LEONIKA ROSE CHARGING – Associate
Omaha , Nebraska
phone: 402.333.4053
fax: 402.333.4761
email: email me
Ms. Charging joined the firm in 2007.
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Ms. Charging is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes ( Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara)
PRACTICE AREAS: Tribal governance; administrative law; economic development and Indian gaming
ADMISSIONS: State Courts of South Dakota; State Courts of Nebraska; Federal District Court for the District of Nebraska; Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; South Dakota State Bar, Indian Law Section; Nebraska State Bar, Government Practice Section; Federal Bar Association, Indian Law Section; Native Bar Association; American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division.
EDUCATION: University of South Dakota School of Law (J.D., 2003); University of Kansas (B.A., Political Science and Crime & Delinquency Studies, 1997
PRIOR LEGAL EXPERIENCE: Previously, Ms. Charging was an Associate Attorney in Omaha, Nebraska with a law firm specializing in Indian law, and earlier was a Legal Analyst for the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska Tribal Court in Niobrara, Nebraska. Ms. Charging also served as a Law Clerk for Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker in Washington, D.C. and a Research Assistant at the University of South Dakota School of Law.
Ms. Charging has prepared briefs and motions regarding civil matters as well as administrative appeals regarding 638 contracts, grants and financial matters. She has drafted policy and procedure manuals for tribal governmental agencies, including composing regulations governing procurement, employment, travel and record keeping and drafting of numerous tribal codes. Ms. Charging has also prepared advisory decisions for tribal council representatives and executive officers. She has also advised election boards and facilitated Secretarial Elections to amend tribal constitutions. Ms. Charging has also examined and analyzed legislation relating to Indian gaming, federal trust property, environmental, health and social services issues. Ms. Charging has also conducted negotiation and settlement of workers compensation and personal injury claims. In her work with the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, she assisted with the implementation and set up of the Santee Sioux Tribal Court. While serving as a law clerk, Ms. Charging prepared legal memorandums primarily on issues related to Indian law, attended congressional hearings and drafted reports on the progress of legislation. She also compiled and summarized an extensive catalog of administrative law decisions.
LEGAL AUTHORSHIP: “Practicing in Tribal Courts: A Rewarding Opportunity,” The Nebraska Lawyer, July, 2005. “Atkinson v. Shirley: A Taxing Decision on Tribal Sovereign Power,” Volume 47 South Dakota Law Review, 2002.
HONORS: South Dakota Law Review; Symposium Editor; Published Author; Quarterfinalist 2001 Sam Masten Moot Court Tournament; Best Brief Award, 2001 Sam Masten Moot Court Tournament; 3rd Place Brief Honors at 2003 National Native American Law Students Moot Court Competition; C.A.L.I. Awards for Highest Grades in Torts, Ciminal Procedure, Indian Law, Administrative Law, Trial Techniques & Selected Topics in Indian Law; Recipient of three law school foundation scholarships and the EPA Tribal Lands Environmental Scholarship and the National Indian Education Association Alice Tonemah Scholarship.
ACTIVITIES & AFFILIATIONS: Panelist, “Practicing Federal Indian Law”, University of Nebraska College of Law, Native American Law Seminar, November 2006; Presenter, “School to Prison Pipeline”, Sioux City Community Schools School Law Seminar, September 2006; Presenter, “Tribal Constitutional Revisions”, Bureau of Indian Affairs Economic Development Conference, April 2006; Presenter, “Legal Updates Concerning Indian Child Welfare Act”, North Dakota Tribal Foster Care Conference, October 2005; Presenter, “Tribal Sovereignty and the Era of Self Determination”, Nebraska Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission Native American Symposium, September 2005; Panel Moderator, Indian Law Symposium, University of South Dakota School of Law, April 2002.