- The Hopland Tribal Court currently employs one full time and contracts
with a . Additionally, the Court is in the process of establishing a Peace
Making Panel. The purpose of the Tribe’s Peace Making Panel is to provide a non-
adversarial way to resolve disputes. The Panel is intended to reflect the Tribe’s
tradition of using respected members of the community to heal conflicts among its
members.
Examples of my recent projects include facilitation of a multi-party hydropower re-licensing negotiation; providing
negotiation training and coaching for labor and management at a large Washington hospital about to enter labor
negotiations; and the development and presentation of a three-day training in cross-cultural and collaborative dispute
resolution practices for Native American mediators and parties to negotiations and mediations involving tribes,
sponsored by the Udall Center for Public Policy.
I am an active member of the Oregon State Bar Association with an AV rating from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.
Tribal Court Judge (2003-Current)
I serve as the Chief Judge for the Grand Ronde Tribal Court and the Chief Judge for the Hopland Band of Pomo
Indians. I am a Justice of the Hoopa Valley Supreme Court and I serve on the Appellate Panel for the Northwest
Intertribal Court System. Prior to my work with the Grand Ronde Tribe and the Hopland Band, I served as the Chief
Judge for the Klamath Tribal Courts. I have taught Federal Indian Law courses for Tribal judges at the National Judicial
College in Reno, Nevada and Evidence for Tribal Judges at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Colorado. I
served as attorney-editor for the 1982 edition of the Cohen Handbook of Federal Indian Law, and have taught the
History of Indigenous Dispute Resolution on the University level. I am a past President of the National Native American
Bar Association (“NNABA”) and I currently serve as NNABA’s delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. I am a member
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Fond du Lac Band.
Oregon Deputy Secretary of State – 1998- 2000
I served as Deputy Secretary of State under Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling, providing direction for and
supervision of the Divisions of Audits, Elections, Corporations and Archives. The Oregon Secretary of State has 200 full
time employees and a biennial budget in excess of $30 million.
Assistant Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice – 1990-1998
I served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Government Services Section of the Oregon Department of Justice. In this
capacity, I supervised attorneys providing legal advice to the to the core agencies of Oregon government, including:
the Judicial Department; the Oregon Lottery Commission; Oregon State Police; the Department of Corrections; the
Oregon Youth Authority; the Oregon Department of Transportation; the State Fire Marshall; the Secretary of State;
the State Ethics Commission; the Department of Administrative Services (Executive, Budget and Management,
Purchasing, Risk Management, Accounting); and Legislative Administration. I also served as the Governor’s contact
with the US Trade Representative on international trade issues. Within the Department, I served as an Indian Law
specialist and as “ADR Czar.”
Regional Trial Counsel, FDIC - 1986-1989
I served as both a litigator and as advisory counsel for the San Francisco regional office of the FDIC. In this capacity I
prepared and litigated complex commercial cases in a five-state region. The practice focus included banking law and
regulation, commercial business and lending and real estate transactions.
Attorney-at-Law, Portland, Oregon - 1980-1986
General business and commercial litigation practice.
Current and Recent Professional Activities
negotiation training and coaching for labor and management at a large Washington hospital about to enter labor
negotiations; and the development and presentation of a three-day training in cross-cultural and collaborative dispute
resolution practices for Native American mediators and parties to negotiations and mediations involving tribes,
sponsored by the Udall Center for Public Policy.
I am an active member of the Oregon State Bar Association with an AV rating from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.
Tribal Court Judge (2003-Current)
I serve as the Chief Judge for the Grand Ronde Tribal Court and the Chief Judge for the Hopland Band of Pomo
Indians. I am a Justice of the Hoopa Valley Supreme Court and I serve on the Appellate Panel for the Northwest
Intertribal Court System. Prior to my work with the Grand Ronde Tribe and the Hopland Band, I served as the Chief
Judge for the Klamath Tribal Courts. I have taught Federal Indian Law courses for Tribal judges at the National Judicial
College in Reno, Nevada and Evidence for Tribal Judges at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Colorado. I
served as attorney-editor for the 1982 edition of the Cohen Handbook of Federal Indian Law, and have taught the
History of Indigenous Dispute Resolution on the University level. I am a past President of the National Native American
Bar Association (“NNABA”) and I currently serve as NNABA’s delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. I am a member
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Fond du Lac Band.
Oregon Deputy Secretary of State – 1998- 2000
I served as Deputy Secretary of State under Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling, providing direction for and
supervision of the Divisions of Audits, Elections, Corporations and Archives. The Oregon Secretary of State has 200 full
time employees and a biennial budget in excess of $30 million.
Assistant Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice – 1990-1998
I served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Government Services Section of the Oregon Department of Justice. In this
capacity, I supervised attorneys providing legal advice to the to the core agencies of Oregon government, including:
the Judicial Department; the Oregon Lottery Commission; Oregon State Police; the Department of Corrections; the
Oregon Youth Authority; the Oregon Department of Transportation; the State Fire Marshall; the Secretary of State;
the State Ethics Commission; the Department of Administrative Services (Executive, Budget and Management,
Purchasing, Risk Management, Accounting); and Legislative Administration. I also served as the Governor’s contact
with the US Trade Representative on international trade issues. Within the Department, I served as an Indian Law
specialist and as “ADR Czar.”
Regional Trial Counsel, FDIC - 1986-1989
I served as both a litigator and as advisory counsel for the San Francisco regional office of the FDIC. In this capacity I
prepared and litigated complex commercial cases in a five-state region. The practice focus included banking law and
regulation, commercial business and lending and real estate transactions.
Attorney-at-Law, Portland, Oregon - 1980-1986
General business and commercial litigation practice.
Current and Recent Professional Activities
- ABA Foundation, Fellow
- ABA, Judicial Division, Member, Tribal Courts Subcommittee
- ABA, House of Delegates, Member, Delegate for the National Native American Bar Association, 2002 to present
- Oregon Judicial Department, 13th Judicial District, Member, Juvenile Drug Court Planning Team
- National Native American Bar Association, Past President
- Northwest Indian Bar Association, Board member, 2002-2003
- ABA, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, Commissioner, 2001-2004
- Oregon State Bar, Government Law Section, Executive Committee Member 1992-1999, Past Chair
- Oregon State Bar, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Executive Committee Member, 2002-2005
- Oregon State Bar, Indian Law Section, Executive Committee Member, 2006- present
Court Clerk, Leah Nunez, has been employed with the Tribe since March, 2005. Prior to her position as Court
Clerk, she was the Administrative Service Coordinator in the Hopland Tribal Police Department. Leah attended
the J. Dalton Institute seminar for Tribal Court Clerk’s Certification Training in December of 2006.
Clerk, she was the Administrative Service Coordinator in the Hopland Tribal Police Department. Leah attended
the J. Dalton Institute seminar for Tribal Court Clerk’s Certification Training in December of 2006.
- HOPLAND BAND OF POMO INDIANS
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- HOPLAND TRIBAL COURT
Partner, AGREEMENTSWORK (2000- Current)
I am a partner in AGREEMENTSWORK, a firm providing services, consultation and training
in the areas of mediation, negotiation, facilitation, arbitration and intercultural
communication. The firm has extensive experience throughout the United States, in
Indian Country, and in Russia, (including the former Soviet Union), Nicaragua, Guatemala,
Cuba, Australia, Canada, Poland, Ecuador, Costa Rico and Mexico.
I am a partner in AGREEMENTSWORK, a firm providing services, consultation and training
in the areas of mediation, negotiation, facilitation, arbitration and intercultural
communication. The firm has extensive experience throughout the United States, in
Indian Country, and in Russia, (including the former Soviet Union), Nicaragua, Guatemala,
Cuba, Australia, Canada, Poland, Ecuador, Costa Rico and Mexico.
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