This past weekend, Columbia Law School participated, along with 53 other teams from 24 schools, in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court competition hosted by Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.

Natasha Bronn ’13 and Jenny Patten ’13 won Second Place overall in the competition.  In addition, Andrew Sangster ’15 and Jacob Wolf ’15 advanced to the round of 16 and won Second Place for Best Brief. William Monks’15 and Shannon Cleary ‘15 also advanced to the round of 16.

Also competing on Columbia’s team were Sourabh Mishra, Ryan Gander, Jacob Sklar, Olena Savytska, Kevin Casey, Hubert Ahn, Shreya Fadia, and Daniel Sockwell (all ’15). The team was coached by Allison Neswood ’13, Meagan Burrows ’14, JoAnn Kintz ’14, Ian MacDougall ’14 and Caroline Stover ’14.

The teams wish to give a special thanks to Professor Carla Fredericks, Professor Philip Genty, Professor Steve McSloy, Professor Trevor Morrison, and Judge Debra Livingston as well as all the other professors and school administrators who helped make this achievement possible.

Columbia NALSA and the Columbia NALSA Moot Court Team are supported by a generous contribution from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
The Moot Court Program at Columbia Law School is made possible by a generous contribution from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

• First Prize – $1000.00 – Sponsored by Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP & Publication in the Columbia Journal of Race and Law
• Second Prize – $500.00 – Sponsored by SNR Denton US LLP
• Third Prize – $250.00 – Sponsored by Shanker & Kewenvoyouma, PLLC
• The Federal Bar Association has donated registrations for each awardee to the 38th Annual Indian Law Conference. (Awardees are responsible for their own travel and lodging costs.)

All awardees will be recognized at the National NALSA yearly conference.

Submission Deadline: 5:00 pm EST, Friday January 18, 2013.
All submissions must be electronically submitted to NNALSAWritingCompetition@gmail.com.

Visit the NNALSA Web Site at http://nationalnalsa.org/events/writingcomp/ for official rules and submission form.

NALSA teamed up with DNA People’s Legal Services to put students to work in the Navajo Nation (Arizona).  Students provided legal information and basic legal services at senior centers, including the drafting of wills, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives.

Many thanks to the following students for their service and commitment to furthering NALSA’s mission:

Allison Neswood
Natasha Bronn
Jason Hipp
Melissa Saldana
Jeff Crough
JoAnn Kintz
Nancy Cruz
Terra Hittson
Andrea Johnson
Caitlin Smith
Gabriella Barbosa

President: JoAnn Kintz
Vice President: Terra Hittson
Treasurer: Bill Nahill
Secretary: Ian MacDougall
Recruitment Director: Precious Benally
Alumni Relations Director: Michelle Luo
Fundraising Director: Natasha Bronn
Social Events Directors: Shefali Singh & Caroline Stover
Communications Director: Carly Hudson
Legal Outreach Director: Meagan Burrows
Academic Chair: Katie Benedict

Good luck to all — we know you have some fantastic ideas for next year. Many thanks to the outgoing Board, especially President Jenny Patten ’13 for her outstanding leadership and dedication.

At the end of February, Columbia Law School participated, along with 56 teams from 26 schools, in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court competition hosted by the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Shefali Singh and Caroline Stover ’14 won Third Place overall in the competition. In addition, JoAnn Kintz ’14 and Ian MacDougall ’14 advanced to the round of 8, and Kathryn Benedict ’14 and Michelle Luo ’14 advanced to the round of 16.

Also competing on Columbia’s team were Meagan Burrows, Benjamin Gossels, Carly Hudson, Bill Nahill, Arlene Ortiz-Leytte and Natasha Reyes (all ’14). The team was coached by Frank Holleman ’12, Amy Conners ’13, Jason Hipp ’13, Allison Neswood ’13 and Jenny Patten ’13.

The teams wish to give a special thanks to Professor Carla Fredericks, Professor Philip Genty, Professor Steve McSloy and Professor J. Kehaulani Kauanui as well as all the other professors and school administrators who helped make this achievement possible.

Columbia NALSA and the Columbia NALSA Moot Court Team is supported by generous contributions from Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP (Silver Sponsor); Alexander, Berkey, Williams & Weathers, LLP; Douglas B.L. Endreson; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom; Schoenburg & Bienvenu LLP; Steptoe & Johnson LLP (Silver Sponsors) and Crowe & Dunlevy (Associate Sponsor).

The Moot Court Program at Columbia Law School is made possible by a generous contribution from Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP.

Silver
Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP

Bronze
Alexander, Berkey, Williams & Weathers, LLP
Douglas B.L. Endreson
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Schoenburg & Bienvenu LLP
Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Associate
Crowe & Dunlevy

The 2011-12 NALSA Moot Court Team will be representing Columbia Law School later this month in the national competition.

Sponsorship opportunities remain.  For more information, contact Columbia NALSA Fundraising Director Jason Hipp at jph2156@columbia.edu

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NALSA is teaming up with DNA People’s Legal Services by sponsoring students to work with the organization in the Navajo Nation (Arizona).  Volunteers will provide legal information and basic legal services at senior centers, including the drafting of wills, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives. In addition, volunteers will assist litigators with research and writing.

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Columbia Law School has also designed an exciting project in conjunction with the Mediation Clinic to conduct peacemaking circles on the Chickasaw Nation reservation in Oklahoma. Peacemaking is a traditional Native American method of dispute resolution where the emphasis is on healing relationships in the community.  Peacemaking plays a critical role in the tribal criminal justice system, tribal social justice, and tribal civil disputes.  Most importantly, peacemaking is crucial to tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Students participating in this project will receive training in both peacemaking and mediation techniques.  Students will then apply their training in peacemaking during a week long stay on the Chickasaw Nation reservation over Spring Break.  They will work with Chickasaw Supreme Court Justice Barbara Smith to practice circle keeping in real cases.  Students will also participate in training tribal members in real-world conflict resolution techniques.

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And, finally, the Midwest Society will be sponsoring a caravan to Wisconsin Judicare, Inc., in Wausau, WI.  Involved students will travel and work with Judicare staff attorneys to conduct a series of Will Clinics for American Indians residing throughout Wisconsin. To prepare for the Clinics, students will receive training on Indian Law, Basic Estate Planning, the American Indian Probate Reform Act, and the procedures and processes for the Clinics. During the Clinics, students will travel with one or more staff attorneys to different reservations or tribal communities in Wisconsin to conduct a day long Will Clinic. Students interested in criminal law will also have an opportunity to spend one day assisting with a criminal law clinic for the Menominee Tribal Court.

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We are looking forward to hearing back from the students who participate about their experiences.  If you are a 2L or a 3L who would like to join them, there is still time to apply!  Find out more information here.