Since 2022, I have been a member of the Oregon State Bar Indian Law Section Executive Committee. In 2025, I served as Chair and I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this last year. (Views are my own.)
It was actually my second time as Chair! In 2022, I served as a Co-Chair but that year we were in survival mode. “Post-covid” where we had not really recovered and things had not felt normal for a while. That year, we shared the role and kept the Section going because we knew it was important. While we all navigated burnout and recovery! At this point, I have been on the CLE Committee, and then I have been Chair, Past Chair, Member at Large and Chair. And I’ll stay on in 2026 as Past Chair.
Serving as Chair in 2025
This year came with its challenges! We had our first meeting on January 28, 2025, the day after the Trump Administration announced the federal funding freeze from OMB. This caused a lot of chaos and confusion for everyone across the country. And particularly for those of us that work in Indian Country and with Tribes and other Tribal organizations that are heavily reliant on government fund. We also have colleagues on the Executive Committee and at BIA and elsewhere that would be terminated from their positions as the year went on. That day started out heavy, but it was helpful to be in community.
We pushed through and made it to December. We had just held our big in-person Community Continuing Education class in November 2024, just days before the election. And we historically held big in-person events every other year. This year was a quieter year for the Section. We showed up at the Bar Swearing-In ceremony for the Oregon Bar in May to connect with our new colleagues. We hosted a Continuing Education class with the Oregon New Lawyers Division in August to introduce the topic and practice of Indian law. We hosted a networking event with the Northwest Indian Bar Association at Davis Wright Tremaine in September. And we kept the Section going to ensure there would be a place for discussion these important issues.
I have had some really terrific colleagues over these last few years on the Section. For 2025, I must say thank you to Martha, Lydia, Jeremy, Nic, Craig, Katie, Mary, Tanner. And to Suraya from the Bar for all her guidance.
THANK YOU all so much for your service this year! It’s been a challenging year for many of us personally and professionally and for our clients/communities, and it’s been nice to have a way to check in monthly (even if we didn’t have quorum or an official meeting). I have really appreciated everyone’s involvement and dedication. I know some folks will not be continuing on the EC next year and you will definitely be missed! If you are staying local, please be sure to come to our events! And if your capacity changes, we will always welcome you back. 🙂 For everyone continuing, we really appreciate you!
About the Indian Law Section:
The goal of the Indian Law Section (ILS) of the Oregon State Bar is to encourage a greater understanding of tribal sovereignty and tribal court systems, and to improve the practice of federal Indian law in Oregon. These disciplines sound in multiple practice areas, including sovereign immunity, child welfare, gaming, lending and finance, economic development, water law, real estate and fee-to-trust, environmental and energy law, natural resources protection and development, contracts, cultural resources protection, state-tribe compacts, estate planning and probate, tribal governance, health care, and tribal jurisdiction.
Organized in 1995, the ILS represents a wide spectrum of attorneys: such as those in private practice, in-house attorneys for tribes, attorneys for non-profit organizations advocating for tribal rights, and attorneys who serve as tribal court judges. We provide a voice for members on issues of state and national concern affecting Indian country. https://indianlaw.osbar.org/about-ils/
The Indian Law Section provides a voice for members on issues of state and national concern affecting Indian country. One recent issue tackled by the Section resulted in a broad-based legislative amendment to Oregon state law regarding full faith and credit for tribal court orders, judgments, and decrees. Beginning in 2018, section members wrote extensive analysis requested by Chief Justice Martha Walters and provided testimony to the Oregon State Bar. During the multi-year effort, section members also provided testimony on those amendments before the Oregon Legislative Assembly and sought feedback on language from as many interested stakeholders as possible. A truly collaborative and bi-partisan effort, the proposed amendment passed unanimously, and was signed into law by Governor Kate Brown in June 2020. https://indianlaw.osbar.org/
We would love for you to join!