CILS is Pleased to Announce the Recent Hire of Debra Avenmarg

Debra Avenmarg joins CILS as a Staff Attorney in the Eureka office. Debra will assist the tribes, Indian organizations, and native populations in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, and Trinity.

Debra received her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2010 and received a B.S. in Business and B.A. in Economics from Humboldt State University in 2005. Debra joins CILS with years of Child Welfare experience from many different roles and perspectives. In 2005, she volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for three foster youth, which inspired her to go to law school and practice Child Welfare Law. Debra has experience supervising visitation and transporting youth while working for a Foster Family Agency (FFA). She has also been a foster parent. She has advocated in the County role, and she has also represented parents, guardians, children, and Non-minor dependents in Child Welfare proceedings. Debra has worked in Lassen County, Marin County, and Humboldt County. Debra is excited to now have the opportunity to represent tribes.

“I am excited to join the CILS community. I look forward to utilizing my past experiences and perspectives to represent tribes and to further the purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act, Debra said. “I was drawn to CILS due to having passion for Child Welfare Law and also due to having an interest in furthering the rights of tribes. I am particularly excited about experiencing and practicing within tribal legal systems. I am looking forward to the opportunity to assist tribes in developing and implementing legal systems specially tailored towards the tribe’s unique values and needs.”