October 30, 2024

Law experts, students gather to celebrate ASU Indian Legal Program

Although she's achieved much in Washington, D.C., Mikaela Bledsoe Downes’ education is bringing her closer to her intended destination — returning home to the Winnebago tribe in Nebraska with her degree, and a wealth of knowledge and a strong professional network along with it.

“When my mom was in Nebraska, the thought was, if you want to do well, you get out of Nebraska,” said Downes, who is from the Midwestern state and spent a decade in D.C. before pursuing her legal education. “Now it's get out, do well, come back and bring that back to help your people. I wanted to contribute to that, and a legal education can help you do that in all facets.”

Downes herself is Winnebago and Chickasaw and a second-year law student in Arizona State University’s Indian Legal Program (ILP). This month, she returned to the nation’s capital for ASU’s Federal Advocacy for the Tribal Client course. Famous among ILP students, the weeklong course happens during fall break, and students travel to Washington to see policy and lawmakers in action.

The course brings law students into the nation’s capital — some for the first time. And while traveling to Washington isn’t required for graduation, it is something that the law school considers essential to the education it provides.

One goal for the J.D. student body is to get 25% of students to have an experience outside Phoenix at least once during their education through opportunities such as legal externships at law firms, NGOs, or the public sector.

“This building and what we're able to do because of this building has absolutely transformed our ASU Law brand, and now we have a very clear presence here on the East Coast,” said Stacy Leeds, dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, during an ASU Law reception celebrating the ILP program.

The reception, which took place in the Barrett & O'Connor Center, brought together students, alumni, faculty and even Ambassador Barrett herself to recognize the ILP program’s participants.

One ILP student at the reception, Colten Fredericks-Frazier, felt that the course was a natural continuation of his summer working at the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Office of Indian Gaming.

“What I think I've been able to do this week is just tell people: If you want to come out to D.C., definitely do it — now’s the time to do it if you want to do it,” Fredericks-Frazier said. “The experiences and the connections that I made out here and the value of those can't be understated.”

A citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Fredericks-Frazier knew from his experience over the summer that the ASU ILP education paired with working in Washington made a difference in his career path.

“I think that D.C. is such a unique microcosm of all these different interests and all these different groups who want to do better for Indian Country,” said Fredericks-Frazier. “I think that for law students especially, it's important to see — at least for a little bit — how that works and see all the different movers and shakers.”

The prevailing sentiment among students was that the community that ASU provides, specifically for Indigenous students in the ILP, sets it apart from other law schools.

“ASU put so much effort into fostering community and belonging for Indigenous students, and the fact that we have so many faculty who have similar experiences as me, who come from a similar background as me, and who are subject matter experts in things that affect my people and that matter to my people, that's really extraordinary for me,” Fredericks-Frazier said. “It really is a reminder that ASU cares about Indigenous students.”

This type of community and network-building is particularly important in the legal field, where connections run deep.

Crispin South, president of the Native American Law Students Association at ASU and an ILP student, completed a congressional relations internship with his tribe — the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma — in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. He voiced similar concerns over a need for tribal representation in the legal profession.

“I just saw all of the different little interesting facets of Indian law and how deep the need was, and still is, for Native attorneys and attorneys who really understand Indian Country to be able to represent tribal nations,” South said. “Other law schools are starting to catch on that Indian law is something that needs to be paid attention to, but ASU has built it into an institution in a way that no other law school really has.”

ASU Law is home to one of the highest concentrations of Native American students and Indian law students in the country and provides students with an instant network to support them academically, professionally and socially.

“I definitely would not have done as well in law school as I have without ASU’s Indian Legal Program,” South said. “The faculty and staff support that we have here is just beyond anything that I could have imagined — it’s a fantastic community for Native students, in addition to being a premier legal education.”

ILP student Justice Oglesby felt similarly: “It's just something you don't really realize until you talk to other Native students at other law schools and you're like, hey, this is really special.”

Published on ASU News.