- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Higher Education
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has awarded a $2.2 million grant to UCLA School of Law to support its tribal legal development clinic for the next five years. The funding will cover the clinic's full-time, year-round operations, including staff salaries and program expenses.
The grant aims to enhance UCLA Law's efforts in producing new practitioners and scholars in Indian law, while expanding the clinic's client network and research output. It will also provide additional training and career guidance for students pursuing careers in Indian law.
"Our Tribe is honored to continue our longstanding partnership with the UCLA School of Law in advancing tribal sovereignty for all Native American communities," Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians said in a statement.
The clinic, led by Director Mica Llerandi (Diné/Navajo) since 2023, connects students with tribal leaders, officers, and attorneys to support tribal sovereignty through legal development services. Students often travel to Indian Country to collaborate with tribal clients and participate in relevant meetings and hearings.
Recent projects have included drafting statutes and governing documents, building tribal court infrastructure, and developing resources for tribal nations. One notable collaboration involved working with the Yurok Tribe to create a tribal broadband publication, which provides guidance for tribes seeking to deploy broadband services in underserved communities.
Michael Waterstone, dean of UCLA Law, emphasized the importance of partnerships in their Indian law initiatives, saying, "We have engaged in this important work alongside partners who share our commitment, and few are more instrumental than the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians."
This grant follows previous contributions from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to UCLA Law, including a $4 million grant in 2004 and a $1.3 million gift in 2019 that established the clinic director position.
Professor Angela R. Riley, director of the law school's Native Nations Law and Policy Center, said the partnership has enabled UCLA Law to become a leading institution in training future lawyers for Indian Country. She added that the grant will provide students with more opportunities to advance tribal sovereignty and secure Indigenous rights.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has a long history of supporting critical legal initiatives in Indian Country. Since 2006, the tribe has also provided significant support to the Tribal Supreme Court Project. In June 2023, the San Manuel Band renewed this commitment with a two-year grant of $300,000 per year to the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) for the project. The initiative, a partnership between NARF and the National Congress of American Indians, provides support to tribal leaders and attorneys preparing for cases before the United States Supreme Court.
"The Tribe is committed to supporting the critical work of the Tribal Supreme Court Project to ensure that our tribal legal rights as well as our sovereign powers and authorities will continue well into the future," Chairwoman Valbuena said at the time.
