The University of Idaho College of Law has an on-going commitment to educating law students in the area of Native American Law and encouraging Native Americans to enter the legal profession.  The College of Law has a long history with many distinguished faculty teaching in this area, including: Emeritus Professor Dennis Colson; former Associate Professor Doug Nash (Nez Perce Tribe), now with the Seattle University School of Law Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate; current Dean Donald L. Burnett, Jr.; the Honorable Steve Aycock, former Chief Judge of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; and newly hired Associate Professor and James E. Rogers Fellow in American Indian Law, Angelique EagleWoman (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate).  During the 2008-2009 academic year, the Native American Law program will develop a set of courses in the field of Native American Law to provide law students with necessary skills to practice in the Northwest region, prepare adequately for bar examinations that test on the subject area, and encourage pro bono and other participation in legal matters related to Tribal Nations.

UI Law Students form Native American Law Students Association

The Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) was formed this year and focuses on Native American legal issues.  NALSA events include holding chili feed fundraisers, assisting the law school in hosting tribal judges and attorneys to speak to the law school community on Native American legal issues, and sponsoring an angel tree to collect holiday gifts for Nez Perce children in foster care.  In addition, NALSA participates in the National NALSA Moot Court Competition and Indian Law Conference. 

NALSA serves to provide support for Native American law students and those studying in the field of Native American Law, to participate in outreach to area tribes, and to provide education and awareness of the legal needs of the Native American community.  For more information on the Native Law Program or the Native American Law Students Association, contact Professor Angelique EagleWoman.

 Biography

As Professor Angelique EagleWoman has joined the law faculty, she envisions graduating several law students per year with an expertise in this area of the law.  With the large unmet need in legal services in Indian country, lawyers educated in the field of Native American Law are invaluable and necessary.  In terms of Native Americans entering the field of law, current statistics indicate there are approximately 3,000 tribally-enrolled practitioners nationally.  This small number serves to underscore the unmet need for the five hundred plus Tribal Nations requiring legal services that range from administrative law, business law, natural resources law, family law, criminal law, and every other type of law related to tribal governance.  With the Native American Law program at the University of Idaho College of Law, law graduates are capable of positively impacting the unmet legal needs in Tribal communities and increasing the numbers of Native Americans successfully completing law school and pursuing careers in law.