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2003 E-Newsletter Archives

2004 E-Newsletter Archives

News Articles

To view the recent article, NIBA Positively Changes the Legal Landscape for Pacific Northwest Indian People, co-authored by NIBA President Lael Echo-hawk (Pawnee) for Trial News, visit.

NW Tribal Attorneys gift another $6,500 to Indian law students; nearly $40,000 since 2003.  Details.

Featured on Indianz.com - Oklahoma could be next to add Indian law to bar exam
We, with the Northwest Indian Bar Association and WSBA Indian Law Section, should be proud to have inspired Oklahoma and other states to evaluate whether to include federal Indian law on their bar exams.  See www.indianz.com/News/2004/005928.asp.  We are in the process of organizing a celebration in Seattle, in March or April 2005, to commemorate Washington's historical bar policy.

WSBA General Membership Overwhelmingly Approves Resolution to Add Federal Indian Jurisdiction to Bar Exam! Featured in Indian Country Today
This week's Indian Country Today "News from the Pacific Northwest" column features not one but two stories about the efforts of the Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA) and WSBA Indian Law Section to positively affect change for Northwest tribal people. 

Featured in the Seattle P-I
Congratulations to past Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA) Governing Councilperson Scott Sufficool (Quinault), State Legislative & Tribal Liaison for the City of Seattle, and NIBA and WSBA Indian Law Section member Marty Loesch, counsel for the Swinomish Tribe, who are each recognized in the Seattle P-I article for their skilled negotiation and advocacy of this "government-to-government" accord.

Northwest Indian Legal Scholarship Program Bestowed with Prestigious ABA Project Award.  Details.

Featured in Indian Country Today
An article in Indian Country Today is a post-script to the University of Idaho's Indian Law Symposium, "Indian law practitioners stress importance of land into trust."  Details.

Featured in the Seattle P-I
The Seattle P-I publishes an article about the increase in Native American leadership roles within the Washington State Bar Association, "Top lawyers' group diversifies leadership."  Details.

Submitted by: Gabe Galanda

This piece from The Christian Science Monitor succinctly describes the goal of the Washington State Indian legal community to have Indian law tested on the state bar exam, as it is in New Mexico, and verifies what our local Indian lawyers have been telling the Washington State Bar Association throughout the past couple years.  The issue was first brought to attention of the Pacific Northwest Indian Bar by Bernice Delorme (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), counsel for the Puyallup Tribe, who witnessed New Mexico become the first state to test Indian law.  Hopefully the piece will aid us and our Indian law colleagues from around the country, particularly those within the National Native American Bar Association and American Bar Association, champion the issue.  Please also see the recent treatment of the issue in Indian Country Today.

Featured in Indian Country Today 
Indian Country Today features two articles reiterating the importance of why Indian law should be included on state bar exams: Galanda: Indian Law is Vital to the United States and Lawyers want Indian law added to bar.

The Washington State Bar Association Indian Law Section, in union with the Northwest Indian Bar Association (www.nwiba.org), encourages our friends with the Oregon State Bar Indian Law Section and other Indian law groups throughout the country, along with our leaders in the National Native American Bar Association, to formally lobby state bar associations to examine Indian law on the bar exam, as is now done in New Mexico.  The issue is well-framed in the recent Seattle Post-Intelligencer article, "Burgeoning field is left out of state's bar exam."

Gabriel S. Galanda, President
Northwest Indian Bar Association

Featured in the Seattle P-I
The Seattle P-I publishes an article about the growing demand by tribes for legal advice, "As tribes prosper, they need lawyers."  Details.

Featured in the Seattle P-I
The Seattle P-I features the commentary, "Indian law is crucial to this state," written by guest columnist, Gabriel S. Galanda.  Article.

NIBA & Indian Law Highlighted in The Oregonian 
The Oregonian interviews Robert J. Miller, an Indian law scholar, at Lewis & Clark Law School, in "Law of the lands."  Article.

NIBA Featured by the Diversity News
The Diversity News features "Northwest's Largest Minority Bar Association Increases Membership," commenting on the rise of Native American attorneys in the Northwest.  Article.

NIBA Featured by the Puget Sound Business Journal
On September 8, 2003, Puget Sound Business Journal Exclusive Reports titled "Tribal members urged to consider law careers" profiles NIBA's scholarships and outreach programs to introduce Indian students to law school.  Article.

Press Releases

• NW's Largest Minority Bar Association Ushers in New Era of Tribal Law.  Press release.
   
• NW Indian Bar Association Will Meet at Tulalip to Commemorate Tribes' $5,000 Scholarship Contribution and Commitment to Indians in the Legal Profession.  Press release.