|
 TULSA,
Okla.- The University of
Tulsa’s College of Law
is one of the top law
schools in the country.
It’s only natural that
the school’s Native
American Law Center
would be one of the best
training grounds for
students with an
interest in Indian law.
The
Native American Law
Certificate Program was
established in 1990 and
became a center in 2000.
The Center’s mission is
to provide resources for
the study and teaching
of legal issues
concerning Indian tribes
and other indigenous
people worldwide.
TU was
the first law school to
offer a certificate
program in Indian law.
The school offers
specialized courses in
Federal Indian Law,
Tribal Government,
Native American Natural
Resources Law, Indian
Gaming Law, Native
American and Indigenous
Rights, and the American
Indian Law Seminar. “We
teach a little bit of
everything. "We teach
several courses in
federal Indian law – one
course in tribal
government and one in
international indigenous
issues. We give them the
opportunity to see the
full range,” said
Professor Judith Royster.
The
school also offers
several basic law
courses that are of
interest to Indian law
students. Those would
include: Employment Law,
Environmental Law, Land
Use Controls, and Water
Law. Students who earn a
degree in Native
American Law have
several career options.
“They can do all sorts
of things. They can go
to work for tribes. They
can go to work
representing individual
Indians in various
capacities. They can go
to work for the federal
and state governments.
We have students that
have worked for the
small business
administration, and the
Department of the
Interior, or the social
security administration,
where Indian law issues
come up. They can go in
virtually any direction
they like,” said Prof.
Royster.
 Students
who attend law school or
hope to practice in this
area of the country
would be wise to have a
background in Indian
law. “Some exposure to
Indian law, which in
Oklahoma is a good
thing. If they’re going
to practice in this part
of the country, they
could commit malpractice
if they don’t know
something about Indian
law. You could have a
client that’s a member
of a tribe or the
opposing party’s a
member of a tribe. If
you don’t know that
Indian law works on
often different
principles you can do a
real disservice for your
client,” said Prof.
Royster.
The
program graduates about
10 students a year and
around 40-50 students
are enrolled in the
Indian law courses.
However, there is still
room for growth. “We
always like to expand.
We would love to be able
to bring in more
students. Both from
Oklahoma tribes and
outside of Oklahoma,”
said Prof. Royster. |
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