Our Faculty

Meet our on and off site team members.

On-Site Faculty

HALLIE BONGAR WHITE

Attorney at Law/Executive Director

Southwest Center for Law and Policy, National Indian Country Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault, National Tribal Trial College, and SAFESTAR

Hallie Bongar White is the Executive Director of the Southwest Center for Law and Policy, a tribal Technical Assistance provider for the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. She is an attorney licensed to practice before the courts of several tribes, the state of Arizona, the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Arizona, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. White trains nationally and regionally on issues related to sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, abuse of persons with disabilities, firearms violence, and abuse of elders in Indian Country. She is the former director of the Indian Nations Domestic Violence Law Program and is a graduate of the Native American Studies Department of the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. White attended the Masters Degree Program in American Indian Studies and the College of Law at the University of Arizona. She has litigated hundreds of jury trials, bench trials and appeals in tribal, state, and federal courts as a former public defender and legal services attorney. Ms. White has served as an Assistant Attorney General and as a Clerk of the Court for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. She has also assisted numerous tribes in drafting domestic violence and protection order codes. Ms. White is the mother of five children and has three grandchildren who are all enrolled members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

HON. MONTIE DEER (Mvskoke/Creek Nation)

Judge

Mvskoke/Creek Supreme Court

Judge Montie R. Deer has had a distinguished career spanning tribal, state, and federal legal systems. Judge Deer is the Chief Justice for the Iowas of Kansas and Nebraska, as well as Supreme Court Justice for the Mvskoke/Creek Nation. He recently retired from the District Court bench for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Prior to that position, he served as Attorney General for his own tribe, the Mvskoke/Creek Nation. Judge Deer’s highest profile position came in 1998 when he was appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the United States Senate as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. From 1994-1998, Judge Deer was Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Kansas. From 1983 to 1994, Judge Deer served as a District Court Judge for the State of Kansas, presiding over approximately 200 jury trials. From 1975 to 1982, he was a practicing attorney with several firms in Kansas. Judge Deer has also served as Director of Legal Services for the North Topeka Indian Center, Member of the Board of Directors for the Mid American All-Indian Center and Member of the Wichita Warrior Society. He has many years of experience providing education, including teaching at the National Judicial College and serving as Associate Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa.

HON. JUDGE DAVID AVRAHAM VOLUCK

Magistrate Judge

Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

David Avraham Voluck graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a major in the Sociology of Religion. Moving to the Pacific Northwest, he attended the Northwestern School of Law and Lewis and Clark College where he received his Juris Doctorate with a Certificate in Environmental Law and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. Upon graduation of law school, he moved to Sitka, Alaska to serve as the land and trust resources attorney for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and was eventually promoted to the Director of the Tribe's Law and Trust Resources Department.

In 1998, David moved to Anchorage to join the firm of Landye, Bennette, and Blumstein, LLP to work under the mentorship of David S. Case, specializing in Federal Indian Law, traveling to the rural villages both as municipal and tribal attorney. During this time, David was also privileged to work with David Case co-authoring the revision of the legal treatise "Alaska Natives and American Laws". His experience with the Native peoples awakened a renewed interest in his own culture and history, and David took a two-year sabbatical from the practice of law to attend the Rabbinical College of America, focusing on Talmudic and Jewish Legal Studies. In April of 2008, David was appointed Chief Judge of the Sitka Tribal Court and was hired as Adjunct Professor of Indian Law for Lewis & Clark Law School's Summer Indian Law Program. In November of 2010, David was appointed to sit as Magistrate/Judge for the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska per the Tribe's Family Responsibility Act. In May of 2012, David was appointed as Judge Pro Tem for the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government. David is a noted Lecturer on a variety of topics related to Indian Law, Tribal Courts, Native Culture, and the interplay with religion.

JAMES DIAMOND J.D., S.J.D.

Dean of Academic Affairs

National Tribal Trial College

Professor James Diamond teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law and procedure, Indian law and tribal courts. He was the former Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program's Tribal Justice Clinic at the University of Arizona. Diamond's academic research focuses on the aftermath of mass shootings and his doctoral dissertation is entitled The Aftermath of Mass Shootings, Lessons from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and Other Indigenous Peoples. For 4 years Professor Diamond taught in the Undergraduate and Master's in Legal Studies Programs at The James E. Rogers College of Law.

Prior to teaching, Professor Diamond practiced law for 25 years in Connecticut. He achieved success as a criminal attorney as both a prosecutor and defense attorney and has been voted by his peers to be a "Super Lawyer" every year since 2007. Professor Diamond is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a criminal trial specialist, and has extensive criminal trial experience. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post where he writes about criminal law and criminal cases.

DAVID ADAMS (Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan)

Former Assistant United States Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

Before co-founding Parnall & Adams Law, David Adams was an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) with the Department of Justice and an attorney for a Pueblo in New Mexico. As an AUSA David was responsible for prosecuting major crimes and also served as a Tribal Liaison to the 22 Pueblos and Nations located throughout New Mexico. His appointment as an AUSA was preceded by an appointment as a Special Assistant United States Attorney where he was responsible for prosecuting cases that fell under a pilot program with the Office of Violence Against Women. His work and outreach under that program led to receiving recognition by the United States Attorney General for his significant contributions to enhancing public safety in Indian Country and his commitment to combating violence against women.

Prior to his work with the Department of Justice, David also worked for a Pueblo in New Mexico for five years lending his expertise in civil and criminal law. David has presented at conferences and trainings around the Country on areas of violent crime and how to incorporate best practices to better serve victims/survivors. David received a degree in economics and professional management from Albion College and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law. David is a member of the Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan, and resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

JEFF DAVIS

(Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) J.D.

Of Counsel and Former Assistant United States Attorney

Jeff J. Davis is Of Counsel with Barnes & Thornburg, a firm of more than 600 legal professionals throughout 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. The Firm is among the 100 largest firms in the U.S. with experience in virtually all the legal practice areas required to do business in today’s global marketplace. Mr. Davis joined the Firm in January of 2018, his office is located in the Grand Rapids, Michigan office and will focus on the development of a Native American Law and Policy practice group for the Firm.

Prior to joining Barnes and Thornburg, Mr. Davis was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, with two primary roles in the Western District of Michigan. First, the liaison between the United States Attorney's Office and the federally recognized Tribes in Michigan, which requires working closely with the 11 Federally Recognized Tribes in the Western District on a wide variety of issues pertaining to their law enforcement and judicial systems. The other half is devoted to the prosecution of crimes that are committed in Indian Country which includes violent crime, white collar, and juvenile delinquency matters. The majority of felony cases prosecuted are child sexual abuse and domestic violence cases.

Prior to working as the Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Davis was the Executive Director of the Indian Law & Order Commission, an independent national advisory commission created in July 2010 when the Tribal Law and Order Act was passed and extended in 2013 by the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization (VAWA Amendments). The Commission was made up of nine commissioners appointed by the President and the majority and minority leadership of Congress. The Commission was tasked with holding public hearings throughout Indian Country to gather information from Native peoples directly on the state of justice in Indian Country, the current judicial, law enforcement and other systems the affect justice in these communities. At the completion of their public hearings, the Commission issued a report “A Roadmap for Making Native America Safer,” which was presented to the President and the United States Congress.

Mr. Davis obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Dakota. He went on to receive his JD from the University of New Mexico.

AMY BOGOST

Attorney at Law

Amy Blumenfeld Bogost is an attorney from Madison, Wisconsin. She is barred in the states of Washington, California, and Wisconsin. She has a general civil practice in Madison, but also does work in California. She became involved in Title IX work in 2015 when she was asked by the University of Wisconsin Social Services to provide training to other attorneys to provide pro bono services to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence that are affiliated with the University of Wisconsin. She works in cooperation with various social service organizations in Madison as well in cooperation with the UW Dean of students to ensure fair representation and counseling is provided to all survivors. She also continues her civil practice in Madison.

DANIEL GOOMBI (Kiowa)

2015 Graduate

National Tribal Trial College Legal Advocacy Course

Daniel Goombi served as Community Outreach Coordinator and Lead Victims Advocate for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in the Tribal Victim Services program for 8 years. Tribal Victim Services has been recognized for the implementation of a community‐based response toward addressing sexual assault, SAFESTAR. In 2013, Tribal Victim Services was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice with the National Crime Victim Service Award for professional innovation in victim services for the implementation of a Healing Through Art program.

Mr. Goombi is a graduate of the National Tribal Trial College and represents AI/AN victims in civil matters before the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribal Court.

Online Faculty

HON. MELVIN STOOF (Rosebud Sioux)

Judge

Pascua Yaqui Tribe

Judge Mel Stoof is an enrolled member of the Oyate Lakota Sicangu (Rosebud Sioux Tribe). He has worked in Indian Law for the past 20 years. Mr. Stoof served for seven years as the Chief Judge of the Jicarilla Apache Nation Court in Dulce, New Mexico, and he served three terms as a Commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence. He has lectured for the National Center for State Courts, the American Bar Association, Praxis International, and the Southwest Full Faith and Credit Project on topics covering full faith and credit issues, tribal-state jurisdictional conflicts, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Violence Against Women Act. He trained for the American Bar Association Tribal Trial College in July 2003 as part of its Domestic Violence Civil Law Institute. He also served as a member of the editorial board for the National Tribal Justice Resource Center. Mr. Stoof is the past President of the New Mexico Indian Bar Association.

Judge Stoof graduated from the University of Houston in 1981, Magna Cum Laude, with a B.A. in English Literature, received a certificate of attendance from the Special Scholarship Pre-Law program for American Indians in 1981, and earned his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1984. He is licensed in New Mexico, seven tribal courts, the U.S. District Courts for New Mexico, and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

CAROLINE FELICITY ANTONE (Tohono O'odham Nation)

Executive Director

I:MIG, LLC (Kinship) Against Neglect and Abuse

Caroline Felicity Antone, AAS, LISAC has been in the alcohol counseling field for well over 23 years. She is a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation and has devoted the majority of her counseling efforts in the Native American community, focusing on youth and their families. Caroline is one of eleven women from the Tohono O’odham Nation who successfully completed Sexual Assault Forensic Exam, Support, Training, Access and Resources (SAFESTAR) training to support victims of sexual assault. Through her own personal battles with alcohol, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and suicide attempts, she has discovered that recovery is better addressed at the community level. Ms. Antone is Founder and Executive Director of I:MIG LLC, “Kinship” Against Neglect and Abuse. She has received numerous recognitions and awards including the Native American Recognition Day, Diamondbacks Spirit Award, Indian Health Service’s Certificate of Special Act Service Award in responding to community crises, just to name a few. Ms. Antone wishes to share her knowledge of overcoming obstacles and using them as opportunities to heal one’s self and others adversely affected by alcoholism and substance abuse.

SARAH DEER (Mvskoke/Creek)

SARAH DEER (Mvskoke/Creek) J.D., Professor

Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies - School of Public Affairs & Administration
The University of Kansas

Sarah Deer has worked to end violence against women for over 25 years and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2014. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of federal Indian law and victims' rights. Prof. Deer is a co-author of four textbooks on tribal law. Her latest book is The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America, which has received several awards. Her work on violence against Native women has received national recognition from the American Bar Association and the Department of Justice. Professor Deer is also the Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals.

Contact NTTC

4015 E. Paradise Falls Dr. Suite 131, Tucson, Arizona 85712

Phone: (520) 623-8192
Fax: (520) 623-8246

*National Tribal Trial College is a project of the Southwest Center for Law and Policy (www.swclap.org)
This project was supported by Grant No. 2017-TA-AX-K024, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.