I read recently that on March 18th, 2010 there will be a training for lawyers on the subject of Indian Law. It is sponsored by the Spokane County Bar Association, Indian Law Section and Gonzaga University School of Law.  One of the speakers at the training will be my friend Juliana Repp, who I often run into in the Colville Tribal Courts.

Don't miss the Indian Law CLE on 3/18/10 in Spokane

I posted the pdf registration form online here.  The particulars are below. Back when I graduated from law school, a knowledge of Indian law was not required to pass the State bar exam.   This sort of training helps me catch up.  I do see criminal defense lawyers overlook Indian law issues in their cases from time to time.   I remember when I was a young prosecutor in Ferry County, a Native-American gentleman was explaining to a judge in State Court that he was not happy with the lawyer he hired to represent his son on a criminal case.  The lawyer was a very prominent defense attorney in Spokane, and the Judge explained to the father the attorney’s expertise and reputation in criminal law.  The father said that the attorney might know a lot about criminal law, but he did not know a thing about Indian Law.  And there was some truth to that, so the judge didn’t have much of a response.  The judge was Larry Kristianson.  I won’t tell you who the defense lawyer was.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

8:00 a.m.                   Registration and Coffee

8:30 a.m.                   Introduction and Conference Overview

George Critchlow, Acting Dean, Gonzaga University School of Law, Spokane, WA

Juliana C. Repp, Esq., Chair, SCBA ILS, Spokane, WA

Moderator

Jessica Lee-Domebo, Esq., Chair Elect, SCBA ILS, Spokane, WA

8:40 a.m.                   The Indian Child Welfare Act – Tribal and State Perspectives (Identifying an Indian Child; Tribal staffing of ICW cases; domicile; utilizing Indian Child Welfare experts; status of WA State ICWA)

Lorraine Parlange, Kalispel Tribal Attorney, Airway Heights, WA

Ricki Peone Haugen, M.S.W., Indian Child Welfare Expert, Spokane, WA

Buffy Nicholson, Social Worker III, CFS, Colville Tribes, Nespelem, WA

Brandelle Whitworth, General Counsel, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Fort Hall, ID

Jodi Felice, Assistant Attorney General for State of Washington, CFS, Spokane, WA

10:15 a.m.                 Break (hosted by Crowell Law Offices)

10:30 a.m.                 Tribal Court Practice; Inter-Jurisdictional Issues Arising in Tribal Courts (Tribal Court practice overview; abstention, exhaustion, removal; inter-jurisdictional issues)

Juliana C. Repp, Attorney at Law, Spokane, WA

Trudy Flamand, Chief Judge, Colville Tribal Court, Nespelem, WA

Suzanne Ojibway Townsend, Chief Judge, Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community of Oregon Tribal Court, Grande Ronde, OR

Winona Tanner, Chief Judge, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Court, Pablo, MT

11:45 a.m.                 Lunch (on your own)

12:45 p.m.                 Labor and Employment Law Issues for Tribes

(FMLA; ADA; Pension Protection Act; and Tribal Considerations in drafting Employee Policies and Procedures)

Greg Guedel, Foster Pepper, PLLC

Julie Kebler, Foster Pepper, PLLC

Scott Wheat, Crowell Law Offices, Spokane, WA

2:00 p.m.                   Break (hosted by the Kootenai Tribe)

2:15 p.m.                   The Spokane River – Keeping it Clean: Issues Regarding Multi-Jurisdictional Regulatory Oversight

Michael Chappell, Esq., Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, Gonzaga University School of Law, Spokane, WA

Rick Eichstaedt, Esq., Spokane Riverkeeper, Center for Justice, Spokane, WA

Brian Crossley, Water and Fish Program Manager, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Wellpinit, WA

3:30 p.m.                   Ethical Issues Arising in Tribal and State Multi-Jurisdictional Practice of Law

Brian McClatchey, In-house Counsel, Coeur d’ Alene Tribal Casino, Plummer, Idaho

4:30 p.m.                   Adjourn

4:35 p.m.                   Meeting and Elections for the Spokane County Bar Association, Indian Law Section

5:00 p.m.                   Reception hosted by Gonzaga University School of Law