Category Archives: Professors

Federal Indian Law Speaker at Heard Museum

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Federal Indian law expert Stephen Pevar to speak, sign books at the Heard

The author of a book that explains the complexities of federal Indian law and tribes’ and their members’ relationships with each other and with non-Indians will speak on current legal issues facing Native peoples Aug. 7 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

Stephen Pevar, author of "The Rights of Indians and Tribes," speaks at the Heard Museum Aug. 7.

Stephen Pevar, author of “The Rights of Indians and Tribes,” speaks at the Heard Museum Aug. 7.

Stephen L. Pevar, the author of The Rights of Indians and Tribes, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the Monte Vista Room at the museum, 2301 N. Central Ave. Pevar will sign copies of his book, available at $25 per copy following his presentation. Since Aug. 7 is First Friday, evening (6 to 10 p.m.) general admission to the museum – and to Pevar’s talk — is free; a $5 gate fee will be charged to visitors wishing to attend the exhibit Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure!

Federal Indian law continues to be a complex subject for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. In his presentation at the Heard, Pevar will touch on several topics discussed in the book, which include the powers of Indian tribes; civil and criminal jurisdiction on Indian reservations; Indian hunting, fishing and water rights; taxation in Indian country; the Indian Civil Rights Act; the Indian Child Welfare Act; and tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

Pevar is senior staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. He taught a course in federal Indian law at the University of Denver School of Law for 16 years and has lectured extensively on the subject. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He had served for three years as staff attorney for South Dakota Legal Services on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Since 1976, he has been a national staff counsel for the ACLU.

Pevar has litigated some 200 federal cases involving constitutional rights, including one case in the U.S. Supreme Court. His areas of specialty include free speech, Indian rights, prisoners’ rights and the separation of church and state.

The Rights of Indians and Tribes by Stephen L. Pevar

Cover of “The Rights of Indians and Tribes” by Stephen Pevar

Event Details

Friday, August 7
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Cost: Free

Location:
Monte Vista Room

Event Category:
Book signing, Lectures

 

Indian Law Expert to Speak, Sign Books at Heard Museum

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FEDERAL INDIAN LAW EXPERT TO SPEAK AT HEARD MUSEUM AUG. 7

Stephen Pevar is author of The Rights of Indians and Tribes

PHOENIX – The author of a book that explains the complexities of federal Indian law and tribes’ and their members’ relationships with each other and with non-Indians will speak on current legal issues facing Native peoples Aug. 7 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

Stephen L. Pevar, the author of the 2012 book, The Rights of Indians and Tribes, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the Monte Vista Room at the museum, 2301 N. Central Ave. Pevar will sign copies of his book, available at $25 per copy following his presentation. Since Aug. 7 is First Friday, evening (6 to 10 p.m.) general admission to the museum – and to Pevar’s talk — is free; a $5 gate fee will be charged to visitors wishing to attend the exhibit Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure!

Federal Indian law continues to be a complex subject for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. In his presentation at the Heard, Pevar will touch on several topics discussed in the book, which include the powers of Indian tribes; civil and criminal jurisdiction on Indian reservations; Indian hunting, fishing and water rights; taxation in Indian country; the Indian Civil Rights Act; the Indian Child Welfare Act; and tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

Pevar is senior staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. He taught a course in federal Indian law at the University of Denver School of Law for 16 years and has lectured extensively on the subject. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He had served for three years as staff attorney for South Dakota Legal Services on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Since 1976, he has been a national staff counsel for the ACLU.

Pevar has litigated some 200 federal cases involving constitutional rights, including one case in the U.S. Supreme Court. His areas of specialty include free speech, Indian rights, prisoners’ rights and the separation of church and state.

 

NABA-AZ 2015 Seven Generations Honorees

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Native American Bar Association of Arizona
2015 Seven Generations Honorees

The Native American Bar Association of Arizona (“NABA-AZ”) would like to congratulate its 2015 NABA-AZ Seven Generations Honorees.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Eric Dahlstrom, Partner
Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom,
Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP

Community Award
James Anaya, Regents Professor & the
James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights
Law and Policy,
University of Arizona James E. Rogers
College of Law

Member of the Year Award
Denton Robinson, Partner
Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom,
Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP

Please save the date, as the Seven Generations Dinner and Silent Auction will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, located at 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler, Arizona 85048, Gila River Indian Community.

Please contact Kate Rosier at (480) 965-6204 or kathlene.rosier@asu.edu, NABA-AZ Dinner Committee Chair, if you have any questions about the upcoming dinner and silent auction.

Call for Nominations – NABA-AZ Board of Directors

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NABA-AZ CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

NABA-AZ BOARD POSITIONS 2015-2017

Deadline To Apply – May 14, 2015

 

Dear NABA-AZ Members:

There are several positions open on the NABA-AZ Board of Directors. Board members serve 2 year terms, which begin immediately following the Annual Meeting, and are expected to provide significant contributions to the organization’s activities and mission. If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors, please email a letter of interest to Kerry Patterson at KPatterson@lrrlaw.com by May 14th.

Pursuant to the NABA-AZ Bylaws, Board members should meet the following requirements:

·         shall be a General Member in good standing with the Association

A General Member must be recognized by a Native community as being a Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native and must also be a licensed attorney, judge or a tribal court practitioner admitted in good standing in tribal court in Arizona.

·         should be someone who can address and support the distinct, unmet needs of the Association

·         should be someone with leadership skills demonstrated by successful participation in an NABA-AZ committee, another bar association, experience on the board of directors of other nonprofit organizations, or other community efforts

·         should participate fully and even aggressively on behalf of the NABA-AZ.  The ability to attend Board meetings, the willingness to serve on Board committees, the desire to achieve good working relations with the Board of Directors and Officers and the commitment individually to take such steps as are necessary to promote the mission of NABA-AZ shall be measures of the requisite participation.

The NABA-AZ Board Nomination Committee consists of Kerry Patterson, Patty Ferguson-Bohnee and Diandra Benally.

 

National Native American Bar Association Releases Study of Native American Attorneys

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The National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) and NNABA Foundation recently released the results of the first-of-its-kind research study on Native American attorneys. This research is the only comprehensive research regarding Native American attorneys across all practice settings where each and every of the over 500 survey respondents identified as Native American.

One of the powerful findings of this study is that Native Americans often feel invisible and share an overarching perspective that their experiences are not valid or real. In addition to documenting the failure of traditional diversity and inclusion efforts to reach Native American attorneys, the study sheds light on unique challenges facing American Indians. Native Americans are clearly behind even other underrepresented groups in terms of inclusion, retention, and representation.

“This comprehensive research is not only the first – but the only – research that examines the experiences of Native American attorneys across all practice settings. It presents a stark portrait of an entire group of attorneys systematically excluded from the legal profession,” said Mary Smith, NNABA President. “It is clear that traditional diversity and inclusion programs are simply not working for Native American attorneys. NNABA hopes that this research will be used to build a more robust pipeline of Native American attorneys and to work toward the full inclusion of Native Americans in the legal profession.”

Highlights of the research include:

  • The survey captured information from 527 Native American attorneys, approximately 20% of the 2,640 Native American attorneys in the United States.
  • The most satisfied attorneys were working in the tribal sector, and the least satisfied attorneys were working for the federal/state government or law firms; however, tribal politics/cliques, overwhelming workloads, and not being able to make an impactful difference were cited as primary sources of dissatisfaction even in the context of being generally satisfied.
  • Over 40% of the attorneys overall in the study reported experiencing demeaning comments or other types of harassment based on their race, ethnicity, and/or tribal affiliation; and 33.63% reported experiencing one or more forms of discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, and/or tribal affiliation.
  • Women were more likely than men to report demeaning comments and/or harassment based on gender (38% to 3%); discrimination based on gender (35% to 4%); denial of advancement or promotional opportunities due to gender (21% to 3%); and denial of appropriate compensation due to gender (29% to 1%).
  • Over 76% of the attorneys in this study reported that more awareness and understanding of issues faced by Native Americans would have a positive impact on their careers. In comparison, only 60% of the attorneys felt that more effective implementation of diversity and inclusion policies in their workplace would have a positive impact on their careers. This is not surprising given the ways diversity and inclusion initiatives have largely ignored the issues and concerns of Native American attorneys.

For more information and to view the full report and the executive summary, go to http://www.nativeamericanbar.org/native-american-attorney-study/.

Founded in 1973, NNABA serves as the national association for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NNABA strives for justice and effective legal representation for all American indigenous peoples; fosters the development of Native American lawyers and judges; and addresses social, cultural and legal issues affecting American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

For more information contact 480-727-0420 or visit www.nativeamericanbar.org. 

NABA-AZ Nominations for 2015 Seven Generations Awards

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NABA-AZ is soliciting nominations for their 2015 Seven Generations Awards.  We encourage NABA-AZ members to nominate individuals (and possibly organizations) for all three categories below.  All nominations are due on Friday, April 17, 2015 and must be submitted to Theresa Rosier at Theresa.Rosier@srpmic-nsn.gov.

Member of the Year Award – Recognizes and honors a member who has a long history of service to NABA-AZ or a new member who has contributed significantly to the organization. Download the form here: 2015 Nomination Application Member of Year.

Community Award – Recognizes and honors individuals or groups who have a history of service working to improve the social, economic, legal or cultural well-being of Indian Country, including Indian people or tribal governments. Download the form here: 2015 Seven Generations Community Award Nomination Form.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Recognizes and honors an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the practice and administration of law in the state of Arizona. Download the form here: 2015 Seven Generations Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination Form.