Category Archives: uncategorized

Job Opportunity: Staff Attorney + Fellowship

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Alaska Native Justice Center

Our mission is justice for Alaska Native People. We provide legal services to victims and survivors of crime. We also support and partner with Alaska Tribes to build capacity, implement cultural values and remedies, and access resources for Tribal Justice Systems. Finally, we represent Alaska Tribes in State Child of Need Aid cases where the Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”) applies. The Staff Attorney manages a caseload of matters related to the above. A successful applicant will have a background in communicating and interacting effectively in cross-cultural situations, and a commitment to race equity work. Travel to both rural and urban areas may be required.

Staff Attorney | Anchorage, Alaska

Qualifications
Admission to the Alaska bar is required. Preferred experience includes family law and working with victims and survivors of domestic violence. Additional preferred experience includes Indian Child Welfare Act; Child in Need of Aid; Alaska Native Law and ANCSA.
Hiring preference given to qualified Alaska Native/American Indian applicants pursuant to P.L. 93-638 Indian Self-Determination Act.

Applying for the position
Visit ANJC website for the full job description and to apply. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Fellowship | Anchorage, Alaska

About the Fellowship
The Fellowship offers a competitive salary, training, and the opportunity to work with experienced attorneys in an organization serving Alaska Tribes, tribal organizations and Native people. The Fellow will be located in Anchorage and, over the course of the fellowship, will work with attorneys in as many of our practice areas as possible. Fellows will engage in legal research and writing, litigation, communication with our clients, and administrative advocacy, among other kinds of work.

Qualifications and Selection Criteria
Applications are encouraged from recent law school graduates with a demonstrated commitment to Native law. Applicants must be eligible and qualified Alaska Native/American Indian as defined in P.L. 93-638 Indian Self-Determination Act. Preference is given to candidates who demonstrate personal or professional experience with Native communities. We seek Fellows who bring a variety of experiences to our clients and partners. Academic achievements are considered along with other factors: personal accomplishments and experience, resourcefulness, professional goals, and the capacity to work conscientiously and independently. Membership in the Alaska Bar, or willingness to obtain Alaska or other state bar membership, is preferred.


Applying for the Fellowship
Interested law school graduates and 3rd year law school students should apply here.

Staff Attorney – Northern Arapaho Tribe

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The position of Staff Attorney shall be responsible for representing the interests of the Northern Arapaho Tribe (“Tribe”), defending the Tribe’s integrity, assisting and advising all Tribal entities in their pursuit of progress on behalf of Tribal members, protecting all Tribal assets, and managing and providing legal services and representation to the Tribe, including, but not limited to, the Northern Arapaho Business Council, the Tribal Government, and all Tribal Entities.
Specific Responsibilities The Staff Attorney shall perform such legal services as delegated by the In-House Counsel, including, but not limited to, the following: • Work at the direction of the In-house Counsel on legal matters impacting the Tribe, its Tribal Government, and Tribal Entities; • Complete legal research for the In-house Counsel on legal issues effecting the Tribe; • Prepare and recommend appropriate tribal laws, resolutions, rules and regulations for the In-House Counsel; • Perform legal reviews of contracts, agreements, leases, grant applications and similar documents; • Research and monitor federal and state legislation that could impact any of the Tribe’s interests and recommend appropriate legal or legislative action; • Coordinate with Tribal Government employees to evaluate and make recommendations to the In-house Counsel regarding ways to improve the programs and services provided to tribal members, the internal environment of Tribal Government and Tribal Entities for employees, and any other means of advancing the best interests of the Tribe; • Draft advisory opinions on legal questions interpreting Tribal law upon request of the Inhouse Counsel. • Work directly with Tribal Programs on policy, procedures, legal issues, and represent the Programs in State and Tribal Court. NORTHERN ARAPAHO TRIBE LEGAL DEPARTMENT Qualifications To perform the job successfully, the candidate should have, at least, the following qualifications: • Juris Doctor Degree • 2021, law school graduates with exceptional Indian law backgrounds and credentials are encouraged to apply. • A member in good standing of the Wyoming State Bar or a member in good standing of another State Bar Association and must successfully pass one of the three next regularly scheduled examinations for admission to the Wyoming State Bar, or be eligible to waive into the Wyoming State Bar • At least five (5) years of experience as a practicing attorney preferred • At least two (2) years of experience working with (a) a tribe, tribal entity, or organization dedicated to tribal interests or (b) a federal or state government agency with oversight or responsibility for tribal issues preferred Additional Required Skills • Ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality; • Exceptional legal research skills; • Ability to work in a high-performance, fast-paced, high-pressure environment; • Exceptional interpersonal and communication (verbal and written) skills; • Adept at multi-tasking, have unquestionable integrity, with an uncompromising commitment to quality; • Organized with unfailing attention to detail and outstanding project management skills; • High level of comfort/ease interacting with all levels in the Tribe; • Ability to translate complex legal issues and requirements into understandable terms for easy dissemination across the organization; • Ability to work odd and irregular hours, as needed; • Must be people-oriented and relate well to people from diverse backgrounds; • Must successfully pass the required criminal and character background check, • Ability to travel and participate in required training, leadership development and other events; and • Ability to adequately and successfully perform all duties and responsibilities of this position. Application Information: Applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, a complete application form, and certificates of good standing for all jurisdictions in which they are licensed to practice to In-House Counsel, L. Clare Johnson by September 15, 2021. Only complete applications will be considered. Please contact L. Clare Johnson at clare.johnson@northernarapaho.com with any questions

Job announcement to support GAO’s Tribal Issues work:

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GAO is hiring a senior analyst to work with the Natural Resource and Environment (NRE) team responsible for leading and coordinating the agency’s assessments of federal efforts to provide services to Tribes and their members. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as an individual contributor to the engagement team by performing the full range of analyst duties needed to respond to requests from congressional committees, subcommittees, and those mandated by public laws and committee reports. The application for this position is now live on USAJobs and will close on 9/10/21.

Application open to everyone: USAJOBS – Job Announcement GAO-21-NRE-0347-02-DE
Application for current federal employees with status in the competitive service and those who are eligible for non-competitive appointments: USAJOBS – Job Announcement GAO-21-NRE-0347-02-MP

Interested applicants can send any questions to Tammy Conquest (ConquestT@gao.gov) or Michelle Wong (WongM@gao.gov).

SUPERIOR COURT HEARING OFFICER Opening

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Presiding Judge Jeffrey T. Bergin announced that a Merit Selection Committee for the Superior Court is accepting applications for the Hearing Officer position. This is a new Hearing Officer position to address the expanding need of family law services.
The Hearing Officer will be responsible for professional work as a judicial officer involved in interpreting and applying local and state laws while conducting court proceedings with primary attention on considering and ruling upon petitions for protective orders. The Hearing Officer may also conduct court proceedings in a variety of family law, civil and criminal matters within the jurisdiction of the Superior Court. The Hearing Officer will perform such other duties as are assigned by the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court and may also be appointed as a Judge Pro Tempore without additional compensation. Hearing Officers serve at the pleasure of the Presiding Judge and report to the Associate Presiding Judge. The current annual salary is $104,567.
See more at: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/scpima/jobs/3206059/hearing-officer-0821?page=2&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

City of Mesa Magistrate

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Classification Responsibilities: A City Magistrate is responsible for presiding over misdemeanor and civil traffic cases filed with the Mesa Municipal Court, and presides over Orders of Protection. A City Magistrate is responsible for applying relevant Supreme Court Rules, state statutes, City ordinances, and case law when presiding over trials to the court, trials to a jury, pre-trial conferences, arraignments, motions, and other hearings. An employee in this class is also responsible for imposing sentences
commensurate to the offense and within the parameters allowed by law. In addition, may be required to conduct initial appearances or arraignments in a jail court environment in accordance with the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure. This class performs related duties as required.

Distinguishing Features: This classification has been designated as a non-classified, non-merit, at-will position. A City Magistrate is appointed by the City Council to a specified term. Prior to consideration for reappointment by the City Council, City Magistrates are evaluated by a Judicial Advisory Board, which makes recommendations to the City Council. This class is FLSA exempt – professional.
See more at: http://apps.mesaaz.gov/JobDescriptions/Documents/JobDescriptions/cs1201.pdf

Federal Government Jobs

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Supervisory Attorney-Advisor (General)
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
DHS Headquarters
Office of the General Counsel
Open & closing dates: 08/12/2021 to 09/08/2021
Service: Excepted
Pay scale & grade: GS 15
Salary: $144,128 to $172,500 per year
Appointment type: Permanent
Work schedule: Full-time
Accepting applications
Relocation expenses reimbursed: No
Telework eligible: Yes as determined by agency policy
Locations
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
See more at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/610719400

Attorney-Advisor (Open Continuous)
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
DHS Headquarters
Office of the General Counsel
Open & closing dates: 08/12/2021 to 08/11/2022
Service: Excepted
Pay scale & grade: GS 12 – 13
Salary: $87,198 to $134,798 per year
Appointment type: Permanent
Work schedule: Full-time
Accepting applications
Relocation expenses reimbursed: No
Telework eligible: No
Locations
2 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
See more at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/610716100

Indian Legal Clinic: Year in Review

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The ILC was one of the only clinics at ASU offered to law students to work in-person, which adapted to work remotely with clients during the pandemic. If there is one thing thing to take away from this last year, it is that the ILC takes nothing for granted. Ten student attorneys, including two students that returned for a second semester, billed over 3,000 hours. 

The ILC worked on 18 cases plus offered two wills clinics. Overall case subject matters included: civil, criminal, family, probate, civil rights, enrollment, land, and federal recognition. The ILC represented clients in tribal, state and federal courts, including filing a brief in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Student attorneys continued the Indian Wills Clinic partnerships with the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and the Quechan Indian Tribe to draft estate planning documents under the direction of Professor Helen Burtis (’07). In October, 3L’s Mariah Black Bird, Jens Camp, Brendan Clark, Aspen M. Jensen, Dustin Rector and MacArthur Stant II executed 19 wills, financial powers of attorney, and health care powers of attorney for 14 members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. In March, Brianna Minjarez (2L), Cierra Moore (2L), Vinnie Amato (2L) and Camp created 16 wills for members of the Quechan Indian Tribe.

“With online learning and not seeing as many people in person, it has been hard to stay cause-connected,” said Amato, one of the participating students. “Being able to help draft wills for tribal members over Zoom was a great experience because it refocused me on why I joined the Indian Legal Program. I also gained valuable skills I never would have received otherwise.”

“It was fun to get to know and offer guidance to the student attorneys, whose shoes I was in in the not-so-distant past,” said Simon Gertler (’18) attorney at Rosette, LLP who assisted as a supervising attorney. “It also served as continuing education for me in an area of law that I don’t normally practice. The best part was seeing the clients so appreciative of the students for helping them with their wills! I hope to continue being part of this special program.”

These wills clinics are designed to provide allotment owners with wills that conform to the provisions of American Indian Probate Reform Act.

2020 was a pivotal election year, especially for Arizona and Native voters! The Arizona Native Vote Election Protection Project (AZNVEP) worked tirelessly with partners—the Arizona Election Protection Coalition, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), All Voting is Local, and the Native American Bar Association of Arizona (NABA-AZ)—to encourage and assist Native voters in the months leading up to the general election despite pandemic challenges. The ILC team included Native Vote Fellow Torey Dolan (’19), and 3L student attorney leads Clark and Rector, and 3L attorneys Camp, Jensen, Stant and Tarman under the supervision of Professor Patty Ferguson-Bohnee. Students even advocated for voting rights through litigation. 

The ILC worked with outside counsel to prepare an affidavit that was filed on election day to extend polling place hours and require polling locations on the Navajo Nation that opened late to also remain open late.

“Working in Chinle, Arizona with Native Vote during the 2020 election was my favorite memory in the ILC,” said Jensen. “It was touching to see many Native voters exercising their right to vote. I saw voters from before sunrise to after sunset. Some of my favorite memories of that day were seeing grandmas and grandpas wrapped up in blankets standing in line before the polls opened, helping a man who biked five miles and asked me to watch his bike while he voted, and helping a woman who stood firm after she was told the polls had closed but steadfastly held her rightful place in line until she eventually voted.”

On Election Day 2020, 100 Election Protection volunteers assisted voters at over 60 polling sites across Arizona and answered over 250 calls through the Native Vote Election Protection hotline. The ILC also worked with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the Campaign Legal Center, and Osborn Maledon to bring suit against the Pima County Recorder to restore early voting access. 

Student attorneys researched and wrote “Decolonizing the Mindset,” a white paper on the inherent sovereignty of non-BIA listed Tribes. During their 2L year, Nathan Frischkorn and Tarman began drafting the paper in Spring 2020 and Tarman continued to work on it this year. Clark and Jensen prepared a brochure to accompany the white paper that can be used for educational purposes. 

Last autumn, Jensen presented on “Decolonizing the Mindset” to the NCAI Federal Recognition Taskforce during the NCAI Annual Meeting. This spring, Tarman presented her paper to the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes (ACET). ACET issued a certificate of appreciation to the Indian Legal Clinic for “Outstanding Service to the Cause of Justice for all Indigenous nations and working to decolonize the minds of Indigenous and non-indigenous Americans.”

Frischkorn (3L) and Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren (’20) with the guidance of April Olson (’06) assisted in drafting NABA-AZ’s comment in support of the Arizona Supreme Court amending its pro hac vice rules to allow nonmember attorneys representing Indian Tribes in Indian Child Welfare Act cases to appear without paying the pro hac vice fees or associating with local counsel. The amended Rule 39(a) went into effect January 1, 2021.

The ILC recently filed a brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the overreach of federal court jurisdiction in tribal affairs. Camp was the lead student attorney on the brief. During the semester, he and Amato assisted with pleadings filed with the District of Alaska in support of a motion to set aside a default judgment for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

“The ILC gave me confidence in my abilities to work in the legal profession,” said Camp. “Thank you for being such an amazing teacher and mentor, Professor Ferguson-Bohnee! I will always appreciate how you treated the ILC student attorneys as colleagues and pushed us beyond our comfort zones. Clinic taught me more than any other course I took in law school, and I largely attribute this experience to your leadership.”

Returning student Camp received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award in recognition of his outstanding trial advocacy and clinical work. Earlier in the year, Camp helped draft a public comment for the National Congress of American Indians to proposed regulatory changes to the definition of habitat under the Endangered Species Act.

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

Torey Dolan (’19)
Native Vote Fellow, Indian Legal Clinic, ASU Law

Danielle Williams
Program Coordinator Sr, Indian Legal Program, ASU Law

Alumni: Taking the Oath in a Pandemic

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Meet some of ILP’s alumni who were determined to make change. They care about the greater good and have positioned themselves to hold public spaces and have committed their efforts to public service.

In March, April Olson (’06) was named the Chief Judge for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation in California. Congratulations, April!

Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren (’20) was appointed to represent District 7 of the Arizona State House of Representatives and is the youngest member of the House. Who better to conduct her swearing in than the first Native American woman federal judge and fellow ILP alum? Representative Blackwater-Nygren was sworn in by Judge Diane Humetewa (‘93) of the District of Arizona on Feb. 11.

On Jan. 8, Moon Valley Justice of the Peace Deborah Ann Begay (’10) took her oath of office, which was administered by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

She was surrounded by supportive friends and family, including ILP alum Chris Love (’05) who happily attended the swearing-in ceremony. Alumni supporting alumni, we love it! More on Begay’s win in the Arizona Republic article and her candid message to students.

In January, Brian Garcia (’20) was sworn in as president of Tempe Union School Board. Congratulations Brian!

Janet Bill (’20) was sworn into the State Bar of California on Jan. 21. Congratulations, Janet! 

In October 2020, Julianne Begay (’15) was sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the 6th Judicial Advocate for children in dependency and neglect cases. Excellent advocacy, Julianne!