The University of New Mexico (UNM) recently announced that Gloria Valencia-Weber, a distinguished professor at the UNM School of Law, has been honored with the prestigious Pierce Hickerson Award by the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association (NLADA). The NLADA, a leading nonprofit organization committed to ensuring legal services for those unable to afford counsel, established this accolade in 2003 and awards it biennially.
Valencia-Weber is a notable figure in Native American law. She founded the Indian Law Certificate Program at UNM in 1994 and was appointed to the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors by President Obama in 2010. In addition to serving on the Oklahoma Indian Legal Services Board and providing training to tribal officials, Valencia-Weber also holds a position as a judge for the Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals. Recognized for her contributions to Indian Law publications, she recently received this award at the Annual Joint Conference in Oakland hosted by NLADA, according to a press release from UNM.
"This was a special honor as past awardees of the Pierce-Hickerson have been career pro-bono attorneys, whose work I greatly admire for their groundbreaking work in civil and criminal law. Some of the best pro-bono attorneys are our UNM Law graduates," said Valencia-Weber, as per a press release by UNM. "For a career law professor like me to be nominated by the National Association of Indian Law Services (NAILS) was unusual. I have been fortunate to know and work with these outstanding individuals as personal friends and professionals committed to making justice real in the lives of Native Americans."
According to its About webpage, LADA offers support, information, training, and technical assistance to individuals within the equal justice community, particularly those involved in public defense and civil legal aid. With over a century's history behind it, LADA has fostered connections and assisted individuals nationwide.
