As Professor Angelique EagleWoman has joined the law faculty, she envisions graduating several law students per year with an expertise in this area of the law. With the large unmet need in legal services in Indian country, lawyers educated in the field of Native American Law are invaluable and necessary. In terms of Native Americans entering the field of law, current statistics indicate there are approximately 3,000 tribally-enrolled practitioners nationally. This small number serves to underscore the unmet need for the five hundred plus Tribal Nations requiring legal services that range from administrative law, business law, natural resources law, family law, criminal law, and every other type of law related to tribal governance. With the Native American Law program at the University of Idaho College of Law, law graduates are capable of positively impacting the unmet legal needs in Tribal communities and increasing the numbers of Native Americans successfully completing law school and pursuing careers in law.
Native Law
The College of Law has an ongoing commitment to educating law students in the area of Native American Law and encouraging Native Americans to enter the legal profession.Courses in the field of Native American Law provide you with necessary skills to practice in the Northwest region, prepare adequately for bar examinations that test on the subject area, and encourage pro bono and other participation in legal matters related to Tribal Nations.
The College of Law has a long history of distinguished faculty teaching in this area, including Emeritus Professor Dennis Colson; former Associate Professor Doug Nash (Nez Perce Tribe), now with the Seattle University School of Law Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate; current Dean Donald L. Burnett, Jr.; the Honorable Steve Aycock, former Chief Judge of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; James E. Rogers, Fellow in American Indian Law; and Associate Professor, Angelique EagleWoman (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate).