Boulder, Colorado, based Indian law firm has immediate need for a full-time, mid- to senior-level associate for its Boulder office. Candidate should have minimum 3-5 years experience with Indian tribes and Indian law/Indian gaming and related matters, and excellent oral and written communication skills. Salary DOE. Please send resume, law school transcripts, and writing sample to Padraic McCoy at Tilden McCoy + Dilweg LLP, at pmccoy@tildenmccoy.com.
Announcements
Professor Hunter Receives UCLA’s Native Nations Distinguished Alumnus Award
More information is here.
Swinomish Tribe to Dedicate Story Pole to Skagit Valley College
The pole was carved by Kevin Paul, a Swinomish artist. The event is Monday, April 16, at 2:30. Further information is here.
Montana NALSA Indian Law Week Program
Yurok Tribal Court Staff Attorney Position
POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the general supervision of the Tribal Court Director (and Chief Judge), the Staff Attorney will assist the Chief Judge and the Yurok Tribal Court in its legal matters. The Staff Attorney will complete a variety of professional assignments on behalf of the Yurok Tribal Court as assigned. The Staff Attorney will work closely with the Chief Judge and department staff.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Perform legal research including extensive analysis of legal positions. Determine and apply legal principles and precedents to problems and issues.
- Provides legal advice, counsel, and assistance to the Yurok Tribal Court in relation to its duties and the operation of the Court and its programs, projects and services.
- Assist in legal matters related to negotiating agreements with county justice agencies including Superior Courts in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, and the drafting of Memoranda of Understanding outlining the roles and responsibilities of partner agencies.
- Provides opinions on drafts, documents, and policies, and attends meetings concerning the Court.
- Prepares legal briefs, develops strategy, arguments and testimony in preparation for presentation of a case.
- May appear in court hearings to represent the concurrent jurisdictional positions of the Tribal Court.
- Performs a variety of professional legal work in child support civil and criminal cases.
- Assists in the coordination of Tribal Court programs.
White House Online Event at 1:30 Today about Tribal Claims
From the White House blog:
White House Event on Tribal Trust Case Settlements
Posted by Charlie Galbraith on April 10, 2012 at 05:23 PM EDT
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 1:30pm EST, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and other senior members of the Obama Administration will join tribal leaders to announce a significant step forward in the resolution of tribal trust cases pending against the United States. Many of the cases include claims by the tribes that go back over 100 years. Tomorrow’s event will recognize the good-faith cooperation and hard work of the Administration and 41 American Indian tribes in working out fair and honorable resolutions of the tribes’ claims.
The resolution of longstanding disputes is a key pillar of President Obama’s record for American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2010, the Administration settled the $760 million Keepseagle case brought by Native American farmers and ranchers who alleged discrimination by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its administration of loan programs. President Obama also signed into law the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, which included the Cobell settlement agreement resolving a lawsuit over the management and accounting of over 300,000 individual American Indian trust accounts. The Claims Resolution Act also included four water rights settlements, benefitting seven tribes in Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico.
Most recently, in October 2011, the Administration reached a $380 million settlement with the Osage Nation over the tribe’s long-standing lawsuit regarding the government’s management of trust funds and non-monetary trust resources. That settlement featured, among other things, prospective management measures designed to further improve the trust relationship between the tribe and the United States.
Tomorrow’s event will mark another key step forward in the Administration’s efforts to resolve the disputes that have clouded the shared history of the United States and Indian tribes. Please join us on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 1:30pm on www.WhiteHouse.gov/live.
Charlie Galbraith is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
NIGC Summer Internship Announcement
Announcement of Summer Intern Position within the Office of General Counsel (OGC)
The National Indian Gaming Commission’s Office of General Counsel is seeking applicants for two intern positions for the summer of 2012. OGC’s summer internship program is for students who have completed at least their first year of
law school. Paid interns are expected to work at least 40 hours per week and are compensated at a rate equivalent to a General Schedule 7 (equivalent to $42,209). In addition to paid interns, OGC will consider volunteer applicants receiving financial support through law school public interest programs or through other public interest scholarships and federal work study programs. Interns funded by Federal Work Study programs will also be considered.
About the NIGC and the Office of General Counsel
The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), an independent federal regulatory agency within the Department of the Interior, was established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). IGRA was enacted as means of supporting tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal governments through the creation of a statutory basis for the operation of gaming on Indian lands. It provides a regulatory framework to shield Indian gaming from corruption, to ensure the games are fair and honest and to ensure that Tribes are the primary beneficiaries of the gaming operation. The Commission was created to address these congressional concerns regarding gaming and to protect such gaming as a means of generating tribal revenue.
The Office of General Counsel provides legal advice and counsel to the Commission on all matters relating to IGRA and Commission compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Office represents the Chairwoman in all enforcement actions and, as needed, coordinates with the U.S. Department of Justice to implement the Commission’s enforcement actions. The Office also plays an important role in handling appeals before the full Commission, and
where Commission action results in litigation, the Office works directly with the Department of Justice.
The Office of the General Counsel also manages the day-to-day legal affairs of the Commission, providing counsel and legal support to each division. The Office reviews tribal gaming ordinances and proposed management contracts, provides legal advisory opinions on the appropriate classification of games played in Indian gaming facilities, on Indian land issues, contract issues, and general law questions. The Office also coordinates opinions and other specific matters with the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor, and other federal agencies as necessary. The NIGC OGC is committed to the professional development of new attorneys in the field of federal Indian law.
How To Apply
Arlinda Locklear to be Honored by ABA with Margaret Brent Award
Congratulations to Arlinda!
Here is her bio (from the ABA website):
Arlinda Locklear, of Arlinda Locklear Law Office in Washington, D.C., began her career as an attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. During her 35-year career in federal Indian law, she has represented tribes throughout the country in federal and state courts on treaty claims to water and land, taxation disputes with states and local authorities, reservation boundary issues, and federal recognition of tribes. In 1984, Locklear appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, where she successfully challenged South Dakota’s authority to prosecute a Native American for on-reservation conduct. In doing so, she was the first Native American woman to appear before the Court. Since that time, five other Native American women have argued before the Supreme Court. Her goal always is to give back to her community and other Native American communities, and Locklear has received numerous awards for fostering the development of women, among them a 2008 honor for her contributions to the American Indian community by the Conference of American Indian Women of Proud Nations.
Other recipients include:
- The Honorable Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California, Supreme Court of California, San Francisco, CA
- Marcia Devins Greenberger, Co-President, National Women’s Law Center, Washington, DC
- Joan M. Hall, Retired Partner, Jenner & Block LLP, Chicago, IL
- Arlinda Locklear, Attorney, Arlinda Locklear Law Office, Washington, DC
- Amy W. Schulman, Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Pfizer, President of Pfizer Nutrition, New York, NY
DOI Press Release on Echo Hawk’s Departure
Here.
Also a reminder of the Federal Press release page (we upload every one we receive).
Udall Foundation Awards 2012 Native American Congressional Internships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2012
Udall Foundation Awards 2012 Native American Congressional Internships
The Udall Foundation is pleased to announce that 12 students from 12 tribes and 12 universities have been selected as 2012 Native American Congressional Interns. They were selected by an independent review committee of nationally recognized Native educators and tribal policy leaders on the basis of academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to careers in tribal public policy.
This highly regarded internship program is intended to provide American Indians and Alaska Natives with an insider’s view of the federal government. The internship is located in Washington, D.C., and is known for placing students in extremely competitive internship positions in Senate and House offices, committees, Cabinet departments, and the White House, where they are able to observe government decision-making processes firsthand.
The Udall Foundation awards approximately 12 internships every summer on the basis of merit to American Indians and Alaska Natives who are college juniors or seniors, recent graduates from tribal or four-year colleges, or graduate or law students who have demonstrated an interest in fields related to tribal public policy, such as criminal justice, cultural preservation and revitalization, education, economic development, health, law, natural resources protection, and tribal governance.
The 12 new Udall Interns will complete an intensive, 10-week internship in the summer of 2012. Special enrichment activities will provide opportunities to meet with key decision makers.
From 1996 through 2012, 198 American Indian and Alaska Native students from 104 tribes will have participated in the program.
The 2012 Native American Congressional Internship class includes
Turtle Talk 
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