Roshanna K. Toya is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta where she was born, raised, and resides today. Roshanna is an alumnus of the University of New Mexico School of Law. After graduating from law school, Roshanna served as a judicial law clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. Roshanna currently practices law with Rothstein Donatelli LLP, where she practices in criminal defense, civil litigation, and represents tribes and tribal entities. Roshanna enjoys the diversity of her practice, which spans state, federal, and tribal courts throughout New Mexico and Arizona.
Roshanna has also served as an associate justice for the Isleta Pueblo Appellate Court since 2013. She has served as the Chief Justice of the Appellate Court since 2023. There she presides over cases related to probate, domestic relations, criminal law, employment law, and any other types of disputes that are appealed from the tribal court.
Prior to pursuing a career in law, Roshanna practiced as a social worker, focused on providing direct clinical services to American Indian youth incarcerated in state prisons, and assisting families of court-involved youth to secure community-based behavioral health services. Roshanna holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Criminal Justice from New Mexico State University.
Roshanna serves as a member of the Prelaw Summer Institute’s Judicial Clerkship Committee and as a member of the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners. Roshanna is committed to increasing the representation of Native Americans as attorneys and as judges in both State and Federal judiciaries.
Outside of work, Roshanna can often be found cheering on her three children at their sporting events. She is married to Michael Toya, Jr., of the Pueblo of Jemez.
Presenting in the following sessions:
Nov 14, 2025
12:45-1:45 PM
Session 7A
1 MCLE
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.
Presenting in the following sessions:
Nov 14, 2025
2:15-3:15 PM
Session 7B
1 MCLE
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.
