Natives in Public Safety

The National Native American Bar Association Foundation (NNABA Foundation) recently received a grant to facilitate a special gathering dedicated to Native American representation in public safety careers. This event will take place on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at the Sandia Resort in Albuquerque.

Law students or attorneys with a demonstrated interest in federal or state public defender or prosecutor roles are invited to apply to attend this event. A short application can be submitted at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/Xr2AxjNM47

Because the event is fast approaching, applicants will be evaluated on a rolling basis until the event is filled. Accordingly, if interested, you should apply at your earliest convenience.  The application will be closed when space at the gathering is filled. All who are interested are welcome to apply. Strength of demonstrated interest in public safety roles will be weighed in evaluating applications.

The purpose of this event is to bring together Native American professionals already-in federal and state public defender and prosecutor roles to connect with early in career Native law students and attorneys with a demonstrated interest in these roles. Over the course of a half-day and evening program the objectives of the gathering are to have a strategic discussion on how NNABA can support increased representation of Native peoples in these roles; assist in the creation and support of a Natives-in-public-safety legal community to mature, thrive, and receive the support it needs to grow; and empower this community to advance Native cultural competence and improve equitable outcomes for Native communities in the criminal justice spaces where they practice. To encourage additional mentorship, we will end the event with a dinner for fellowship at a venue nearby.

The grant will allow us to reimburse participants up to $1,200 for travel expenses to attend the event. Participants are also invited to the NNABA Justice is Medicine Awards Dinner on April 3rd and will be seated together, if they choose to stay for the rest of the NNABA Annual meeting the following day.

If you have any questions, please contact NNABA at [email protected].