2025 Agenda
November 12-14
Santa Barbara, CA
Annual TICA Conference
All times listed in PT
The activity is approved for 9 California MCLE participatory credits including 7.0 general credit and 2.0 credit in ethics in the practice of law. MCLE Credit provided by California Tribal Families Coalition (CTFC).
2025 Agenda
November 12-14
Santa Barbara, CA
Annual TICA Conference
All times listed in PT
Pre-Conference | October 16, 2024
1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Registration & Morning Caffeine
1-3:45 | Attorney Performance Standards
3:45-4:30 | Future of ICWA Brainstorm
This workshop will provide an overview of the new Model Performance Standards for Attorneys who Represent Tribal Governments in State ICWA Proceedings. These standards were drafted by a workgroup that included tribal, state, parent, and children's attorneys as well as state and tribal child welfare professionals to provide to attorneys representing tribes in State child custody proceedings guidance on best practices in and out of the courtroom. This pre-session will walk participants through the standards, while also engaging them with the material through in activities, small group discussions, and individual reflections. The session will conclude with an opportunity to discuss and brainstorm for the future of ICWA and the role of tribal attorneys post-Brackeen.
Eligible for 3.5 hours general participatory CA MCLE credits.
Co-hosted by the Tribal In-House Counsel Association and the California Tribal Families Coalition
Moderator
Cassondra Church | Justice Associate | The Whitener Group |
Speakers
Addie Smith | Consultant | The Whitener Group | |
Kimberly Cluff | Legal Director | California Tribal Families Coalition |
6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Registration & Morning Caffeine
Join us on the rooftop bar at the Hilton Garden Inn for catered food and beverages! All conference attendees are welcome.
6878 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA 93117
Moderator
Speakers
Day 1 | November 13, 2025
Welcome
TICA & Direct Relief
The Impact of the Current Administration on Indian Programs
Join Rebecca Patterson, Katie Klass, Bryan Newland, and Alexander Mallory to explore how recent federal actions are impacting Tribal programs, funding, and relationships. This session will highlight strategies for how Tribal Nations and organizations can respond and move forward.
Moderator
Alexander Mallory | Associate | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP |
Speakers
Becca Patterson | Partner | Sonosky Law Firm |
Bryan Newland | Principal | Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, PC |
Katie Klass | General Counsel | United South & Eastern Tribes |
Seeing and Seizing Tribal Opportunities Across Jurisdictional Boundaries
Join John Plata, General Counsel for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, for his keynote presentation on this tribe's recent experiences working with neighboring jurisdictions to assert its right as a tribal government to collect taxes. With a focus on tribal food and beverage sales tax, Mr. Plata's discussion will address several pertinent laws, codes, and regulations, including Tribal Court Civil Money Judgment Act, dual taxation, and more.
Co-Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters in Uncertain Times
Sam Cohen, Natalie Landreth, Lena Ortega, and Jill Grant will discuss the laws that govern co-stewardship of federal land and waters, the paths taken to secure co-stewardship agreements, and the activities they perform under these agreements, following the prior administration's significant progress and in the face of rapidly changing times.
Moderator
Jill E. Grant | Senior Partner | Jill Grant & Associates, LLC |
Speakers
Lena Ortega | Kw'tsán Cultural Committee member | FYQIT |
Natalie Landreth | Co-Director / Partner | Tribal Public Lands Alliance / Nashoba Consulting |
Sam Cohen | Government and Legal Specialist | Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians |
Jurisdictional Disputes and Family Law
Lenny Powell, Kendra Martinez, LaTonia Johnson, and April Olson will address the complex topic of tribal court jurisdiction over custody disputes, divorces, and child dependency cases. They will examine relevant ongoing cases, such as Tix v. Tix, discuss when to seek outside counsel from those who have experience in both family law and tribal jurisdiction, and more.
Moderator
April Olson | Partner | Rothstein Donatelli LLP |
Speakers
Kendra Martinez | Tribal Attorney | Suquamish Indian Tribe |
LaTonia B. Johnson | Assistant Attorney General | Navajo Nation Department of Justice |
Lenny Powell | Staff Attorney | Native American Rights Fund |
Day 2 | November 14, 2025
01.
01.
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Montana's Second Exception
Join Scott Crowell, Denise Turner Walsh, and Paul Spruhan for a discussion on Montana's Second Exception, which allows for tribes to assert jurisdiction over the activities of non-Indians on non-Indian lands where the activity "threatens or has some direct effect on the political integrity, the economic security, or the health or welfare of the Tribe." The panel will examine recent litigation involving the Rincon Band, the Yakima Tribe, the Shoshone Bannock Tribes, and the Navajo Nation, and discuss other relevant topics.
Speakers
Denise Turner Walsh | Attorney General | Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians |
Scott Crowell | Owner | Crowell Law Office Tribal Advocacy Group |
Moderator
Paul Spruhan | Assistant Professor of Law | University of New Mexico School of Law |
01.
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The U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Join Gregory Bigler, Kristen Carpenter, and Harrison Rice for a question-and-answer dialogue on the history of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, its content, and its importance to tribal law practice. They will discuss the international bodies that interact with Indigenous Peoples and explore how the Declaration can be used domestically.
Speakers
Kristen Carpenter | Council Tree Professor of Law and Director of the American Indian Law Program | University of Colorado Law School |
Gregory Bigler | Judge | Sac and Fox Nation |
Moderator
Harrison Rice | Assistant Attorney General | Tohono O'odham Nation |
01.
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Ethical Challenges for In-House Counsel
This two-part session will explore the complex and often novel ethical challenges attorneys face when serving as in-house counsel to Tribal governments, with particular attention to Tribal courts, many of which operate with lay judges and customary legal traditions. Roshanna Toya, Lauren van Schilfgaarde, and April Olson will first address key ethical obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC), the State Bar Act, and relevant case law, ethics opinions, and the ABA Model Rules. In the second hour, they'll apply these rules in practice through a series of interactive, hypothetical scenarios.
Speakers
Lauren van Schilfgaarde | Assistant Professor | UCLA School of Law |
Roshanna Toya | Associate Attorney | Rothstein Donatelli |
Moderator
April Olson | Partner | Rothstein Donatelli LLP |
01.
01.
01.
Ethical Challenges for In-House Counsel
This two-part session will explore the complex and often novel ethical challenges attorneys face when serving as in-house counsel to Tribal governments, with particular attention to Tribal courts, many of which operate with lay judges and customary legal traditions. Roshanna Toya, Lauren van Schilfgaarde, and April Olson will first address key ethical obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC), the State Bar Act, and relevant case law, ethics opinions, and the ABA Model Rules. In the second hour, they'll apply these rules in practice through a series of interactive, hypothetical scenarios.
Speakers
Lauren van Schilfgaarde | Assistant Professor | UCLA School of Law |
Roshanna Toya | Associate Attorney | Rothstein Donatelli |
Moderator
April Olson | Partner | Rothstein Donatelli LLP |