June 17, 2014

Indian Law Program

Walter Echo-Hawk, renowned Indian law attorney, will be teaching two courses on campus in the spring of 2015.

Lewis & Clark Law School is pleased to announce that it will host renowned Indian law attorney, Walter Echo-Hawk, as the first Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professor in the spring of 2015.

Walter Echo-Hawk is one of the foremost experts in Indian law and is a distinguished author, tribal judge, law professor, and member of the Pawnee Nation. As a Native American rights attorney since 1973, his career spans the pivotal years when Indian tribes reclaimed their land, sovereignty, and pride in the pursuit of freedom and justice. Echo-Hawk worked at the epicenter of a great social movement alongside visionary tribal leaders, visited tribes in indigenous habitats throughout North America, and was instrumental in the passage of landmark laws—such as, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990) and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments (1994).

As the first Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professor, Professor Echo-Hawk will teach two classes on the Law School campus in spring 2015. The first class, “Indigenous Rights,” will be based on his book, In the Courts of the Conqueror, and the second class will be a seminar, “The Rise of International Indigenous Rights in the United States” based on his book, In the Light of Justice. These two new courses will be in addition to the Native American Natural Resources Law course taught by Professor Michael Blumm, and the Federal Indian Law course taught by adjunct faculty. Lewis & Clark will continue to offer the Indian Law Summer Program and N.A.L.S.A. Moot Court Competition.

Professor Echo-Hawk’s visit is possible because of the generous support of local tribes, including a lead gift from the Snoqualmie Tribe, and additional support from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Fundraising efforts are currently in progress to secure an additional semester of the Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professorship. Lewis & Clark is grateful to supporters of this important project, which enhances the Law School’s ability to educate our students in the pressing legal issues of our times.