KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Two preeminent scholars in the field of federal Indian law will open the 14th annual Tribal Law and Government Conference at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Robert J. Miller of Lewis and Clark Law School and Sarah Krakoff of the University of Colorado Law School will give talks on Thursday, Feb. 11, at Green Hall. The following day, scholars and practitioners will present on topics of interest to those studying or practicing tribal law at the 10th annual Native Nations Law Symposium at the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta.

The conference and symposium are being held in conjunction with one another this year, and participants can register for the joint events online at www.law.ku.edu/triballawconference. The cost is $25 for nonstudents.

“This year’s conference is a result of a cooperative effort between the KU law school and the four tribes in Kansas, with additional support from Washburn law school,” said Stacy Leeds, professor of law and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center at KU. “The conference offers a rich mixture of academic inquiry and practical application in the field.”

Miller, an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, published “Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny” in 2008. His talk on the “Doctrine of Discovery in American Indian Law” springs from that book. Krakoff, associate dean for research at Colorado, will provide “A Realistic Assessment of the Role of Federal Courts in Federal Indian Law.” Thursday’s conference runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Rice Room in Green Hall, with a reception to follow.

Friday’s symposium runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the following slate of presentations:

— “Indian Gaming Now: Law, Policy, and Politics in the Next Decade,” Kathryn Rand, University of North Dakota School of Law
— “Ethical Considerations for Tribal Courts, Practice and Governance,” Elizabeth Kronk, University of Montana School of Law and chief appellate judge, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
— “Estate Planning and the American Indian Probate Reform Act,” Douglas R. Nash, Seattle University School of Law
— “Tribal Trust Accounting and Mismanagement Litigation,” Melody McCoy, Native American Rights Fund
— Roundtable discussion: “The Kansas Act and Recent Case Decisions Impacting Tribal Court Jurisdiction,” Stacy Leeds, KU; Aliza Organick, Washburn University School of Law; and Mark Dodd and Vivien Olsen, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation attorneys

Organizers have applied for seven hours of continuing legal education credit, including one hour of ethics, in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The conference and symposium are sponsored by the KU School of Law, the Native Nations Law Symposium (co-sponsored by Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, Iowa Tribe and Sac and Fox Nation) and the Washburn Law Clinic at the Washburn University School of Law.