Presenting in the following sessions:
Date
Date
Time
Panel
CLE Credits
Date
Cassondra Church
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
Justice Associate
The Whitener Group
Cassondra Church is an enrolled member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and was born and raised in West Michigan. She currently works as a Justice Associate for The Whitener Group (TWG) where she conducts tribal court assessments, drafts benchbooks, assists with child welfare program assessments, designs court clerk manuals, implements trauma informed trainings, and collaborates on other court and justice related projects. Before joining TWG, Cassondra was the Legal Counselor at the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law where she provided academic support to first-year law students, co-taught the Indian Law Clinic, co-coached the MSU National Native American Law Students Association moot court team, and conducted scholarly research. She received her Juris Doctor and a Certificate in Indigenous Law from Michigan State University College of Law. Cassondra also holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Social Work from Michigan State University. She is a graduate of the Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) class of 2018 and served as a PLSI Teaching Assistant in the summer of 2019.
Moderating the following sessions:
Pre-Conference CLE: A Review of the Standards for Attorneys Representing Tribal Governments in State ICWA Proceedings
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
Moderating the following sessions:
Indian Child Welfare Act Enforcement: A conversation about how and why Tribes might enforce rights under ICWA
Our closing panel will focus on the nuts and bolts of ICWA appeals in state courts while engaging audience members with a lighthearted game. The panelists will use the game to lead a conversation and cover the following topics: how to make a thorough trial record; factors to consider when deciding whether to appeal an ICWA case; danger zone topics; unique procedural appellate issues; and what solutions exist outside of appeals.