Colorado Law School

CU/NARF Conference Pics

Matthew L.M. Fletcher
Kristen Carpenter
Dean James Anaya
John Echohawk
Heather Whiteman Runs Him, Dalee Sambo Dorough, Nathaniel Brown

Kristen Carpenter, James Anaya, Steven Moore, Greg Johnson
Rob Williams
Charles Wilkinson, Rebecca Tsosie, Kristen Carpenter
Erika Yamada, Alexey Tsykatev, Cristina Coc, Tracey Whare, Kunihiko Yoshida
Heather Whiteman Runs Him, Greg Bigler, Wenona Singel, Angela Riley, Carla Fredericks

Colorado American Indian Law Clinic Position Announcement

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The University of Colorado Law School seeks applicants for a clinical faculty position in its American Indian Law Clinic (http://www.colorado.edu/law/clinics/ilc/). The Clinic was one of the first of its kind in the country, having been founded in 1992.  The incoming clinical faculty member will be charged with assessing and creating a docket of cases and projects that will expose students to an array of issues of Indian law and to legal work in Indian Country.  The faculty member will have primary responsibility for supervising students in their case or project work, and for organizing and teaching a companion clinical seminar.  The faculty  member also will have an opportunity to work with students as part of Colorado Law’s broader American Indian Law Program.

Candidates must have a JD degree and a minimum of five years practical experience greatly preferred.  Prior teaching experience is strongly preferred.  Candidates must be licensed to practice law in at least one state and be eligible either to sit for the Colorado bar or to apply for an admission waiver.

To apply, candidates should mail a letter describing their interest, their initial thoughts on the kinds of cases or projects they would develop for the Indian Law clinic, including discussing why the range of work selected well prepares students to work on behalf of Native peoples or in Indian Country.  The letter should also address a candidate’s relevant practice experience and any prior teaching experience, and include a resume and the names of three references to Deborah J. Cantrell, Associate Professor & Director of Clinical Programs, University of Colorado Law School, Wolf Law Building, 404 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0404.  The deadline for applications is September 15, 2012.  Teaching will begin August 2013.  Colorado Law is an equal opportunity employer.

Colorado Indian Law Clinic Reunion Announcement

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Colorado Law American Indian Law Clinic Hosts 20th Anniversary Celebration

One of the first clinics of its kind, the University of Colorado Law School’s American Indian Law Clinic will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary on April 26, 2012 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Flatirons Room, Center for Community, on the CU Boulder campus.  Clinic alumni and former clients are invited to come and catch up with fellow alumni and the four Directors who guided the program over the past two decades.  This celebration is a precursor to “A Life of Contribution for All Time: Symposium in Honor of David H. Getches.”

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Brian D. Boatright will be joining us and will offer a few comments on the value of clinical education, and the work of the AILC in particular.  The celebration will include drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  A donation of $25.00 is suggested. There will also be a Silent Auction, the proceeds of which will benefit the AILC Client Support Fund. Donations for the Silent Auction would be greatly appreciated.  Clinic alumni are requested to r.s.v.p. before April 5, 2012 to Renee Garcia, Clinical Programs Manager at (303) 492-2635 or at renee.garcia@colorado.edu.

Following the celebration at 5:30 p.m. at the Wittemyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building, renowned author, Indian and Natural Resources law teacher, and a close lifelong friend of Dean Getches, Professor Charles Wilkinson will deliver the keynote address, “Hero for the People, Hero for the Land and Water: Reflections on the Enduring Contributions of David Getches.” On Friday, April 27, 2012, the symposium (which has been accredited for eight general Colorado CLE credits) will take place between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Register for the symposium at: http://lawweb.colorado.edu/apps/eventRegistration/getchesSymposium/

The American Indian Law Clinic is an experiential learning course that gives second and third year law students the opportunity to practice Indian law in a supervised setting while still in law school.  Since 1992, dozens of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and hundreds of individual have received valuable no-cost legal services through the Clinic. Student attorneys have drafted numerous tribal codes and tribal court rules and have appeared at all levels of the Colorado court system. Their work has also included assisting in the preparation of an amicus brief for the National American Indian Court Judges Association, the Northwest Intertribal Court System and the Navajo Nation in 2008 in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land and Cattle Company, Inc., 514 U.S. 316 (208).

For additional information about the celebration, symposium, or the Clinic, please don’t hesitate to contact Jill E. Tompkins, Director, American Indian Law Clinic at jill.tompkins@colorado.edu or at (303) 735-2194.