Nan's Navajo Nation

                It's been a crazy couple of days, from the never ending delays at O'Hare airport (6 hours!) to the multitude of 5 hour drives, but it was all worth it! I can't really complain about anything that has happened over the past couple of days. The plane delays actually turned out to be quite pleasant because a group of us were able to meet up and become quite close before our journey even began. We bonded over whether munchkins are made from the discarded centers of doughnuts. Please chime if you agree, Pious is not yet a believer. On the ride towards Ezra's father's hogans, a 5 hour car ride became a 5 hour bonding experience as well. Van People 4 Lyfe! The hike through Monument Valley was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time. We hiked 3.3 miles around the left “Hand of God” monument and got pictures from every angle imaginable! A couple of times during the hike, we managed to have everyone stay silent. There was such serene peace that accompanied the silence. 

            Today we finally got to start volunteering at our sites and I, along with Monika and Jeanna, got to be stationed at the Window Rock Judicial Court(WRJC). The WRJC resides on the second floor of the Window Rock Police Department. The building itself does not look very impressive but what it contains is quite beautiful. The WRJC is full of dedicated, hardworking, and extremely friendly people.  Our supervisor is the lone lawyer for the judicial court. She literally does everything at the courthouse.

            We learned a lot about how the Navajo legal system works and it is really interesting to see the influence of Navajo culture on the legal system. Their version of mediation is a lot less adversarial and almost always ends with an agreement. These agreements are honored because of Navajo culture; mediation generally occurs with every member of the family present so the promises made are like promises to your family members and much less likely to be broken. I can't wait to learn more about this beautiful culture!

Nan Chen

Monument Valley-Sightseeing in Navajo Nation

Today we got to go sightseeing around Navajo Nation. The scenery was beautiful. We made our way to Monument Valley, stopping along the way to take pictures at various locations. Once we arrived at Monument Valley some of us went hiking around one of the giant rock formations. Hiking down into the valley was a lot of fun as it gives you a different perspective, however, the hike out of the valley was rather tiring.

It is hard to really imagine how spread out everything is here in Navajo Nation. The distance between our different stops always takes several hours. The towns we do encounter on the road are small and few. It is also amazing how far into the distance you can see when there aren’t a lot of trees or buildings obscuring the view. In the endless open spaces there are cattle and horses that apparently roam freely around the area.

For dinner tonight we ate at a restaurant in Monument Valley with a beautiful view of the valley. We got our first taste of Navajo Tacos and fry bread and it was delicious! Afterwards, we headed to our hotel in Window Rock to get a goodnight’s sleep before our first day of work tomorrow. Although it was a long day we certainly got to see a lot of breathtaking views!


Barbara Lindy Stone

Traveling to Navajo Nation

          Our trip to Navajo Nation kicked off today. Several of us took the 7:30 am flight which had to transfer in Chicago. We arrived to Chicago on time with no problems. However, once we got to Chicago our flight got delayed. The plane had a mechanical problem- sounded scary, but we were glad that they found the problem while we were still on the ground.

    At first the flight was supposed to only be delayed a couple of hours, but a couple of hours turned into seven hours. Thankfully there were six of us together at the airport. We were able to pass the time getting to know each other, sharing some laughs and exploring the airport.

      Seven hours later we finally got on the plane to Albuquerque. The view
from the plane over New Mexico was incredible. The beautiful red desert terrain made it seem like we were flying over another planet. After a long day of traveling we finally made it to Navajo Nation, super excited for the week ahead!

Monika Fidler

Exploring the Airport!

So much waiting at the airport!

View from the Plane!!

We are HERE!!!

Week of Service in New Orleans: Wrap-Up

Volunteering with Catholic Charities of New Orleans: WCL students Daniel Clark and Jeanna Lee with the staff of Catholic Charities

Most law students spend their two week break between Fall and Spring semesters at home relaxing, searching for internships, and spending time with friends and family.  However, through our student organization, Action for Human Rights, several are able to volunteer their off-time to assist those in need of legal services.

From December 29th, 2013 to January 5th, 2014 several WCL law students traveled to New Orleans  Our week in New Orleans during the winter break combined volunteering at local legal aid non-profit organizations, rebuilding homes through the St. Bernard's Project, visiting and learning about communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina, as well as an informative panel discussion with AU Alumni regarding the legal employment climate in New Orleans. Although the bulk of our time was spent either providing pro bono legal assistance or community service, there was ample time to enjoy the unique culture of New Orleans. The po-boys, brass bands, voodoo spells, Spanish-French architecture, flea markets, and the many friendly people we met during our stay made returning school a little less than appealing.

The participants of the 2014 Action for Human Rights Alternative Winter Break service trip to New Orleans: Mehreen Rasheed, Elizabeth Dukette, Amber Lee, Greg Evans, Daniel Schneider, Daniel Clark, Nirali Shah, Jeanna Lee, Safiya Hamit, Jordan Philips, James Weider, Jackie Youm, Kimberly Shin, Kamille Go, Anthony Bizien (Raziya Brumfield - not pictured)

The trip itself not only provided valuable time and service to the host organizations and their beneficiaries, but gave the participating students substantive experience in the legal field,  lasting professional contacts, new friends, and fun memories!  The trip was a success and we already look forward to continuing this tradition of service in the vibrant community of New Orleans for years to come!

January 5th, 2014: Volunteering with CASA, Post-Katrina

Eight years after Hurricane Katrina, people in New Orleans still describe their lives in “before the Storm” and “after the Storm” terms. People still remember where they were when it hit and share their stories in vivid detail. The most outwardly apparent signs of Katrina’s lasting effect are blighted properties yet to be rebuilt. But the storm has had different ramifications on various parts of life.

I saw one such effect when volunteering at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). The nonprofit matches neglected and abused children with volunteers who advocate in court for their best interests.

In the chaos of Katrina, many children disappeared, or were neglected or abandoned. “If another storm were to hit tomorrow, we wouldn’t have a record of all of our kids in one place, and we wouldn’t know where they all were,” said Joy Bruce, the Executive Director at CASA. In the aftermath of the storm, volunteers and DCFS workers struggled just to ensure their children were alive and well ¾ filing paperwork understandably fell to the wayside. But this dealt a blow to the infrastructure, as CASA started to lose track of the files of many children in the system. So we spent our week sorting through stacks of case files and updating an electronic record of the children CASA had worked with.

            A child entering the foster care system begins a race against time to return to permanency. From the dozens of stories I read, I surmised that the longer a child stays in the system, the more likely she is to never be adopted or reunited with her family; and the less likely she is to do well in school, go to college, or acquire job training.

            These sobering realities seemed at first to contrast sharply with the bright, vibrant city we saw around us. Yet I began to feel that the New Orleans’ vivacious spirit and warm hospitality didn’t come in spite of it’s struggles, but perhaps became more pronounced because of them.

 Mehreen Rasheed

January 4th 2014: First Day Working with AIDS LAW

Today we took a big picture approach to examining the legal issues those with AIDS face, and the justice that lawyers in Louisiana are fighting to deliver through first hand accounts of lawyers, law firm staff, and their cases.

We first met with the lead office executive and the lead paralegal for the AIDS Law firm. After a brief introduction to the staff and tour of the office, we were lectured on the importance of confidentiality and ethics for clients and their personal health information (PHI). We even were each assigned reading on the 1996 HIPAA law and the law’s recent Omnibus provision followed by a 25 question multiple-choice exam on the issue. We all passed. Then, as a group we had a lengthy discussion and learned about: (1) the history of AIDS law in the US and in LA; (2) the history of the firm we are volunteering for, (3) and the current legal and financial issues the firm faces.

We learned all the types of services the firm offers (disability, discrimination, and wills to name a few), and got many detailed explanations of cases the law firm has dealt with, including many real life examples with their accompanying legal issues. We discussed how cases are brought and how to deal with a variety of clients (many of whom are mentally ill, physically sick, or have other life trauma). Each case also had a discussion of the personal element of interacting with the client, and through that we learned about all the social, economic, and health polices that are most affecting those with AIDS.

We then took a field trip to meet with a prominent Louisiana lawyer who is currently working on same-sex marriage cases, and he gave us his legal outlook on the issue. Then, he led a tour to the Louisiana Supreme Court where we met one of the judges, and learned about the unique characteristics of Louisiana’s Napoleonic code, highlighted by a special tour of the rare book room, where we were discussed historical constitutional issues with the lead librarian of the court.

We all then had lunch together downtown, where we further discussed local issues and movements to help the AIDS affected community, and the effects of the Affordable Care Act on that community.

Jordan Philips and Raziya Brumfield

January 4th 2014: WCL Alumni Panel at Tulane University

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the streets were buzzing down Magazine Street on Saturday, January 4^th, 2014. We had our first long break of the week, since the previous Sunday, and we finally had time to explore the neighborhood by our hostel. We found a thrifty hat shop, an amazing donut store with sweet & savory donuts (including a croque monsieur donut), and a delicious Jewish deli (they even had Taylor ham…woah).

After our exploration of the neighborhood and a quick drive-by through the French Quarter, we went to Tulane University to get the dish on the legal field in New Orleans and some advice for law school from AU WCL alumni. We learned that biotechnological law and entertainment law are up-and-coming in New Orleans. Maritime law is another great field of law to practice in Louisiana. All three alumni thought that New Orleans would improve in the next ten years and many employment opportunities would flourish, including within the legal department.

They also said that we should only come to practice in New Orleans if:

1)   We love New Orleans and its particular culture!

2)   We get to know someone in whichever legal field we are interested in because New Orleans is a small community where everyone knows everyone.

3)   And we research and find a particular legal field that is prevalent in New Orleans.

Afterwards, we went to the French Quarter once again and explored the live music and jazz scene of Frenchman Street. We enjoyed the suave sounds of a multitude of instruments, such as the deep calling of a bass, the smooth sounds of a saxophone, the tease of a piano, and the bright resonance of a guitar while watching the football playoffs of the Saints versus the Eagles. Since we were there, the Saints obviously won the game in a dramatic finish.

All in all, we were able to see a bit of New Orleans’ soul and to be tempted into thinking that one day, we may be one of the WCL’s alumni giving advice to the bright-eyed and young law school students visiting the mysterious voodoo queen that is New Orleans.

Jacqueline Youm