The State Bar Association of North Dakota Spring 2013 Gavel Magazine | Page 10

YOUNG LAWYERS REACH OUT TO THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX RESERVATION
by Kara Johnson, attorney, YLS Section Member
in one of the 50 states and that the lawyer pay an additional fee to practice on the particular reservation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reached out to lawyers licensed in North Dakota, because there are no active bar associations on any of the reservations, and many North Dakota attorneys are licensed to practice on the reservations. The North Dakota Young Lawyers Section (ND YLS) answered the U.S. Attorney’s call to action. The ND YLS worked with Purdon’s office and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Attorneys (who are all members of the ND YLS) to organize two outreach programs on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. For each of these programs, the ND YLS applied for and received subgrants from the ABA Young Lawyers Division. The Subgrant Process For the subgrant programs, the ND YLS planned basic legal service projects that had been successfully implemented in other areas of the state. Within its subgrant applications to the ABA YLD, the ND YLS discussed the cooperative plan among the ND YLS, the North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Attorneys. The ND YLS also included supplemental materials with its application, including the MSN ranking list of the poorest counties, the recent article from Harper’s Magazine, and a study and analysis compiled by the North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding violence on each of the North Dakota reservations. This was the first time since the ND YLS became reactivated that it had applied for subgrants from the ABA YLD. The ND YLS was excited to successfully receive subgrants after its first application! The ND YLS was also thrilled when a member of the Awards and Subgrants Team called to tell ND YLS leaders how impressed he was with their subgrant applications, The Programs First, the ND YLS hosted Law Day at the Standing Rock High School in Fort

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The ND YLS hopes to further develop these programs and looks forward to holding them again next year and possibly expanding to additional reservations in North Dakota.

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Kara Johnson

ND YLS Member

Although North Dakota has the nation’s lowest unemployment rate and is one of the few states that operates at a surplus, it also has one of the poorest counties in the country. Sioux County, located approximately 60 miles south of Bismarck, was listed in a MSN ranking as the seventh poorest county in the nation. The entirety of Sioux County is located within the boundaries of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. In recent years, articles have appeared in the New York Times and Harper’s Magazine about violence in Indian Country, particularly sexual violence. These articles have highlighted the lack of law enforcement and lack of faith in justice for victims through the judicial process. Reservations located within the boundaries of North Dakota have been used as examples. The Call to Action Realizing the significance of these problems, North Dakota U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon reached out to attorneys across the state and asked then to make a positive impact on the four reservations located within North Dakota. To help restore faith in the judicial process, Purdon believed it was important for these communities to see lawyers in positive situations. To accomplish this, he encouraged local bar associations throughout the state to make an effort to perform community outreach on the reservations. To be licensed on a reservation in North Dakota, it is only required that the lawyer be licensed and in good standing

Yates on May 16, 2012. In the morning, facts from a real DUI case were modified and presented to High School seniors in the class, “Problems of Democracy.” A prosecutor and an Indigent Defense attorney from Bismarck presented their cases while several other young lawyers served as the defendant, judge and witnesses. After the case had concluded, the class was read jury instructions and split up into three juries who were asked to decide the outcome of the case. After discussing their verdicts, the lawyers explained the sentencing differences under both the law on the Standing Rock Reservation and the law in North Dakota. The lawyer 2F?V??7vW&VBVW7F???2g&??F?R7GVFV?G2&?WBF?V?"??'2?BF?R?r??B6?W?R?b??'GV??F?W2F???"6?F?rvW&R'&?vVB?7GVFV?G2?6?&V6V?fVBF?R??F?WB?( ?w&GVF??r??F??GV?Bv?&?B?( ?v??6?F?67W76W2&6?2?w2????'F?F??FF?BffV7BV??R?fW"F?RvR?b????F?RgFW&???????6?G&??&6VB??6'F???v2&W6V?FVBF?6WfV?F??BV?v?F?w&FR7GVFV?G2?7GVFV?G2vW&R6?VB'?6??r?b??G2&?WBF?V?"fW&F?7G2?F?R7GVFV?G2F?67W76VBF?V?"F??Vv?G2??F?RG&???BvfRW???F???2v??F?W?&V6?VBF?RfW&F?7G2F?W?F?B?F?R??2?V?&W'2F?V??7vW&VBVW7F???2&?WBF?V?"??'2??r66?????&6?2?Vv?6??6WG2??BF?RG&???F?R6V6??B&??V7B?Bv?FW"66?RF?B&V6?VB?WBF?F?R7F?F??r&?6?6???V??G?2v???R?F?R?B??2?V?B?Vv?f?"??f?'B?FW2???7F?&W"#R?F?&?Vv?F?R?Vv?f?"?F?R?B??2?B?w?W'2?B??f?&?F???f??&?RF?B?????F?RvfV?7&??r#0??