JANUARY 2015

Hello, NNABA members:

Happy New Year! Wishing everyone health, prosperity and success in 2015.

We hope you are enjoying these e-newsletters. If you have comments or suggestions, we would very much like to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Mary Smith
NNABA President, 2013-2015

KEVIN WASHBURN TO RECEIVE ABA DIVERSITY COMMISSION 2015 SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn

The American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession will honor Kevin Washburn, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., with its 2015 Spirit of Excellence Award for his commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. The award will be presented during a ceremony on February 7, 2015, at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Houston. NNABA nominated Assistant Secretary Washburn for this honor.

The Spirit of Excellence Award celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. Awards are presented to lawyers who excel in their professional settings; who personify excellence on the national, state, or local level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession.

NNABA extends a warm congratulations to Kevin Washburn on this well-deserved honor!

To see the ABA’s press release on Kevin Washburn, click here.

The general release can be viewed here.

NNABA AND NNABA FOUNDATION HOLD JOINT STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING IN PHOENIX

On Saturday, November 8, 2014, the NNABA Board and NNABA Foundation Board held a joint strategic planning meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. At the meeting, the Board set strategic priorities for the upcoming bar year. Thanks to NNABA Foundation Board Member Jennifer Weddle for hosting the retreat and to Greenberg Traurig for sponsoring the retreat.

NNABA URGES ITS MEMBERS TO APPLY FOR AN ABA PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT

ABA President-Elect Paulette Brown is currently in the process of filling vacancies on ABA Standing and Special Committees, Commissions, Working Groups, Task Forces, and other ABA entities for the 2015-2016 Association year. NNABA encourages its members to apply for these Presidential appointments and will provide recommendations upon request.

You must apply for an appointment by using the on-line nomination form. The form can be found at http://apps.americanbar.org/appointments beginning on December 1, 2014. The deadline for submitting nominations is February 27, 2015. All recommendations must be received by that date to ensure inclusion in the decision-making process. You must be an ABA member to apply.

Please complete your self-nomination form first, and then if you would like a NNABA recommendation, please e-mail [email protected] by January 28, 2015. Please send in your qualifications for the position, and please include your self-nomination materials.

NNABA CO-SPONSORS TRIBAL LAW AND ORDER RESOLUTION

NNABA is co-sponsoring a Resolution No. 111A with the ABA Criminal Justice Section and Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities to support the recommendations contained in the Indian Law and Order Commission’s November 2013 Report to the President and Congress of the United States, entitled “A Roadmap for Making Native America Safer” (“Commission’s Report”), and urges the Administration, Congress, and state and tribal governments to promptly implement the recommendations of the Commission’s Report. This resolution will be considered by the ABA House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Houston, TX, on Monday, February 9, 2015.

To view an executive summary of Resolution No. 111A, click here.

NNABA YOUNG LAWYER REPRESENTATIVES WILL SPEAK ON “AFTER THE JD” PANEL AT ABA MIDYEAR MEETING IN HOUSTON

NNABA ABA Young Lawyer Division Representatives, Makalika Naholowaa and Lauren van Schilfgaarde, will speak on a panel at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Houston, on Friday, February 6, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:a.m. The panel is entitled “After the JD” CLE seminar, and will be held during the YLD’s Diversity Summit.

The “After the JD” study, conducted by the American Bar Foundation (ABF) has been following a national sample of lawyers who passed the bar in the year 2000, and interviewing participants in 2003, 2007, and 2012. The study examines whether the participants are still satisfied with their decision to become a lawyer, and whether women and minorities are achieving professional success and satisfaction at the same rate as their peers. During the first part of the seminar, ABF Director and co-principal investigator Robert Nelson will discuss the survey results. The second part of the seminar will consist of a diverse panel of young attorneys talking about their experiences.

SUZAN HARJO RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM

On November 24, 2014, President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor, to Suzan Harjo and 18 other individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Suzan Harjo is a writer, curator, and activist who has advocated for improving the lives of Native peoples throughout her career. As a member of the Carter Administration and as current president of the Morning Star Institute, she has been a key figure in many important Indian legislative battles, including the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Dr. Harjo is Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee, and a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

NNABA PRESIDENT MARY SMITH ATTENDS NABA-IL MEETING

NNABA President Mary Smith with leaders of NABA-IL.

On November 19, 2014, NNABA President Mary Smith attended the NABA-IL meeting, and listened to the initiatives planned by NABA-IL President Gentri White and the rest of the NABA-IL Board. President Smith also discussed NNABA’s initiatives.

NNABA LEADERS ATTEND NAPABA CONVENTION IN PHOENIX

HNBA President-Elect Robert Maldonado, NAPABA Past President Wendy Shiba, NAPABA Immediate Past President Bill Simonitsch, NAPABA President George Chen, NNABA President Mary Smith, NNABA President-Elect Linda Benally, NNABA Immediate Past President Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, and HNBA President Cynthia Mares.

On November 8, 2014, NNABA President Mary Smith, President-Elect Linda Benally, and Immediate Past President Patty Ferguson-Bohnee attended the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, along with leaders of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA).

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PATTY FERGUSON-BOHNEE SPOKE ON PANEL REGARDING NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

“[T]he religious practices of the American Indian . . . are an integral part of their culture, tradition and heritage, such practices forming the basis of Indian identity and value systems.” 42 U.S.C. § 1996. As such, religious practice is the cornerstone of Native culture and has held Native communities together for centuries."
--Walter Echo- Hawk, Native Worship in American Prisons, 19.4 CULTURAL SURVIVAL Q. (Winter 1995).

On November, 13, 2014, Immediate Past President Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, who is Faculty Director of the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University, spoke on a panel regarding Native American religious freedom. Other panelists were Joel Williams, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund, and Professor Kathryn Kovacs, Rutgers School of Law. The panel was moderated by Andy Mergen, Deputy Section Chief, Environmental and Natural Resources Division - Appellate Section, U.S. Department of Justice. With the federal government's role in regulating the use of bald eagle parts and religious practices of the incarcerated, the exercise of Native American religious practices after the Supreme Court's decision in Hobby Lobby was examined. The panelists discussed the tensions between the federal government's efforts to accommodate tribal religion and the dissatisfaction of the tribal community, recent case law developments and whether the federal government is providing the least restrictive means in furtherance of protecting eagles and maintaining prisons.

This evening program was sponsored by the Indian Law Committee of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section, in co-sponsorship with the Native American Bar Association-DC.

PRESIDENT MARY SMITH SPEAKS ON RADIO SHOW IN HONOR OF NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

President Mary Smith spoke on the Esquire Coaching Radio Show on November 12, 2014, in honor of Native American Heritage Month. President Smith spoke about her career; gave advice to younger lawyers; discussed NNABA’s initiatives, including the upcoming Native American Attorney Research Initiative; and encouraged listeners to join NNABA. A recording of the interview is available here.

NNABA TREASURER LAWRENCE BACA PROFILED IN ARTICLE

NNABA Treasurer Lawrence Baca was profiled in an article in Psychology Today. The article recounts his lifelong commitment to fighting for civil rights for Native Americans. To read the article, click here.

NNABA applauds Lawrence for all his relentless commitment to furthering civil rights for Native Americans.

NNABA SECRETARY THOMAS WEATHERS APPOINTED TO THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL ON ACCESS AND FAIRNESS

The California State Bar Board of Trustees has appointed NNABA Secretary Thomas Weathers to the Council on Access and Fairness. The Council on Access and Fairness advises the Board of Trustees on advancing State Bar diversity strategies and goals focusing on issues along the diversity pipeline to enhance opportunities and advancement in the legal profession.

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: THOMASINA REAL BIRD

Thomasina Real Bird.

Thomasina Real Bird is Ihanktonwan Nakota and Sicangu Lakota and an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. She joined Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP in 2007 and is currently a Senior Associate.

Ms. Real Bird has significant experience representing tribes in a general counsel capacity. In fact, she serves as general counsel to her tribe, the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

Ms. Real Bird attended Wagner Community School and finished her high school education in Minnesota graduating from Blaine High School. She attended Stanford University and earned both her Bachelors of Arts in Native American Studies and Masters of Arts in Sociology. She attended the Pre-Law Summer Institute for Native Americans and Alaska Natives at the University of New Mexico Law School in Albuquerque. Ms. Real Bird received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Columbia Law School in the City of New York.

Ms. Real Bird is a member of the Colorado Bar Association Young Lawyers Division; Colorado Indian Bar Association; Boulder County Bar Association; American Bar Association; Federal Bar Association; and the National Native American Bar Association.

Ms. Real Bird was recently honored by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development with a Native American 40 Under 40 award that recognizes emerging American Indian leaders from across Indian Country who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and dedication and made significant contributions in their community. Ms. Real Bird was also recently selected by the American Bar Association to receive the Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyers Professionalism Award that honors a young lawyer’s commitment to legal and judicial ethics, lawyer professionalism, client protection and professional regulation.

To read more, click here.

NEW PROJECT ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS OR MEMBER PROFILES 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].

NNABA CO-SPONSORS GAMING LAW MINEFIELD

NNABA is a co-sponsor of the American Bar Association’s 18th Annual Gaming Law Minefield Institute to be held February 12-13, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a co-sponsor NNABA members receive the same great rate as ABA members.

For more information and to register, click here.

JOIN NNABA NOW!

Our Attorney Membership Form and Student Membership Form are available to download as PDF files. 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

ABA Midyear Meeting

The American Bar Association’s 2015 Midyear Meeting is being held in Houston, TX, February 4 - 10 at the Hilton Americas. To register, click here.

Spirit of Excellence Award Luncheon

The 2015 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon will take place on Saturday, February 7, 2015, at the Hilton Americas in Houston, Texas, during the ABA Midyear Meeting.

The Spirit of Excellence Award celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who excel in their professional settings; who personify excellence on the national, state or local level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession proudly honors:
Kevin Washburn ● Kim Askew ● Robert Grey ● Hon. Jacqueline H. Nguyen

Join the celebration! For more information, click here.