'IS-
'Submission to Grand
News letter
NAPOLS Serves As Tribal Attorney
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The Native American Program, Oregon Legal Services (NAPOLS) is
funded by the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C., to
serve the recognized and terminated tribes of Oregon. At present,
we are assisting the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, the Burns Paiute Tribe and the
Klamath Tribe on a variety of matters, ranging from a reservation
plan to the Indian Child Welfare Act. In the past, we have also
worked with the Cow Creek Band of Umpquas, the Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw, the Coquille, the Siletz, and other tribes on a wide
range of legal matters;.
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At present, we have only two lawyers to meet these legal needs -Gary
Forrester and Sajide Schmidt. Our office manager is Stephanie
Richards, and our restoration coordinator is Elizabeth Furse.
We expect to hire a third attorney and a part-time secretary in
early 1985. J,
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Because of our small jfetaff and large clientele, our Indian Advisory
Board has placed limitations on the kind of work we do. In a
nutshell, this amount to not representing individual Indians
unless the case is likely to have a major impact on Indians through
out Oregon or the nation.
Our current retainergreeraent with the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde pertains.t.o the Tribe's governmental functions and its
reservation plan. Under this agreement, we have assisted the Tribe
with restoration; various contracts; archeological concerns;
the Tribe's tax statics; the tribal constitution; workshops on
Indian law; drafts otribal ordinances; and the Tribe's seat on the
Commission on Indiaiiervices. We have also successfully defended
the Tribe in state aM. federal lawsuits which challenged the Tribe's
governmental iramuniijand we have participated as legal advisers
at many tribal cowieEwand general council meetings. Our estimated
time commitment to.
10 to 12. hours per;
much larger coramitr
napols receives no
of Indian' Affairs
in the future. T
and one possibili
attorney who could
week.' . The exact-
between napols an
materializes.
f&Confederatedy.Tribes of. Grand Ronde has been
although the work has usually required a
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Wal funding
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ir. these services. The Bureau
al-attorney contract between
could better serve the Tribe
ted to be underway in 1985,
and NAPOLS to jointly hire an
iand Ronde for part of each
&ngement will be worked out
jooming months as the contract
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