The free seminar/webinar “Serving The Legal Needs of Urban Native Americans” will be held Thursday, 31 March 2011 in Seattle, with the program available free worldwide via live webcast. The program is hosted by the law firm of Foster Pepper PLLC, in partnership with the Northwest Justice Project and the American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities’ Committee on Native American Concerns.  The seminar has been approved by the Washington Sate Bar Association for 3.0 Ethics and 2.0 General CLE credits, 5.0 credits total.

Tens of thousands of Native Americans live in and around America’s major cities, often far removed from their ancestral Tribes and families. Often battling poverty and discrimination, many urban Native Americans see their legal and civil rights undermined by a lack of resources and effective advocacy. This program will demonstrate how specialized non-profit legal clinics in the Northwest are providing much-needed guidance and resources to urban Native Americans, and how this success can be replicated in cities throughout the US.

Who Should Attend: Attorneys and advocates of all kinds working for Native American rights; Tribal leaders and members; law students interested in serving Native communities, and any one interested in helping protect the legal rights of Native people living in Urban centers. The program will provide free CLE credit for attorneys, including ethics credits.

PROGRAM AGENDA

9:00 Registration/Breakfast

9:30 Seminar Welcome and Introductions
• W. Gregory Guedel, Foster Pepper PLLC Native American Legal Services Chair
Chairman, American Bar Association Committee on Native American Concerns

9:40 Recognizing The Need – Legal Issues for Urban Native Americans
• Millie Kennedy (Tsimshian), Native American Advocacy Coordinator, NW Justice Project
• Jenine Grey (Tlingit), Chief Seattle Club

10:45 Break

11:00 Addressing the Need -- Chief Seattle Club, NW Indian Bar Association and NW Justice Project
• Bree Ramirez (Native Hawaiian), President, NW Indian Bar Association
• John Perkins (Tlingit; Thunderbird/Eagle), Chief Seattle Club Urban Indian Legal Clinic
• Brooke Pinkham (Nez Perce), CLEAR Native American Advocate, NW Justice Project

12:00 Lunch & Networking

12:30 Under Fire: Relations Between Urban Native Americans, Police, and City Government
• Chris Stearns (Navajo), Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker; Seattle Human Rights Commission

1:30 Bridging The Gap — The Attorney’s Role of Engaging and Serving Urban American Indian clients
• Christina Parker (Chippewa Cree), Tulalip Tribal Attorney

2:30 A New Beginning – The Tahoma Indian Center
• Joan Staples-Baum (White Earth Chippewa), Director, Tahoma Indian Center
• Chrishendra Tucker, Field Attorney, NW Justice Project Tacoma Office

FOR MORE INFORMATON AND TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON OR VIA THE WEBCAST, CLICK  HERE.
 

Eric Eberhard, Distinguished Indian Law Practitioner in Residence at the Seattle University Center for Indian Law and Policy, has published an 862-page treatise on the principles and issues involved in Tribal trust lands. The treatise was produced in conjunction with the University’s law conference entitled “Perspectives on Tribal Land Acquisitions in 2010: A Call to Action”, and provides in-depth discussions of the legal background and current developments of Tribes’ quest to preserve and protect their traditional lands.

The treatise can be downloaded HERE, and CD copies can be obtained by contacting the Seattle University Center for Indian Law and Policy.

Professor Eberhard also serves as Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Native American Concerns Committee, and is leading the organizational effort to create a new academic law journal focused exclusively on legal issues affecting Native Americans.

The American Bar Association has appointed Greg Guedel, Chair of Foster Pepper’s Native American Legal Services Group, as Chair of the ABA’s national Native American Concerns Committee. The Committee works to harness the vast resources of the ABA to guide the development of federal law in support of Tribal sovereignty and self-governance, and furthers the federal trust responsibility and government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the United States. Committee members educate elected officials, the federal judiciary, and legal professionals on pressing issues of law and policy that affect Native Americans throughout the country.

“The coming decade will present both significant challenges and unprecedented opportunity for Native American communities,” Greg said. “The Native American Concerns Committee will work closely with Tribes and their partners to enhance social justice, health, economic development, and cultural preservation for all Native Americans.”

For 2010-11, Greg has set an ambitious agenda for the Committee, including:

• Creating a new electronic communications infrastructure to connect the Committee with every federally-recognized Tribe in the United States.

• Conducting global education webinars on current legal developments, featuring internationally-recognized experts on Indigenous rights issues.

• Partnering with national Native advocacy organizations to promote legal and legislative initiatives furthering Tribal political, social, and economic priorities.

• Working with law schools to develop the next generation of Native legal advocates, and connecting students with Tribes and supporting organizations to staff current legal programs.

The website for the ABA’s Native American Concerns Committee can be accessed HERE.
For more information on Foster Pepper’s Native American Legal Services Group, click HERE.

Contact Greg Guedel (206.447.8931 or guedw@foster.com) for more information.