Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act Law
Sponsored by the OCDLA Juvenile Law Committee
Addie Smith, Senior Consultant, Whitener Group
To purchase this program in the CLE Archive, click here.



Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020
Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m.


CLE: 1 access to justice credit, pending approval.


This one-hour webinar will provide an interactive overview of the Oregon ICWA law (online here) passed in the June 2020 special session. It will briefly describe the process that led to the laws' passage and then highlight key differences between the Federal ICWA (and current practice) and the new law. 

Presenter Addie Smith was the staff attorney for the National Indian Child Welfare Association where she, along with the NARF Supreme Court Project, coordinated the response and amicus briefs in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. She then worked as a staff attorney at Youth, Rights & Justice where she represented children, youth, and parents in Oregon's Court of Appeals. She now primarily works as a Senior Consultant with the Whitener Group where she collaborates with tribes to assess and strengthen their justice systems. Immediately prior to joining TWG, Addie was counsel for the Judiciary Committees of the Oregon State Legislature where she coordinated the legislative work group that devised the Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act and other pieces of child welfare and juvenile justice legislation. Addie has published numerous articles related to the Indian Child Welfare Act including an annual collaboration with Professor Kate Fort that summarizes yearly trends ICWA cases nationwide for the American Indian Law Journal. 

Ryan Phillips, OCDLA Juvenile Law Committee member, will moderate.

There will be additional in-depth explorations of ICWA webinars in the next few weeks. Check back for dates and topics.



Can you chip in $10? $25? Any support appreciated. Donate here. Thank you.

*** CLE Credit pending approval. The webinar will be recorded and made available for viewing.  ***