“Our firm has a long-standing tradition of providing growth opportunities to the community we serve,” said Native American Law Practice Group Leader Ted Griswold. “Through the establishment of this internship, we are pleased to extend this tradition specifically to the Native American Community.”
The recipient of Procopio’s 2011 Native American Law Internship is Trinidad Contreras, who received his J.D. from the University of Arizona, College of Law in 2010 and his LL.M. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011.
Mr. Contreras’ undergraduate degree is from U.C. Berkeley in Native American Studies and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Prior to law school, Mr. Contreras obtained a Master’s Degree at the University of Arizona American Indian Studies Graduate Program with a concentration in Federal Indian Law and Policy. He has previously completed legal externships with the Pascua Yaqui National Public Defender’s Office in Tucson, Arizona, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Federal District Court, District of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Contreras is an enrolled member of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and is a descendent of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.
Mr. Contreras began his internship with Procopio’s Native American Practice Group on August 22nd. He will support Procopio’s Native American Practice Group which counsels tribes and tribal-affiliated clients on a wide range of legal matters including corporate, finance, environmental, intergovernmental negotiation, litigation, intellectual property, employment, real estate, construction, fee-to-trust and regulatory issues. These matters are handled with special consideration of the unique interests of Native American tribal governments and the nuances of their legal status, including principles of tribal sovereignty. Procopio has extensive experience in this practice area and looks forward to creating future opportunities that will enrich our community through these types of internship programs.