Category Archives: uncategorized

The First Thirteen Native Americans to Argue Before the U.S. Supreme Court

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Symposium:
The First Thirteen / Personal Reflections of the Argument
Friday,  March 16, 2012 – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
University of New Mexico School of Law
Albuquerque, NM

The First Thirteen Native attorneys who argued before the U.S. Supreme Court will be coming together to discuss their experiences in this history-making symposium.  Dale White will interview them about their preparations, the day itself, and the impact on their careers and on Federal Indian Law. This is a rare opportunity that may never be repeated, so you don’t want to miss it! Proceeds will go to fund the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives (PLSI).

Registration form available online at www.ailc-inc.org.
or Contact:  Valerie S. Begay at (505) 277-5462    Email:  begay@law.unm.edu

Sponsored by American Indian Law Center, Inc., New Mexico Indian Bar Association, Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and the Law & Indigenous Peoples Program at the University of New Mexico School of Law.

 

 

Calling all PLSI Alumni from the Classes of 1972, 1982, 1992, & 2002

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Good morning!  I am Heidi Macdonald from the American Indian Law Center.  I am working with our beloved Heidi Nesbitt on a Four-Year Reunion Dinner for the PLSI Classes of 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002.  Can you believe how quickly the time has passed since you first began your legal education with PLSI?  We are very excited to offer such a momentous occasion.  We hope you can join us for your PLSI class reunion dinner!  The PLSI Four-Year Reunion Dinner will be the night before the Federal Bar Association’s 37th Annual Indian Law Conference on April 18, 2012 at 7 p.m. at Gabriel’s Restaurant.  This PLSI class reunion dinner will give you the chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones! 

The American Indian Law Center is also pleased to announce the creation of the “PLSI Alumni Scholarship Fund.”  During the PLSI Reunion Dinner this year, the alumni of each of the four classes will have the opportunity to contribute to the PLSI Alumni Scholarship Fund.  Any contributions for the PLSI Alumni Scholarship Fund will ensure future generations of Native students are able to experience PLSI as we did.  As alumni, we know the importance PLSI has played in our lives and the foundation it has created for our legal careers.  During PLSI, we have accomplished our dreams, met some of our best friends, and learned where passion and perseverance can take us.  If you are a member of one of the PLSI classes (1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002) and have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is HeidiLMacdonald@gmail.com or (505) 277-5462. Thank you for your continued support!”

Job Postings!

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Gila River Indian Community Open Positions (Both are part-time positions)

Court of Appeals judge announcement – http://www.gilariver.org/index.php/about-tribe/opportunities-group2-opportunities/jobs/17-current-gric-job-openings/2434-court-of-appeals-judge

Hearing Officer announcement – http://www.gilariver.org/index.php/about-tribe/opportunities-group2-opportunities/jobs/17-current-gric-job-openings/2438-hearing-officer-contracted-with-no-benefits

Job Posting July 2, 2010

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JOB OPPORTUNITY: KEWENVOYOUMA LAW, PLLC

Kewenvoyouma Law, PLLC is seeking a motivated, self-driven, and ambitious full-time associate.Kewenvoyouma law, PLLC is a small 100% Indian owned law firm providing legal services exclusively to Tribes, tribal entities, tribal agencies, and Individual Indian business owners.Our firm provides services in the area of Indian law, business transactions, economic development, finance, commercial transactions, business formations, government relations, gaming, water rights, and day-to-day general counsel services to Tribe and corporate counsel services to Indian owned businesses.

Requirements:

·J.D. degree from an A.B.A. accredited law school with Bar License in California and/or Arizona (or pending License)

·0-6 Years of experience

·Demonstrated education or experience in federal Indian law

·Willing to travel

·Strong research, analytical and writing skills

·Strong organizational and communication skills

·transactional law, business law, economic development and gaming experience.

Applicants should submit the following information:

1.Cover Letter

2.Resume

3.Writing Sample

4.Transcripts (if graduated within 0-4 years)

5.Three references

Please submit information via email to debbie@vtklaw.com.Please contact Debbie Kewenvoyouma at 480-705-7550 with any questions.Experience and/or education in transactional work preferred.Native American hiring preference will be provided to qualified attorneys.

Ferguson-Bohnee appointed Faculty Director of the Indian Legal Program

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Patty Ferguson-Bohnee

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee has been appointed Faculty Director of the Indian Legal Program. Ferguson-Bohnee, who also serves as Director of the Indian Legal Clinic and as Associate Clinical Professor of Law, has substantial experience in Indian law, election law and policy matters, voting rights, and status clarification of tribes.

She recently was featured in a cover story in ‘MultiCultural Law’ magazine.

She has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Louisiana State Legislature regarding tribal recognition, and has successfully assisted four Louisiana tribes in obtaining state recognition. She has represented tribal clients in administrative, state, federal, and tribal courts, as well as before state and local governing bodies and proposed revisions to the Real Estate Disclosure Reports to include tribal provisions. She has assisted in complex voting rights litigation on behalf of tribes, and she has drafted state legislative and congressional testimony on behalf of tribes with respect to voting rights’ issues.

Before joining the College in 2008, Professor Ferguson-Bohnee clerked for Judge Betty Binns Fletcher of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was an associate in the Indian Law and Tribal Relations Practice Group at Sacks Tierney P.A. in Phoenix. As a Fulbright Scholar to France, she researched French colonial relations with Louisiana Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Professor Ferguson-Bohnee, a member of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian tribe, serves as the Native Vote Election Protection Coordinator for the State of Arizona.

Indian Law Ethics CLE

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Indian Law Ethics Mini CLE Conference

Get your required Professional Responsibility / Ethics CLE credits in one short afternoon!  3.0 credits for AZ and CA.  NM approval pending.

Dec 2 – Noon to 3:15 pm.  

Lunch will be provided
Agenda, speaker information, and online registration at http://conferences.asucollegeoflaw.com/indianlawethics/
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Armstrong Hall, Great Hall

Indian Law Ethics Mini CLE Conference

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Indian Law Ethics Mini CLE Conference

Get your required Professional Responsibility / Ethics CLE credits in one short afternoon!  3.0 credits for AZ and CA.  NM approval pending.

Dec 2 – Noon to 3:15 pm.  

Lunch will be provided.
Agenda, speaker information,  and online registration at http://conferences.asucollegeoflaw.com/indianlawethics/
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Armstrong Hall, Great Hall

ILP students praise tribal advocacy course in Washington, D.C.

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Several students from the Indian Legal Program traveled to Washington, D.C., over fall break for the class, Federal Advocacy for the Tribal Client, taught by professors Carl Artman, and Kevin Gover, who is also director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

The students heard from attorneys, politicians and lobbyists, who shared their insights about working on Native issues in the Beltway. They met Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, and Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka of Hawaii. They also watched Artman testify at an oversight hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on “The Carcieri Crisis: The Ripple Effect on Jobs, Economic Development and Public Safety in Indian Country.”

“This class provided an intriguing glimpse behind the D.C. curtain, exposing opportunities and challenges for those of us fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples,” said Benjaman Maresca, a third-year student.

Speakers included:

  • Allison Binney (Class of 2000), who served as staff director and chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs from 2007-2011, and is now a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP\
  • Charlie Galbraith (Class of 2007), who is Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the White House
  • Holly Macarro, who served as the served as Director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the Democratic National Committee and in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and is now a lobbyist and partner at Ietan Consulting
  • Aureen Martin, who served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, was senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and currently is the lobbyist for Spirit Rock Consulting
  • Chris Fluhr, Chief of Staff, Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
  • Rhonda Harjo, Deputy Chief Counsel, Minority Staff, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

“I was very impressed by the quality and dedication of the people in Washington fighting to protect the rights of Native Americans,” said Michael J. Payne, a third-year law student. “This class opened my eyes to some of the critical issues in Indian Country and the importance of having dedicated, well-educated people on the ground to help carve out legislative solutions.”

Kevin Heade, also a third-year law student, said the course brought the academic discussion of policymaking alive by giving students a rare opportunity to explore how personal dynamics influence the decision making process.

“Washington, D.C., can be an intimidating and confusing place,” Heade said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to get an inside scoop under the direction of two former Assistant Secretaries of Indian Affairs, lobbyists and Congressional staffers. Federal Advocacy for the Tribal Client has helped me learn about what to do and what not to do if I ever get the opportunity to promote tribal sovereignty-oriented policies in D.C.”

Richard Breuninger, who is working on an Master of Legal Studies, said it was one of the best classes he has taken.

“Without question, this is the most beneficial class in the College of Law for detailing an immersion into the complexities of the tribal client’s need for skilled and experienced advocacy,” Breuninger said.