Native American Legal Update : Native American Law : Foster Pepper Law Firm : Northwest, Seattle, Spokane, Portland Lawyer & Attorney

Wednesday, 24 March 2010 is the date for a full-day seminar on developing and operating non-profit organizations in Native communities. Presented in partnership by the Washington State Bar Association’s Indian Law Section, Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations, the Native American Unit of the Northwest Justice Project, and Foster Pepper PLLC, the seminar will cover numerous topics to assist those interested in forming charitable and other non-profit organizations, including: 

• Incorporation and Other State Law Issues
  
• Application for Tax Exempt Status
  
• Compliance Issues for Public Charities
  
• Fostering Non-Profits In Indian Country
  
• Cultural Awareness In Dispute Resolution

Program and registration forms are available HERE, and podcasts of the seminar presentations will be available on this website after the program.
 

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The Indian Law Resource Center has released its annual report highlighting work undertaken to defend the rights of Native American nations and other indigenous peoples in the Americas.  Attorneys and Board Members from the ILRC played a central role in the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and are working to educate and encourage Native communities to use the Declaration to strengthen their rights of self-determination, protect their human rights, and control their own land and natural resources.

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The King County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program has announced the Seattle law firm of Foster Pepper PLLC as the 2009 recipient of the Judge David Soukup Pro Bono Recognition Award.  W. Gregory Guedel, Chair of the firm’s Native American Legal Services Group, and Pro Bono Counsel Joanna Plichta Boisen will receive the award on behalf of the firm on April 25, 2009 in Seattle.

The award, named for the jurist who founded the nation’s first CASA program in Seattle in 1977, is presented annually to an organization demonstrating noteworthy commitment to CASA’s mission of providing free legal service for children up to 11 years old who have allegedly been abused and/or neglected.  The need for CASA advocacy in Native Communities is especially great, as Native American children are disproportionately involved in legal issues involving foster care and custody.  Foster Pepper is being recognized for its work in creating a new legal deskbook for practitioners serving Native American children under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and for its landmark ICWA seminar that provided training to a national group of CASA volunteers serving Native Communities. Video and audio of the seminar can be accessed here or as podcasts through iTunes.

Dependency/CASA Pro-Bono Coordinator Janet Harris stated in announcing the award:

We are still reeling from the fabulous day we spent with you and our guests at the Indian Child Welfare Act seminar. So much work and effort on your part made the event a resounding success and helped the CASA program along the path to establishing our own Native American unit.
 

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