Missouri law students complete internships in Hawaii to learn about Native issues

HONOLULU—Three law students from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WUSTL Law) successfully completed a summer internship at the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) in its Native Hawaiian Policy Center.

Paul Russo, Addie Smith, and David Wiegert completed their internships with CNHA as part of the WUSTL Law American Indian Law Summer Program. The Summer Program is supported by the G.A., Jr., and Kathryn M. Buder Charitable Foundation, which provides funding for WUSTL law students who choose work that makes significant contributions to the sustained future of Indian Country and Native peoples. As part of the Native Hawaiian Policy Center, which is administered by CNHA, the law students worked closely with CNHA staff in strategizing, researching, and writing on issues directly affecting the Native Hawaiian community.

“With their legal background in federal Indian law, our Policy Center was better able to research and analyze challenging policy questions and develop strategic plans regarding Native programs at the federal level,” said Robin Puanani Danner, CNHA president and CEO.

Russo, Smith, and Wiegert’s accomplishments included a legal analysis of the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) Program and an assessment of governing authorities for Native governments under federal law. They also created an exhaustive tribal leadership database referencing contact information for federally recognized tribes in the United States and linking geographic location with political representation at the federal level.  The law students also provided staff support for a Native policy roundtable discussion on the broadband communications of Native communities between Native leaders and U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.

“It was truly a pleasure to work with these three amazing, enthusiastic, and professional legal minds. Their knowledge of federal Indian law and their interest in politics is a great fit for this program and CNHA,” said Noe Kalipi, president of TiLeaf Group, a local Native advocacy firm, who served as supervising attorney.

CNHA is a national network of Native Hawaiian Organizations, providing assistance in accessing capital and technical resources, and is a policy voice on issues important to Native Hawaiian communities. Its mission is to enhance the well-being of Hawaii through the cultural, economic, and community development of Native Hawaiians. 

For more information about CNHA, call (808) 596.8155 or toll-free at 1-800-709-2642 or e-mail [email protected].