Law clerk spends summer gaining on-the-job experience with the real issues affecting Alaska Native people
For Cillian McDonagh, a summer as ANJC’s law clerk was about more than paperwork.
While he did his fair share of affidavits, document proofreading, and even analyzed a prenuptial agreement, Cillian’s work at ANJC took also took him outside the office to visit local homeless shelters, where he shared information about the services and support the organization provides to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes.
At the office, he assisted ANJC caseworkers who met with people seeking a variety of services—from survivors of abuse in need of legal consultations, to individuals wanting assistance in getting a protective order, to those who are simply looking for education about the criminal justice system.
Between visiting shelters and fielding up to twenty inquiries a week, Cillian said, “It was very fascinating to actually go in person to these places, to listen to people who have experienced domestic violence, and to be able to say, ‘We’re here to help, and this is how we can help you.’”
A second-year student at the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law in Phoenix, Arizona, Cillian was born and raised in Anchorage. After completing his undergraduate degree in Maine, he took a gap year, during which he worked at the White House in intergovernmental affairs. There, he connected government representatives, including the sitting president, with leaders of Native tribes all over the country.
When he looked for an internship to fill the summer between his first two years at law school, a clerkship back in his hometown at ANJC became an opportunity to expand his understanding of tribal law and tribal issues.
“I wanted deepen my understanding of the relationship between tribal governments and the federal government through legal cases and research,” he said.
In addition to its services for victims, ANJC supports Alaska tribes with developing and improving their tribal justice systems. While clerking, Cillian gained more knowledge about Alaska Native tribes, learning the ways in which they differ from those in the Lower 48.
“I was in a federal Indian law course just a couple days ago, and they were talking about Alaska, and I got to pitch in a lot of experience I had at ANJC,” he described this fall, when he had returned to school.
Serving his clerkship with a smaller nonprofit agency, rather than at a law firm, Cillian observed, meant he quickly adapted to the office environment and got to hit the ground running. Soon into his experience, he was working independently on projects and receiving constructive feedback from staff lawyers, who helped him see documents from a lawyer’s perspective.
Cillian had the opportunity to network with other law students and with working attorneys at events like ANJC’s annual Law and Culture Days and a gathering hosted by ANJC for Alaska’s bar association.
“I got to talk to all these other law clerks who are all doing the same thing I’m doing and with people who also have a passion for indigenous law,” he said.
After law school, Cillian hopes to continue exploring opportunities at his own Native corporation, Bering Straits, as well as learn about the other ANCSA corporations and their nonprofits.
“It would be wonderful to see how other Alaska native corporations work and what their values are, and to bring indigenous law expertise to them,” he said. “Now that I’ve worked for ANJC and for Bering Straits, I would love to, if I ever got into politics, bring in a deeper understanding of the issues that Alaska Native people face.”
Gain experience in Alaska Native law and legal issues, while working at a nonprofit that serves all individuals and Alaska tribes: Apply for a clerkship or a fellowship at ANJC.
Your donation to ANJC’s Voices for Justice fundraiser supports justice for Alaska Native people, as well as educational programs, like our law clerkship, that encourage young people to explore careers in tribal law and indigenous issues. Donate today!
