeld won The Scribes Law-Review Award for her paper “Indian Boarding School Deaths and the Federal Tort Claims Act: A Route to a Remedy.”

Both of their articles were published in the Arizona State Law Journal.

Read more in the ASU Law Newsroom article: ASU Law students win national legal writing awards