Meet Tamara Honrado: CILS’ New Directing Attorney for the Northern Office

California Indian Legal Services (CILS) is proud to welcome back Tamara Honrado as the new Directing Attorney of our Northern Office. A passionate advocate for Tribal sovereignty and tribal children and families, Tamara brings a wealth of experience in Tribal Social Services program and policy development, Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) implementation, and intergovernmental policy work.

A Strong Educational Foundation in Trial Skills and Federal Indian Law

Tamara earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles in 2015, where she stood out as a Finalist at the Bonelli Trial Competition and a Semi-Finalist at the ABA Labor and Employment Law Trial Advocacy Competition. She also received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Public International Law. After law school, she completed a Working in Contemporary Native Nations Certificate at UCLA’s Native Law and Policy Institute in 2016.

During her time in law school, she externed with Judge Amy Pellman at the ICWA Children’s Court in Monterey, California, where she contributed to updating the ICWA bench guide. Tamara also served as a research assistant to Professor William Wood, contributing to the publication “Indians, Tribes, and (Federal) Jurisdiction” (2016) 65 Univ. Kan. L. Rev. 415.

Deep Experience in Tribal Affairs, Tribal Law and Tribal Social Services

Before returning to CILS, Tamara served as an ICWA and Tribal Social Services Consultant at the California Department of Social Services, Office of Tribal Affairs. There, she helped shape Tribal Consultation policies, updated the Tribal Advisory Committee Charter, and advised on All County Letters and regulatory guidance.

Tamara also previously worked with the Yurok Tribe as Deputy Executive Director of Health and Human Services and as the Tribe’s ICWA and Title IV-E Attorney, focusing on Tribal family services and interagency collaboration.

 Beyond the Briefcase

Tamara is an enrolled member of the Six Nations Mohawk of the Grand River in Canada. She lives in Humboldt County with her husband and two children, where she enjoys road biking, rock climbing, and the vibrant community life among the redwoods.

 Her Vision at CILS

As Directing Attorney of the Northern Office, Tamara will focus on Tribal infrastructure development, with an emphasis on:

• Tribal Social Services programs
• Tribally Approved Homes (TAH) policies and procedures
• ICWA and Title IV-E Representation
• Title IV-E program development
• County-Tribal protocol development
• And more…!

We are thrilled to have Tamara’s expertise, leadership, and commitment back at CILS. Her return marks a powerful step forward in our shared mission to support Tribes and tribal children and families through compassionate, culturally grounded legal services.

Welcome back, Tamara!