S.J. Quinney College of Law

For millennia, Indigenous peoples have used focused attention, a deep understanding of their surroundings, and a clear intention to track and find people and animals. Today this practice is generally referred to as cutting sign.

Charting your path as a law student or recent law graduate can be challenging as you seek to understand your career options and fulfill your personal and professional ambitions.

Cutting Sign to the Legal Profession will help you hone key skills and explore practices you may want to pursue after graduation. This event will help you succeed now and in your career by:

• Honing skills, like networking and interviewing
• Developing an authentic personal and professional brand and elevator pitch
• Networking with peers and professionals
• Learning critical lessons from those practicing in the field of Native law and with Native communities
• Accessing the advice of senior experts in career development from leading schools and employers, and
• Participating in a day of interviewing with employers from across the country

We encourage you to apply to attend the program if you are a current law student in the U.S. or Canada with a connection to or demonstrated interest in:

• Working with Native American, Alaska Native, First Nations, or other indigenous North American populations,
• Practicing in the area of Indian law, or
• Working with tribal nations or entities

Applications will be approved based on the applicant's interest (as demonstrated in their application) and available funding.

Our goal is to fully fund the cost of the program for all student participants. Funding for the program will be given out on a first-come first-served basis, so register today to reserve your place in line! Those who register will receive an email with a request for more information. Preliminary registration will close at 5 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.