CILS Promotes and Adds New Attorneys and Staff

Several personnel changes have occurred in our Sacramento and Eureka offices. Jedd Parr, Eureka Staff Attorney, has been promoted to Sacramento Directing Attorney. CILS welcomes James Flower, new Eureka Staff Attorney. James has been practicing law for more than 30 years. CILS welcomes Blake Atkerson, new Sacramento Staff Attorney. Blake is a former law clerk in the Sacramento Office. Blake is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Kimberly White is our new Legal Assistant in the Sacramento Office. Kim has extensive legal secretarial experience and joined the staff at the end of April.

In the Bishop office, Jasmine Andreas, Bishop Staff Attorney, has been promoted to Bishop Directing Attorney.

CILS Welcomes California Bar Foundation Fellow, Laura Neacato, to Bishop Office

Growing up in Southern California, Laura Neacato received her B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles. Throughout her undergraduate career, she focused on providing education and resources to underserved communities in both Africa and the United States.

LNeacato PhotoAs a recent law school graduate of the University of San Francisco, Laura’s work focused on International Human Rights and Bankruptcy law. As an American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence Recipient, and a United States Bankruptcy Court judicial extern for the Honorable Elaine M. Hammond, Laura found Bankruptcy as another means to provide access and justice to underserved communities.

Through USF’s International Human Rights Clinic, Laura has advocated on two separate occasions at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland as a Frank C. Newman intern and as a Human Rights Advocate representative. She has participated in the U.N. forums for the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Working Group on Business and Human Rights. Through her participation, she spoke for the need for a legally binding instrument on corporations and business enterprises in the extractive industries. Her human rights work focused on Indigenous Peoples from all over the world and the paramount need to protect these vulnerable groups from human rights violations from business, transnational and national corporations.

CILS Welcomes Intern Anna Hohag

CILS AAEAAQAAAAAAAAUgAAAAJGNhYWRhODM4LTc5OWQtNDA4Yy04YjIxLTYzNzk2YWZiNjA5Mwis pleased to host this summer Anna Hohag a law clerk from Seattle University School of Law’s Center for Indian Law & Policy to perform will drafting services for a local tribe. Originally from Bishop, Anna is a second year student at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, where she is president of the Native American Law Students Association. Welcome Anna!

2015 Indian Child Welfare Act Summit

June 11, 2015 8:00am-5:00pm

THE EVENT at Graton Resort & Casino

288 Golf Course Drive West

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Learn about the following Indian Child Welfare Act topics:

Federal Initiatives and Regulations – Working Towards Justice

President Obama’s Generation Indigenous Initiative – Engaging Tribal Youth

Bureau of Children’s Justice – California Department of Justice

Tribal Consultation – Developing a Formal Consultation Policy

SB 1460 ~ Tribes to Conduct Criminal Background Checks ~ Securing Homes for Tribal Youth

California Compliance and Federal Initiatives ~ Building Solutions for the Future and much more.

See Agenda

See Registration Link

Public Safety in Indian Country– PL 280 and Working Solutions between Tribes and Local/State Partners

June 24, 2015

River Lodge, Fortuna, CA

California Indian Legal Services would like to announce a conference on June 24, 2015 focusing on Public Law 280 and on cooperative interactions between tribal, federal, state, and local law enforcement and courts. The conference will be held at the River Lodge in Fortuna from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The conference is intended primarily for government officials and employees in the Northern California region, although it will include coverage of some issues common throughout the state. Our hope is to provide both legal education on Public Law 280 as well as a forum for productive discussions between tribal, federal, state, and local elected officials, judges, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel.

There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided.

If you are interested in attending, please keep June 24th open on your calendar, and email Laura Svoboda at lsvoboda@calindian.org for registration information. Early registration will be greatly appreciated, as we need an accurate head count for lunch. If you have any questions about the conference, please email Jedd Parr at jparr@calindian.org, or call (707) 443-8397.

PL280conferenceflyer.pdf