Cutting Sign to the Legal Profession
September 29-30, 2023
Register Today!
For millennia Indigenous peoples have used focused attention and a deep understanding of their surroundings, the behaviors of humans, birds and four legged creatures, and a clear intention to track and find people and animals. Today this practice is generally referred to as cutting sign or sign cutting.
Finding your place in the many and varied workplaces available to recent law school graduates requires the same kind of focused attention, understanding and clear intention that Indigenous peoples bring to cutting sign. This program introduces you to the key skill set you will need and an array of practices you will have available as you begin this next phase of your journey in the law.
This event will help Native law students break into the legal profession by attending panels, honing skills, developing a personal brand, networking with professionals, and participating in a day of interviewing with employers from across the country. Sessions will include resume/cover letter workshops, mock interviews, networking, and the elevator pitch workshops, and specific advice on applying for judicial clerkships, in-house, firm, governmental, JD advantage, and other opportunities. In addition, there will be opportunities for informal networking.
Interested students click here to register for the program » | Interested employers click here to register for the program »
Funding for the program will be given-out on a first-come-first-served basis so register today to reserve your place in line! In the coming weeks, those that register will receive an email with a request for more information.
What Does the Program Cost?
In our first year we were able to fully fund all 34 students, including travel, meals, registration, housing, and transfers. We are actively raising funds to be able to provide a similar level of support and to expand the cohort of students to 50 for the 2023/2024 program.
If you are a student, please register at the link above today and we will keep in close contact as we finalize funding. We try to fund based on a first come first served basis, so the sooner you sign up the better!
If you are interested in supporting this one-of-a-kind program, please contact Lexie Kite, and we will send you information on how to support this incredible opportunity and how your donation can help change the lives of Cutting Sign students and those they will serve after graduation.
If you are member of the faculty or administration at a U.S. law school, a member of the bench or bar, or someone with connections to Native American law students, please share this opportunity and encourage students to apply and encourage potential donors to help us underwrite student costs.
If you are member of the faculty or administration at a U.S. law school, a member of the bench or bar, or anyone else with connections to Native American law students, please share this opportunity.
Schedule TBD
Students will arrive Thursday, September 28, and depart on Sunday October 1. Students will stay at the University of Utah Guest House, conveniently located on campus with easy access to the light rail, and just minutes from the law school and downtown Salt Lake City.
The formal program will take place on September 29 and 30, starting at 8:30, running throughout the day, and includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will release a detailed schedule soon.
Sponsored by:
The University of Idaho College of Law, The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, The University of Washington School of Law, and Ballard Spahr.
