SEPTEMBER 2014

Hello, NNABA members:

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

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

NEWS & PHOTOS FROM ABA ANNUAL MEETING IN BOSTON

(From left to right) NNABA Immediate Past President Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, NNABA ABA Delegate Robert Saunooke, Thomasina Real Bird, NNABA Representative to the YLD Council Makalika Nahalowaa, NNABA President Mary Smith, and NNABA YLD Delegate Colleen Lamarre.

NNABA is also pleased to announce that NNABA’s new Young Lawyer Division (YLD) Delegates were also in Boston for the ABA Meeting. NNABA’s new Representative to the YLD Council is Makalika Nahalowaa, and one of NNABA’s new Delegates to the YLD Assembly is Colleen Lamarre.

During the meeting, Robert Saunooke spoke on a panel about implicit bias on Thursday, August 7, 2014.

The ABA Meeting was very successful for NNABA and for advancing Native American policies, including the historic vote to change the ABA Constitution to permit tribal court practitioners to be full members of the ABA (see below). We continue to make our presence felt and our voices heard as we take action to make the Native American community a stronger community. This requires collaboration, and the ABA meeting in Boston was a fine example of that.

ABA AMENDS ITS CONSTITUTION TO PERMIT TRIBAL COURT PRACTITIONERS TO BE FULL MEMBERS

NNABA President Mary Smith speaks before the ABA House of Delegates on the resolution regarding tribal court practitioners.

The National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) applauds the historic vote of the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates to amend the ABA Constitution to permit tribal court practitioners to be full members of the ABA. This August 11, 2014 vote of the House of Delegates was unanimous. This resolution will – at long last – put tribal court bar admissions on equal footing with the bars of states, territories and possessions of the United States. NNABA was a co-sponsor of this resolution, and NNABA President Mary Smith spoke in favor of the resolution before the ABA House of Delegates.

NNABA extends its sincere thanks to the ABA’s Judicial Division and the ABA’s Standing Committee on Membership (SCOM), with special thanks to NNABA’s ABA Delegate Robert Saunooke and SCOM Chair Danny Van Horn for their vision, leadership and support in making this constitutional change a reality.

To view NNABA’s press release, click here. To view the text of the resolution and the accompanying report, please click here.

THANK YOU TO OUTGOING ABA PRESIDENT JIM SILKENTAT AND CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW ABA PRESIDENT WILLIAM HUBBARD

NNABA thanks outgoing ABA President Jim Silkenat for his service to the legal profession. Jim is a true champion of diversity and inclusion and we commend him for his efforts and leadership. We also extend congratulations to incoming ABA President William Hubbard and look forward to collaborating with the ABA during his term. In particular, William has expressed strong support for the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA), a joint initiative of the ABA, HNBA, NBA, NNABA, and NAPABA, designed to train the next generation of bar leaders. William attended this year’s CBLA in Minneapolis and was impressed with the quality of the program and the enthusiasm of the bar leader/participants, which came from all over the country.

Hubbard’s signature effort during the year will be work flowing from the Commission on the Future of Legal Services. For that, he wants to bring lawyers, judges and academics together with technology innovators who are spending millions of dollars on finding new ways of providing legal services. Robert Saunooke is serving as the NNABA liaison to the Commission on the Future of Legal Services so that the voice of the NNABA is heard in this important undertaking.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ABA PRESIDENT-ELECT PAULETTE BROWN

ABA President-Elect Paulette Brown addresses the ABA House of Delegates.

NNABA extends a very special and heartfelt round of applause for incoming ABA President-Elect Paulette Brown from the State of New Jersey. Paulette makes history as she becomes the first woman of color to ever lead the ABA when her term begins in August 2015. Paulette becomes only the third African-American, following Justice Dennis Archer and Robert Grey, to lead the ABA. Congrats, Paulette!

In her speech to the ABA House of Delegates the ABA’s new president-elect, Paulette urged adherence to the ABA's four goals and its motto.

Brown, a partner at Edwards Wildman Palmer in Morristown, N.J., listed the ABA's goals:

• Serve our members.

• Improve our profession.

• Eliminate bias and enhance diversity.

• Advance the rule of law.

NNABA BOARD MEMBER ROBERT SAUNOOKE ACCEPTS NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATIONS AWARD

On August 8, 2014, Robert Saunooke, NNABA Board Member and NNABA ABA Delegate, accepted the 2014 Outstanding Member Program Award on behalf of the Broward County Women Lawyers’ Association for their project Maze of Injustice–Issues and Concerns Involving Native American Women and Children in the Courts. For the most part, the good works of individual attorneys and bar associations go unnoticed by all but the beneficiaries. Once each year, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA) honors great projects of member organizations as a way of thanking the associations involved for their work and as a way of showcasing ideas which might be suitable for adoption by other groups.

THOMASINA REAL BIRD HONORED WITH ROSNER AND ROSNER YOUNG LAWYERS PROFESSIONALISM AWARD FROM THE ABA

Thomasina Real Bird speaking at the Young Lawyers Division Meeting at the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston.

Thomasina N. Real Bird, a Senior Associate at the Louisville, Colorado office of Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP, received the 2014 Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyers Professionalism Award during the ABA Annual Meeting. The award recognizes and encourages young lawyers who are dedicated to lawyer professionalism. Ms. Real Bird was presented this honor during the National Conference of Bar Presidents, National Association of Bar Executives and National Conference of Bar Foundations Annual Awards Luncheon held during the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. She is a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe (Ihanktonwan Nakota), and a descendent of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota).

REPORT TO U.N. COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION RE: AMERICAN INDIGENOUS PRISONERS' RELIGIOUS RIGHTS

NNABA co-sponsored a report sent to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding American Indigenous Prisoners’ Religious Rights.

To read the report, click here

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.

PODCAST ON INDIAN LAW

NNABA Secretary Tom Weathers spoke on Indian law on the Legal Seagull Podcast. To listen to the podcast, click here and go to News Articles.

NEW PROJECT ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS 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. 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:

• 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].

JOIN NNABA NOW!

Our Attorney Membership Form and Student Membership Form can be completed online, and are available to download as PDF files for those who prefer to mail in their forms. 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

NNABA IS A NATIONAL PARTNER FOR NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY ON SEPTEMBER 23

National Voter Registration Day is a celebration of the right to vote and of the importance of being registered. It is a non-partisan, collaborative effort to make information about registering to vote inescapable for one day. NVRD will create opportunities to reach thousands who could not be reached otherwise and educate more Americans than ever before, bringing new voters into the fold. This year we’re celebrating NVRD on September 23rd.

NNABA will be joining other organizations, businesses, elected officials, and celebrities across the nation who will be promoting voter registration and helping educate the millions of Americans who aren't familiar with voter registration procedures or deadlines.

Visit www.NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org to find ways to get involved, to register to vote, and help #CelebrateNVRD

INTERNATIONAL LAW CONFERENCE

The ABA Section of International Law invites you to attend our 2014 Fall Meeting in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 21-25, 2014. The 2014 Fall Meeting will bring together over 1,000 leading attorneys, corporate counsel, government officials, academics and NGO lawyers for a conference unlike any other. World-class speakers and international legal experts will lead over 70 continuing legal education sessions on international legal and ethics issues including sessions on Business / Regulation / Compliance; Dispute Resolution / Litigation; Environmental / Energy; Human Rights; Legal Practice / Ethics; M&A / Finance / Tax; and Public International Law / Rule of Law.

2014 Fall Meeting attendees will have limitless opportunities to network with colleagues, decision makers, and potential clients from around the world and will also have ample time to experience the sights and sounds of Buenos Aires at planned social events, receptions and outings. All registrants will take home a free bottle of Malbec wine and leather iPad holder and will have the opportunity to sign up for a several activities around Buenos Aires including free tango lessons and a home hospitality night. There will also be planned entertainment for registered guests, spouses and significant others.

NNABA is a Cooperating Entity on this event and members can register for the conference at the discounted ABA Section of International Law Member Rates by using the hardcopy registration form.

Register before September 8th to save on your registration with Early Bird Rates. Registration rates are further discounted for young lawyers (35 years and under), full time government and NGO employees, academics, law students, corporate counsel, solo / small practice and retired attorneys.

Please visit http://ambar.org/ILFall2014 for more information on programming, hotel accommodations and the latest updates on the 2014 Fall Meeting.

ABA INTERNATIONAL LAW SECTION 2014 NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL FORM

The ABA Section of International Law invites you to attend the "2014 North America Regional Forum: Doing Business within the Region and Collaborating Abroad" Conference on November 17-18, 2014 at the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel in Vancouver, BC, Canada. NNABA is a Cooperating Entity on this event and members can take advantage of discounted ABA Section of International Law Member Rates by registering online and selecting the "Cooperating Entity" Rate.

This one and a half day conference will feature two parallel tracks on best practices for international companies doing business in North America and for North American companies working internationally. It will begin with a joint plenary on Cross Border Ethics in the Digital Age and will be followed by a series of panels presented by international legal experts on the latest in key topics such as privacy issues, enforcement of judgments, antitrust and compliance. This program will also offer a unique forum for international lawyers to explore and expand their networks as well as meet colleagues from all over the world during networking breakfasts, networking breaks, luncheons and reception, which are included with the registration fee.

Click here to view the full conference brochure including programming and social events. Register before October 17th to save on your registration with Early Bird Rates! Registration rates are further discounted for young lawyers (35 years and under), full time government and NGO employees, academics, law students, and corporate counsel.

Please visit http://ambar.org/vancouver2014 to register and for more information on programming, hotel accommodations and the latest updates on the conference.