Author Archives: dwilliams

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: Eldred D. Lesansee

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Eldred D. Lesansee
Pueblo tribes of Jemez and Zuni from New Mexico
Pathway to Law participant ’19
Pre-Law Summer Institute ’22
JD candidate ’25, Columbia Law School

What was your experience with the Pathway to Law Workshop?
I really enjoyed my experience with the Pathway to Law Workshop. Today, I continue to keep in touch with the Pathways staff as well as my classmates in the program. This launched my Native American law community, and I am forever grateful.

What information did you find most important in the Workshop (i.e. LSAT prep, personal statement building, etc) and why?
For me, I really appreciated the one-on-one support in building my personal statement. After receiving feedback from law school admissions representatives and numerous drafts, I was able to fine-tune my personal statement that celebrated my cultural heritage and effectively communicated my aspirations in law school. After the Workshop, I was still able to reach out for support.

Would you recommend students interested in law to attend the Workshop?
Yes, most definitely! As the first in my family to attend law school, the Workshop taught me so much when it comes to applying, financing, attending, and graduating law school. I cannot stress more how much support this program offers prospective law students. I also met so many of my current Native classmates in the program.

Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Follow and incorporate your passions in your study of the law. Your passions can be your guiding star when law school and the legal profession may seem like an endless amount of tasks that you need to complete in such a short period of time. Also, please take advantage of all essay opportunities on the application, making each one a chapter in a book that is your law school application. Last, share your love and pride for your Tribal nations. There are not enough Native American law students, and we deserve to take up space and elevate our voices for our home communities.

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

Job opportunity: Equal Justice Works Fellowship

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Job Description: Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation will host an Equal Justice Works Fellow for up to 2 years in this fellowship program, to start as soon as possible and end January 23, 2026. The Fellow will work as a part of the Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Program, a national, professional Fellowship program for attorneys designed to mobilize legal aid in areas that have suffered disaster, including immigration and humanitarian crises, to ensure vital legal services are accessible, comprehensive, and responsive to the unique needs of individuals, families, and communities to rebuild more resilient communities.

Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is committed to contributing legal services and advocacy needed for the pono recovery of West Maui following the tragic wildfires of August 2023, and is honored to collaborate with Equal Justice Works as a host organization in the Disaster Resilience Program. This partnership will allow a fellow in the program to work at NHLC as a staff attorney dedicated to legal work in scope of this program.

What We Do: Equal Justice Works is the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law. We facilitate Fellowships at legal services organizations to help fulfill our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.

As a Disaster Resilience Fellow, you will be part of a prestigious group of attorneys hosted by legal services organizations across the United States. During the Fellowship term, Fellows work collaboratively to:

  • provide legal advice, referrals, and full representation to underserved Maui wildfire survivors;
  • identify areas for policy change and reform;
  • engage in outreach and education activities, such as Know-Your-Rights presentations;
  • and work with community partners to increase disaster preparedness and resilience.

Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is a non-profit legal service organization and the only law firm in the world dedicated to the practice of Native Hawaiian rights law. For 49 years, NHLC has steadfastly served the lāhui and people of Hawaiʻi to realize our vision for a just Hawaiʻi guided by Hawaiian values, customs, and ways of knowing. As a fellow at NHLC, you will join a firm with long history providing civil legal aid to Native Hawaiian families, Hawaiian Homes Commision Act beneficiaries, cultural practitioners, and stewards of Hawaiian lands, waters, cultural properties, and the natural environment. Our matters include work to protect constitutionally protected traditional and customary practice rights, hold government accountable to its trust duties, uphold Native Hawaiian entitlements, and ensure Native Hawaiian families have the legal counsel necessary to maintain homes and Hawaiian lifeways in Hawaii.

Fellowship Benefits: Equal Justice Works Fellows are part of a network of over 2,500 current and former Fellows dedicated to improving access to equal justice for all. As a member of the network, each Fellow has access to:

  • Equal Justice Works’ annual Leadership Development Training, which is attended by ~300 current Fellows each year. The conference will be in-person in DC in the fall of 2024 and 2025.
  • Responsive training and technical assistance from Equal Justice Work’s immigration TTA provider.
  • Regular substantive and skills-based webinars throughout the Fellowship.
  • Monthly networking and collaboration sessions with other Disaster Resilience Fellows.
  • Additional networking opportunities with all Equal Justice Works Fellows throughout the year.

How to Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume to sharla.manley@nhlchi.org

Required Qualifications

  • A passion for NHLC’s mission.
  • Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
  • License in good standing to practice law, preferably in HI
  • Demonstrate commitment to social justice, with a desire to increase access to justice for disaster survivors and achieve results
  • Outstanding verbal and written communication.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills.
  • An ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary setting to facilitate a coordinated community response and provide holistic services to clients.
  • The desire and ability to work as part of a diverse and inclusive team, and to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Previous legal services experience, including civil legal aid, law school clinics, and/or internships.
  • Prior disaster related legal experience.
  • Experience with delivering training and presentations.
  • Knowledge of and/or interest in Native Hawaiian communities, culture, language, lands, and waters.
  • Experience practicing Native Hawaiian and/or indigenous law and human rights.
  • Experience serving Native Hawaiian and/or indigenous communities.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily indoors. Employee will be in contact with chemicals and materials normally found in office environments. Employee will be exposed to low to moderate levels of noise and distraction. Employee may be required to walk to various agencies to conduct research and may be exposed to city pollution, sunlight, heat, humidity, and inclement weather. As needed, employee may conduct outdoor site visits to locations relevant to client matters. Access to some outdoor sites may require employee to follow established federal, state, and/or county government recommendations regarding donning proper personal protective equipment (PPE) due to potential air quality and hazardous materials in the area. Employees must comply with all recommendations and minimize visits to those areas.

Benefits

  • Medical and dental insurance.
  • Generous combined leave and holiday policy.
  • Flexible hybrid-work policy.
  • After 1 year of employment, 401(k) contribution plan with employer matching.

Job opportunity: Assistant General Counsel

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Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Fort McDowell, AZ

DEFINITION/PURPOSE:

Provide legal advice to the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tribal Council, tribal departments and economic enterprises. Represent the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in matters brought in Tribal, State and Federal court.

TASKS:

Serves as legal advisor to the Tribal Council, tribal government departments and economic enterprises; Provides legal advice and analysis of tribal, state and Federal laws and regulations, specifically in relation to water and environmental law and policies; Drafts and revises the Tribal Constitution, Law and Order Code, other tribal laws, ordinances, and policies; Works at hours and times outside of normal business hours and days; Drafts, reviews and recommends changes to various contracts; Reviews other agreements, proposals; Represents the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Tribal, State and Federal court actions; Performs other duties as assigned or required.

CLOSE DATE: March 26, 2024

For full job description and to apply, click here.

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:

Native Vote update

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We are celebrating major wins for Native communities in the final Election Procedures Manual (“EPM”) approved by Gov. Katie Hobbs on Dec. 29, 2023. The Indian Legal Clinic provided analysis and recommendations to Tribal leaders throughout this year’s EPM process, and as a result, leaders were successful in advocating for robust Tribal consultation and language assistance policies, as well as guidance on poll worker training related to key issues impacting Native voters. Professor Patty Ferguson-Bohnee provided an EPM update to Tribal leaders at the January Native Vote Strategy Session, and Democracy Director Joel Edman gave a legislative update. 

Job opportunity: Chief Staff Attorney

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COURT OF APPEALS, DIVISION ONE
1501 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Chief Staff Attorney
Department: Staff Attorney’s Office
Salary: $101,288 – $146,365

Job Description:
The Chief Staff Attorney must be very familiar with appellate jurisprudence, procedure, and jurisdiction. The Chief Staff Attorney must possess a high degree of verbal and written comprehension and be able to express thoughts clearly, both orally and in writing. The Chief Staff Attorney must possess strong interpersonal skills, be able to manage the Court’s high-volume and varied workload, and have strong drafting and editing skills.

The Chief Staff Attorney acts as a judge pro tempore.

The Chief Staff Attorney is a court manager under the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. The position requires strict adherence to rules on confidentiality and public access and to the ethical standards established in the Code for court managers besides the provisions applicable to all judicial employees.

Applications must be received by Friday, March 8, 2024.

See full job description: Chief Staff Attorney Job Posting FINAL

Job opportunity: Tribal Legal Fellow

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Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Deadline: February 26, 2024

About EPIC

The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) builds policies that deliver spectacular improvement in the speed and scale of environmental progress. A nonprofit start-up, EPIC is committed to finding and highlighting the best approaches to scaling up results quickly. EPIC focuses on clean water, endangered species, environmental markets and the use of data and technology in producing environmental and public health outcomes. Our largest program is focused on delivering better, safer and more affordable water infrastructure to disadvantaged and historically underinvested communities. For more information on the restoration program at EPIC, see this link.

Position Description

EPIC seeks a Tribal Legal Fellow who will work closely with the Western Restoration Program Manager and the new Tribal Partnerships Manager to build expertise on the issues surrounding applications for federal restoration funding that is most relevant to tribes in the west, and who will have the opportunity to potentially transition into a role as a federal agency detailee. The fellow will preferably come with a legal background, or perhaps a master’s degree in public policy or public administration and demonstrated understanding of how federal funding programs work, and be able to quickly connect with several tribes throughout the west to understand the needs and gaps that might be addressed through improving the flow of federal funds. They should also understand federal grant administration, permitting and procurement policy. As a result of this one-year fellowship, the fellow should be well-positioned to work on detail with a federal agency, such as the Department of Interior.

For full job description and to apply, see Job Posting.

Applying

Qualified candidates, who are also authorized to work lawfully in the United States, can apply by sending an email by February 26, 2024 to Garrett Altmann, Western Restoration Program Manager at garrett@policyinnovation.org with an email subject of “Tribal Partnerships Manager”. Please include a resume and a cover letter labeled with your last name, followed by the document type (e.g. “[Last Name]_Resume”). You may also provide any supporting documents we should consider in evaluating your candidacy (e.g., writing samples, references).

Job opportunity: Policy Lead – Environmental Sovereignty

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National Congress of American Indians 
Washington, DC

The Policy Lead – Environmental Sovereignty will conduct in-depth research and analysis on environmental, natural resource, and conservation law and policy at the tribal, federal, state, local, and international levels for the NCAI Institute for Environmental Sovereignty. The ideal candidate has a good understanding of administrative, federal Indian, and environmental law, and has at least three years of experience carrying out legal and policy research and analysis as well as drafting public-facing reports, white papers, and issue briefs. Candidates will have a passion for serving Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities and a deep interest in environmental protection and natural resource stewardship.

The Institute for Environmental Sovereignty’s mission is to advance Tribal Nations’ leadership in natural resource governance and environmental stewardship; the safeguarding of Indigenous peoples’ cultural heritage linked to the landscape and natural environment; and innovative Indigenous-led approaches to environmental protection. The Institute carries out this mission through its core objectives: (1) tracking environmental matters of greatest concern to Indian Country; (2) carrying out in-depth research and analysis of environmental and natural resource policy, law, programs, and action, at all levels and types of government, which impact Indian Country, treaty resources, cultural heritage, and tribal communities’ health and wellness; (3) advocating for greater tribal sovereignty over, and stewardship of critically important natural resources; and (4) convening Tribal Nation leaders, partners, and supporters around Indian Country’s greatest environmental problems, solutions, and promising opportunities to create communities of practice.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Under the direction of NCAI’s Director of the Institute for Environmental Sovereignty, the primary duties of the Policy Lead – Environmental Sovereignty include but are not limited to:

  • Conduct in-depth legal and policy research and analysis at the tribal, federal, state, local, and international levels
  • Engage in policy development
  • Draft reports, white papers, issue briefs, journal articles, and other public-facing documents
  • Monitor legal, policy, social, and technological developments regarding environmental, natural resource, and conservation matters
  • Develop and maintain expertise in law and policy related to environmental protection, natural resource stewardship, the relationship between Tribal Nations and federal, state, and local governments, and other related areas
  • Cultivate strong relationships with internal and external partners and partner organizations, technical experts, and government agencies and officials
  • Deliver presentations, both virtual and in-person
  • Contribute to grant writing in support of the Institute, including letters of intent, concept notes, and proposals
  • Travel in order to staff NCAI’s three major conferences that take place each calendar year, and occasional travel for site visits, meetings, and representing the Institute at conferences, including providing presentations on Institute projects when required

See full job description and apply.