Patty Ferguson-Bohnee

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, Faculty Director of the Indian Legal Clinic, recently was featured as the cover story in MultiCultural Law: The Magazine for Diversity in the Legal Profession.

Ferguson-Bohnee was interviewed about diversity in an article by reporter Meta J. Mereday titled, “Patty Ferguson-Bohnee: Bringing reflection and purpose to the National Native American Bar Association.”

Ferguson-Bohnee, a member of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, is serving as President of the National Native American Bar Association. She told Mereday that there are not enough Native American attorneys, only 2 percent of the legal profession, and that more needs to be done to encourage enrollment in law school.

She noted that there are 22 tribes in Arizona, comprising about a quarter of the land base, but it was not until 2011 that a Native American lawyer made partner at a Phoenix law firm. More needs to be done to mentor Native American law students, she said.

“Because there are over 565 federal tribes and over a 100 more state-recognized and non-status tribes spread across the country, reaching students at an earlier age is challenging,” Ferguson-Bohnee said. “Some tribes do not even have one attorney. Law firms and corporate America could help by providing mentors in tribal communities.”

Read the entire article here.