The Center is committed to developing new talent in the fields of Indian law and international human rights law, and offers several internship opportunities to encourage those interests.  We award two legal fellowships each year, as well as provide other opportunities for clerkships or non-legal internships.  This past year, seven women participated in our internship program and made important contributions to our work to secure justice for indigenous peoples!  

Erin Farris and Maureen Keffer take a break on Mount Helena.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Erin Farris was chosen to receive the 2009 Sidley Fellowship.  Erin, a member of the Brotherton Indian Nation of Wisconsin, is a third year law student focusing on environmental and federal Indian law at the University of Oregon School of Law.  Erin worked alongside the staff in the Montana office, and impressed us with her enthusiasm and the substantial contributions she made to the Center's work on behalf of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and on our Conservation Handbook and Safe Women/Strong Nations projects.  

Melissa Dempsey was awarded the Center's first John D.B. Lewis Fellowship, and worked for eight weeks out of the Center's Washington, D.C. office.  Born and raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, Melissa is a second year law student at Arizona State University.  She also holds a masters degree in Indigenous Human Rights and Environmental Studies from New York University.  She provided invaluable assistance on our MDB project work and also with our case on behalf of the Maya Q'eqchi' communities in Guatemala.

Juanita Cabrera Lopez, Armstrong Wiggins, Maureen Keffer, Melissa Dempsey, and Leo Crippa

INTERNS

We are also very grateful to Maureen Keffer, Neesha Bapat, Ashley Fry, and Kristina Aiello, who also completed clerkships or internships during the past year. 

Maureen Keffer was a remarkable addition to the Center's team of

Fellowship & Internship Opportunities:  How to Apply Law students interested in being considered for either the Center's Sidley or Lewis fellowship must submit their application by November 14.  Applications for other clerkships or internships are accepted on a rolling basis, and announcements of these opportunities are often posted to our website.  About the Sidley and Lewis Fellowships The Indian Law Resource Center's Terrence A. Sidley and John D.B. Lewis fellowships are awarded annually to two law students who show particular promise for a career in federal Indian law and international indigenous issues. The Sidley and Lewis fellows work as law clerks at either the Center's Helena, Montana or Washington, D.C. office for an eight-week term in the summer. Fellows participate in legal research and writing on major Indian rights issues related to current projects of the Center. Each Fellow is paid a stipend of $3,000 for an eight-week term. The Sidley Fellowship was established in 2004 in honor of Terry A. Sidley, a lawyer of exceptional dedication and professional skill who helped found and guide the Center for many years as a member of our Board.  A champion of protecting civil liberties and constitutional rights, Terry lived and practiced law in Alexandria, VA until his death in 2004. The Lewis Fellowship was established by the family and friends of John D.B Lewis, a leading civil rights attorney, philanthropist, and supporter of Indian rights.  John served on the Center's board of directors for many years until his death in 2008.  His dedication to the Center, to Indian peoples, and to human rights in his life and legal work will long be remembered.

legal interns, spending time in both the Helena and D.C. offices.  Her Spanish language ability and experience with indigenous communities and international human rights mechanisms made her an asset to our Central and South American work.  Maureen's internship was funded through a partnership between the Center, the National Lawyers Guild's Haywood Burns Fellowship Program, and Stanford University, where she is currently a second year law student. 

Neesha Bapat interned in the Center's Washington office last spring.  During her internship she provided assistance to our Guatemala project work by translating critical legal briefs from Spanish into English.  She also conducted research relating to the Center's MDB project.  Neesha is currently a senior at George Washington University and is earning a degree in international affairs.

Ashley Fry also completed an internship with the Center in the spring of 2009.  Ashley is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in May 2007.  During her internship, she helped with our work on the OAS Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including assisting with several activities related to the Center's campaign to garner support for the American Declaration.

Kristina Aiello worked with the Washington D.C. staff as a legal intern last fall.  She contributed to our work on the OAS Draft American Declaration, and her bilingual skills were instrumental in assisting Center staff in other South and Central American program areas, including our work in Guatemala.  Kristina received her masters degree in Latin American studies and her J.D. from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. 

NEW STAFF

Juanita Cabrera-Lopez, Barbara Anthony, and Ginny Underwood have joined the staff of the Indian Law Resource Center.  

Juanita Cabrera-Lopez was hired in June and is the Program Assistant in our Washington, D.C. office.  Juanita is Maya Mam from Guatemala and has worked extensively with indigenous communities in North, South and Central America.  Her personal and professional experience have given her a solid background in the land tenure, environmental, and other human rights issues the Center addresses, as well as a passion for the work. 

Barbara Anthony joined the staff as the Director of Development. Barbara has a wealth of experience in major donor development and planned giving, and is introducing a number of new initiatives to engage existing and new donors. She will be based in the Helena, Montana office, but is also working closely with the Center's Washington, D.C. staff and the Board of Directors to plan and carry out fund raising activities. 

Ginny Underwood, the Center's new Director of Communications, joined the staff earlier this month and is already proving herself a valuable asset to our team.  She has extensive expertise in communications planning on a global scale and equally skilled in executing radio, television, print, and online media strategies.  Ginny is Comanche and Kiowa, and will heading up the Center's communications efforts from her home office in Oklahoma. 

Lastly, we were delighted to have Rosie Worthen back in the office during the summer months to help us with website, database, and translation work.  Rosie, a Helena native who first came to work at the Center during high school, is now a junior at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois earning a double major in Integrated International Studies and Modern Languages.  Her studies will take her to northern Peru this winter to help organize a solidarity project and work with indigenous peoples on community development activities.

Juanita Cabrera Lopez

Barbara Anthony

Ginny Underwood

Rosie Worthen