CLE topics include intellectual property, professionalism and mentorship, public safety, and sacred sites. This course is approved by the Board of Bar Commissioners of the State Bar of New Mexico for 6 hours of credit including 1.5 ethics CLE credits.
View the application, materials and important dates here. Application must be received by Friday, March 15, 2024. Applicants who miss the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.
Registration is still open! Event agenda and details here. Travel Reimbursements & Waivers available for Tribal Education Departments and Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Topics Include:
The Need for Native Attorneys
Preparing Students for Law School
Resources and Best Practices for Advisors
Native Student Perspectives
This conference is for school personnel and tribal education department personnel who advise students on careers and higher education. This is not forprospective law students.
October 17, 2023, 12-1 pm MT Zoom Webinar with Q&A
The tribal, state, and federal benches need more Native judges and judicial clerks. We encourage Native law students to join us to meet Native federal judges and learn more about their journey. Please share with NALSA groups!
The Assistant PLSI Director assists in planning and implementing the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives and all its programs, including the PLSI Judicial Clerkship Program, Native American Bar Passage Initiative, the Pre-Law Advisors trainings, outreach to tribal colleges and universities and tribal education departments, academic and professional development programs, and clerkship opportunities. This position supports the PLSI Director in maintaining and growing services according to student needs and the AILC’s strategic plan. The position coordinates outreach and promotes services of the PLSI and AILC.
Duties include: • Provides support to the PLSI Director in all aspects of PLSI and its programs. • Assists with developing and implementing programs to support Native pre-law and law students. Works with the Director to coordinate daily operations and activities. • Builds relationships with alumni, pre-law advisors, law schools, tribal colleges and universities, tribal education departments, and schools with significant Native American populations. • Builds relationships with law schools and employers regarding PLSI programs, students, and alumni. Identifies possible areas for collaboration and partnerships. • Assists in developing and managing budgets. • Assists with staffing of faculty, teaching assistants, research assistants, and other positions necessary for the summer and year-round programs. • Recruits, trains, and builds relationships with attorney coaches and mentors. • Coordinates with pre-law programs, Native American bar associations, judicial organizations, professional organizations, and educational programs on events, projects, and services for Native American pre-law and law students. • Plans events including academic and professional trainings. Schedules speakers and panels. Coordinates travel for staff, students, and professionals. • Develops print and electronic materials for announcements, programs, CLEs, and program promotion. • Assists in grant compliance including collecting and assessing data, drafting reports, and coordinating with grantors. • Promotes PLSI and the AILC to the community through public relations, social media, and advocacy. • Represents PLSI and AILC at events, career fairs, and conferences. • Assists with evaluating and developing programs and services according to grants and AILC goals. • Conforms with all safety rules and uses all appropriate safety equipment. • Processes student applications for services, reimbursements, materials, and programs. • Performs all other related duties, as assigned. Participates on committees and special projects and seeks additional responsibilities.
Like TCUs, PLSI is affected by education policy because it too depends on federal funding for a portion of its operating budget. Both TCUs and PLSI have continued to operate for more than 50 years, opening transformative doors for Native students. Felisha Adams, Amber Morningstar Byars, and Mariah Black Bird are on their way to becoming Native American lawyers, and all three have benefited from a tribal college education and PLSI.
From June 26-30, 2019, 34 prospective Native American pre-law applicants from across Indian Country attended the Native American Pipeline to Law Initiative at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, C.A. During this five-day intensive program, students heard from law school admissions professionals, law professors, law students, and more about applying to and attending law school. This year, we were fortunate enough for Olympian Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) to surprise us!
The Pipeline’s mission is to provide serious preparation for Native law applicants, as well as to connect applicants to the invaluable resources and support they need from professionals. The program even includes an introduction to and support for taking the LSAT. Former participants of this program have gone on to complete PLSI and law school.
The Pipeline to Law Initiative will be held again during the summer of 2020. If you’re interested in providing financial support to this program or have more questions, please contact Kate Rosier.
National NALSA 3L of the Year Award recipient, Maurisa Bell (right).
Maurisa Bell grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Riverton, Wyoming. She is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and was also raised around her Northern Arapaho family. In 2015, she graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT and completed the Pre-Law Summer Institute program during the summer of 2016. While in law school, Maurisa served as Vice President and Treasurer for the MSU-NALSA, an Area representative for National-NALSA, and volunteered as a student mentor for the Indigenous Law and Policy Center.
She spent her summers in Washington, D.C. working for the Department of Justice’s Office of Tribal Justice; the National Indian Gaming Commission; and Dentons, US LLP in their Native American Law and Policy practice group. She is a dedicated and driven leader who, in just a few weeks, will graduate from the Michigan State University College of Law.
Maurisa will work for Dentons upon graduation, pursuing her passion in helping tribes and tribal communities.
Send your advice or encouragement to Native American pre-law students. Your quote could appear on new PLSI materials!
What advice would you give to a future law student? What advice or encouragement would you give to your pre-law self?
The American Indian Law Center, Inc. would like to use your answers on new materials (brochure, website, bookmarks, conference program). Please send your quote to Rodina Cave Parnall at AILCinfo@law.unm.edu by January 4, 2019 and keep it to less than 160 characters. It may be edited down to meet space limitations. Include your PLSI class year and current position.
Send your advice or encouragement to Native American pre-law students. Your quote could appear on new PLSI materials!
What advice would you give to a future law student? What advice or encouragement would you give to your pre-law self?
The American Indian Law Center, Inc. would like to use your answers on new materials (brochure, website, bookmarks, conference program). Please send your quote to Rodina Cave Parnall at AILCinfo@law.unm.edu by January 4, 2019 and keep it to less than 160 characters. It may be edited down to meet space limitations. Include your PLSI class year and current position.
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