The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Monday announced a $2.2 million dollar gift to the UCLA School of Law’s Tribal Legal Development Clinic.
“Our Tribe is honored to continue our longstanding partnership with the UCLA School of Law in advancing tribal sovereignty for all Native American communities,” San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in a statement. “The students of the Tribal Legal Development Clinic have been, and will remain, vital advocates for the rights and sovereignty of tribes and Native communities.”
The grant will fund the clinic’s full-time, year-round operations for the next five years, aiding the school’s efforts to support practitioners and scholars who work in Indian law or those whose work addresses tribal sovereignty, officials said.
The financial backing also will allow UCLA Law to grow the clinic’s network of clients, create more public-facing research and publications that empower tribal communities, and offer training and career guidance to students who are pursuing careers in Indian law, officials said.
“For decades, UCLA Law has been a proud leader in Indian law, scholarship and advocacy, including our on-the-ground initiatives that foster legal assistance and development programs across Indian country,” UCLA Law Dean Michael Waterstone said.
“At each step of the way, we have engaged in this important work alongside partners who share our commitment, and few are more instrumental than the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians,” Waterstone said. “We are hugely grateful for this grant and their recognition of the impact that our students and scholars make, and will continue to make, every day, for Native people.”
UCLA’s Tribal Legal Development Clinic fosters the next generation of tribal lawyers by connecting students directly with tribal leaders, officers and attorneys, officials said. Students travel to Indian country to meet with tribal clients to collaborate, deliver work products to governing bodies and participate in relevant meetings and hearings.
The grant is one of several major contributions that the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians — based at the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland — has made to UCLA Law, including a $4 million gift in 2004 and a $1.3 million donation in 2019.