NOVEMBER 2014

Hello, NNABA members:

As November is Native American Heritage month, please join me and NNABA in celebrating our heritage as the nation’s first Americans. In addition to the cultural and agricultural contributions that American Indians have made to our country, tribes have helped to forge the legal and constitutional foundation for our government. When the Framers gathered to write the United States Constitution, they drew inspiration from the Iroquois Confederacy.

Tribal communities have made incredible strides in fostering economic development, but we must not forget the often violent and discriminatory past that precedes today’s successes. Nonetheless, legal challenges remain for tribal communities. The confusing division of legal authority creates a jurisdictional maze that is complicated by the lack of criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians. American Indian women residing on Indian reservations suffer domestic violence and physical assault at rates far exceeding women of other ethnicities.

At the forefront of combatting these legal challenges in Indian Country is the strong and vibrant community of Native American lawyers. These lawyers fight crime on reservations, work to promote and protect tribal sovereignty, and advocate for the economic interests of tribes. This past year we saw a number of historic moments for Native American lawyers. In May, the Honorable Diane Humetewa became the first American Indian woman to serve as a federal judge. In June, Keith Harper became the first Native American to achieve the rank of Ambassador as the U.S. Representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Please join NNABA in celebrating these historic firsts but also the work of all Native American lawyers who work tirelessly every day to zealously represent their clients.

Sincerely,

Mary Smith
NNABA President, 2013-2015

SARAH DEER RECEIVES 2014 MACARTHUR FOUNDATION "GENIUS" GRANT

On September 17, 2014, Sarah Deer was selected to be among a group of 21 diverse 2014 fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Deer, 41, is a professor at the William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota. A citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, Deer advocated for the passage the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013. As a result, tribal courts have more authority to deal with cases of domestic violence, including the power to prosecute non-Indians who assault Native American spouses or partners on tribal lands.

NNABA ATTENDS INVESTITURE OF THE HONORABLE DIANE HUMETEWA

On Friday, October 17, 2014, NNABA President Mary Smith, NNABA President-Elect Linda Benally, NNABA Immediate Past President Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, and NNABA Treasurer Lawrence Baca attended the ceremonial investiture of the Honorable Diane Humetewa in Phoenix, Arizona. In May, Judge Humetewa made history by becoming the first Native American woman in our nation’s history to serve as a federal judge. Out of 874 Article III judgeships, Jude Humetewa is currently the only American Indian. NNABA extends a heartfelt congratulations to Judge Humetewa!

NNABA RECEIVES INAUGURAL JEANNE P. GRAY DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP

NNABA has received the inaugural the Jeanne P. Gray Diversity Scholarship from the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Professional Responsibility. Created this year, this scholarship will be awarded annually, on a rotating basis, to the national diversity bar associations to work collaboratively with the Center on ethics and professionalism. NNABA is deeply honored to receive this scholarship, and we look forward to working with the Center for Professional Responsibility.

NNABA President Mary Smith has appointed Robert Saunooke, a NNABA Board member and NNABA's Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, as the inaugural scholarship recipient. Robert is an accomplished attorney with his own practice in Florida and a sought-after author and speaker. Robert is extremely knowledgeable on ethics and professionalism issues, and he will make valuable contributions in furtherance of this partnership between the Center and NNABA.

The Center previously honored Thomasina Realbird with the 2014 Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyers Professionalism Award. Thomasina is a true beacon for young Native American attorneys and a valued member of the NNABA family.

NNABA PRESIDENT-ELECT LINDA BENALLY RECEIVES APPOINTMENT FROM ABA PRESIDENT

NNABA President-Elect Linda Benally has received an appointment from ABA President William Hubbard to be a member of the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.

ABA JUDICIAL DIVISION RECEPTION AT NAICJA MEETING

The ABA Judicial Division hosted a reception at the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) 45th National Tribal Judicial and Court Clerks’ Conference and NAICJA Annual Meeting held at the Cherokee Nation’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 7-10, 2014. The Honorable Leslie Miller, who helped to spearhead the new tribal court practitioner membership initiative in the ABA, and the Honorable Beth Gibson, Chair of the Judicial Division’s Tribal Courts Council, attended and helped to publicize and recruit ABA membership in the new tribal courts practitioner membership initiative that permits tribal court practitioners to be full members of the ABA. This membership initiative is possible because of an amendment to the ABA constitution adopted in August 2014.

Tribal Court judges and lawyers are eligible for not only an individual ABA membership at a reduced dues rate, but also a more significantly reduced rate through the group membership program. For more information about membership or the dues options, contact Jo Ann Saringer at [email protected] or Leslie Miller at [email protected]. For additional information about the Tribal Courts Council, contact Beth Gibson at [email protected].

NNABA BOARD MEMBER ROBERT SAUNOOKE RECEIVES APPOINTMENT FROM FLORIDA BAR

NNABA Board Member Robert Saunooke was appointed to the Florida Bar's Commission on Diversity and Inclusion by Florida Bar President Gregory Coleman.

NNABA PRESIDENT MARY SMITH SPEAKS AT LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN SAN FRANCISCO

(From left to right) NAPABA President-Elect George Chen, NNABA President Mary Smith, Unopposed Candidate for ABA President-Elect Linda Klein, HNBA Region XVII Region XVII President Natalie Pierce, and NBA Past President Demetrius Shelton.

On October 31, 2014, NNABA President Mary Smith participated in a plenary panel entitled "A Conversation with ABA and National Diversity Bar Leaders" at the State Bar of California Council on Access & Fairness 2014 Leadership Summit "Creating Leaders for the 21st Century" in San Francisco, California. Other panelists included Linda Klein, Unopposed Candidate for ABA President-Elect; George Chen, President-Elect, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; Natalie Pierce, Hispanic National Bar Association Region XVII President; and Demetrius Shelton, Past President, National Bar Association.

NNABA JOINS LETTER URGING DIVERSITY IN MDL APPOINTMENTS

On October 7, 2014,NNABA joined a letter from the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers, of which NNABA is a member, urging more specific guidance should be included in the MDL Standards and Best Practices regarding the manner in which court appointments may be made to promote gender, race, and ethnic diversity.

To view the letter, click here.

NNABA TREASURER LAWRENCE BACA QUOTED IN TWO ARTICLES ON TEAM MASCOTS

NNABA Treasurer Lawrence Baca was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune on the use of team mascots. To view the article, click here.

He was also quoted in an article in Psychology Today. To read the article, click here.

NNABA PRESIDENT MARY SMITH ATTENDS ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION DIVERSITY BAR ROUNDTABLE

NNABA President Mary Smith speaks with leaders of ABA Criminal Justice Section.

On October 23, 2014, NNABA President Mary Smith attended the ABA Criminal Justice Section Diversity Bar Roundtable. The meeting provided an opportunity for NNABA – along with the other bars of color – to discuss criminal issues in Indian Country. President Smith discussed the implementation of the domestic violence provisions in the Violence Against Women Act, implementation of the Tribal Law and Order Act, and issues facing Native American youth.

UPDATE ON GROUNDBREAKING STUDY ON NATIVE AMERICAN ATTORNEYS

Thank so much to everyone who completed NNABA’s groundbreaking survey on Native American attorneys and participated in the one-on-one interviews. NNABA met is goal for the survey with the final tally of 527 persons participating in the survey which surpassed our goal of 500 respondents. This is incredible news!

NNABA intends to release the study in the spring of 2015. Be on the lookout for the historic report.

BE A SPONSOR OF GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH ON NATIVE AMERICAN ATTORNEYS

NNABA is continuing to seek sponsors of its groundbreaking research on Native American attorneys.

Contribute Here
We seek your support on this groundbreaking study. For more information on the study, click here

For information on how to contribute, CLICK HERE. The net proceeds will be used to fund the Research Initiative. We plan to energize the business and legal communities to further improve the status of Native Americans in the legal profession because it is in the best interest of the profession to do so. We hope you will join us in these efforts with your support.

MEMBER PROFILE: LAUREN VAN SCHILFGAARDE

Lauren Veronica van Schilfgaarde (Cochiti Pueblo) is serving as an alternate NNABA representative for the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association.

She is the Tribal Law Specialist for the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI), a Native American owned and operated non-profit organization that designs and delivers education, research, training, and technical assistance programs which promote the enhancement of justice in Indian country and the health, well-being, and culture of Native peoples. At TLPI, Lauren coordinates training and research for tribal justice systems on issues of jurisdiction, funding, and restorative justice, including for Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, also known as drug courts. While in law school, Lauren clerked for the Native American Rights Fund and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

Lauren holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law. While at UCLA, Lauren served as the President of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and served on the Board of the National NALSA. Lauren also holds a B.A. in Religion from Colorado College.

To read more, click here.

NEW PROJECT ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS TO HIGHLIGHT NATIVE AMERICAN ATTORNEYS

NNABA is announcing an exciting new project, and we need you! We are beginning to collect some short YouTube videos of Native American attorneys. Alternatively, you can prepare a member profile. If you would like to highlight your career or some topic applicable to the legal profession, please record a short (no more than two minutes) video of yourself and send it to us. We will begin posting some of these videos on our website. The purpose of this project is to highlight the incredible Native American attorneys around the country.

To obtain the template for the member profile, click here.

Here are some guidelines for the videos:

• Videos should be no more than two minutes.

• The following one or more topics can be addressed: (1) why you went to law school; (2) describe your career and your practice; (3) describe one legal matter that you are most proud of or that was memorable; and (4) advice you would give to young Native American attorneys or advice you would give to young Native Americans considering whether to go to law school.

• Alternatively, you can address an important legal issue facing Indian Country, e.g., ICWA, domestic violence, land into trust, voting rights.

• If you have any questions, please e-mail [email protected].

• Send the final videos to [email protected].

JOIN NNABA NOW!

Our Attorney Membership Form and Student Membership Form can be completed online, and are available to download as PDF files for those who prefer to mail in their forms. Benefits of being a NNABA member include weekly access to a variety of new, nationwide job announcements by email and on this site. To join, click here.

The membership year runs from April to April and dues are $75 per year.

NEW! In addition to checks and money orders, NNABA is now able to accept credit card payment for payment of dues.

If you have any questions about membership or experience any difficulty with downloading, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

NNABA PARTNER NEWS

WOMEN OF THE SECTION OF LITIGATION CONFERENCE

The American Bar Association’s inaugural Women of the Section of Litigation: Leading, Litigating and Connecting conference will be held on November 5-7, 2014, at the Palmer House Hilton hotel in Chicago, Illinois. This two-and-a-half-day conference will begin with a plenary session on Wednesday afternoon that will announce the ABA’s findings on women litigators, followed by a reception honoring Chicago’s women judges. The next two days will be filled with more plenaries and a separate breakout track focusing on insurance, products liability, cyber, procedural, and other issues relevant to your business or practice, including:

§ Women General Counsel to Know

§ International Insurance Arbitrations

§ Hot Topics In Insider Trading: Civil, Criminal And Insurance Perspectives

§ Best Practices For Claims Management

§ Insurance Issues Arising Out Of Contractual Indemnification

§ Product Liability Consumer Class Actions Claims: When Are They Covered By Insurance?

For more information, please view the conference brochure. To register, please visit www.ambar.org/womenoflit.

MARGARARET BRENT AWARD

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession is seeking nominations for the 2015 Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards. These awards will be presented at a luncheon on Sunday, August 2, 2015 during the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The deadline to submit the nomination form and supporting materials is the close of business on Monday, December 1, 2014.

Click here for more details.

ABA LEGAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT EXPO

The American Bar Association’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion is pleased to announce the fall ABA Legal Career Development Expo. The Expo will take place on Friday, November 7, 2014, from 9am to 5pm CST at ABA Headquarters | 321 N. Clark Street| Chicago, IL 60654 in downtown Chicago, IL.

The Expo is targeted to diverse law students, recent graduates and young lawyers. Practicing attorneys and legal professionals seeking to advance their careers are also welcome to attend.

The aim of the Expo is to provide diverse attendees with:

• Career and business development sessions;
• Networking opportunities with current law students, lawyers, and ABA staff;
• Practical skills training, including resume editing, one–on-one interviewing tips, and mentoring; and
• Career Development info from the substantive legal and professional ABA entities.

Space is limited so Register now HERE! Registrants will be entered into a drawing to win a package of three (3) executive coaching sessions with Vickie Austin of Choices Worldwide. For more info visit www.ambar.org/ODIExpo