Working in Partnership: Tribal Collaboration in Environmental, International, and Health Law
DATE: Thursday, November 20 2025
TIME: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm MST
LOCATION: Virtual Event
ABOUT THE EVENT:
This CLE, presented in honor of Native American Heritage Month, features faculty from the S.J. Quinney College of Law discussing ongoing collaborations with Tribes and First Nations. Topics include cross-border legal work through the Elk-Kootenai joint reference, experiential learning opportunities in the International Law Clinic, the recognition of tribal rights in the Great Salt Lake Project, and culturally responsive health policy through the CEREMONY initiative. Panelists will share lessons learned from these partnerships and their implications for practitioners working with Indigenous communities and on issues of sovereignty, environment, and justice.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner is the Jefferson B. & Rita E. Fordham Presidential Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. A nationally recognized expert in environmental and Indian law, she has authored or co-authored several books and over 40 articles and book chapters. A citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, she has served as an appellate judge for her Tribe and a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Dean Kronk Warner has received multiple teaching excellence awards and has taught courses in property, Indian, environmental, and natural resources law. Nationally, she serves as chair of the AALS Deans Steering and Membership Review Committees, co-chairs the ABA New Deans Workshop, and is a Trustee on the LSAC Board of Trustees. She previously served on the Federal Bar Association’s national Board of Directors, receiving its President’s Award in 2014. Dean Kronk Warner holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan and a B.S. from Cornell University.
John Ruple is a Research Professor of Law and Stegner Center Fellow at the Wallace Stegner Center for Land Resources and the Environment, where he directs the Law and Policy Program. He previously served as Senior Counsel in the White House Council on Environmental Quality under the Biden Administration. His research focuses on federal public lands, environmental permitting, and critical mineral mining. Before joining the University of Utah in 2008, he worked as a policy analyst in Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.’s Public Lands Office, an environmental attorney in private practice, and a NEPA contractor. His work has appeared in leading journals including Harvard Environmental Law Review, Columbia Environmental Law Journal, and Ecology Law Quarterly, and he has authored or coauthored numerous government reports and environmental assessments.
Jackie Morrison serves as the Director of Experiential Education at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she oversees the College’s comprehensive experiential learning curriculum, including in-house clinics, field placements, and simulation courses. In this role, she ensures that students gain the practical skills and global perspective essential for modern legal practice. She also directs the International Law Clinic and teaches courses in international law, international humanitarian law, international legal research, and comparative legal studies. Through her leadership and teaching, Jackie fosters hands-on learning opportunities that connect classroom theory with real-world application, preparing students to engage thoughtfully and effectively in the international legal arena.
Brig Daniels is an expert in environmental and property law and serves as Co-Director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources & the Environment, where he leads the Great Salt Lake Project. His research focuses on policy solutions to protect Great Salt Lake and the history of environmental law. A recipient of multiple teaching awards and research grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Daniels teaches courses in water, environmental, and natural resources law. He holds a JD from Stanford Law School and a PhD from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, as well as MPA and undergraduate degrees from the University of Utah. Before returning to Utah, he taught at BYU Law, the University of Houston Law Center, and Duke Law School.
Beth Parker is an Assistant Professor of Law (Research) at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, a Senior Fellow at the Wallace Stegner Center, and Associate Director of the Great Salt Lake Project. Her research focuses on water security, air pollution, Tribal environmental law, and developing policy solutions to protect Great Salt Lake. She teaches courses in Air Pollution Law & Policy, Water Law, and Environmental Policy Accelerator Clinics. Parker also serves on the leadership team of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy and is the community engagement lead for the University’s ELEVATE Maternal Health Center of Excellence. Before joining the faculty, she practiced Tribal, environmental, and natural resources law and taught Federal Indian Law at BYU Law. A BYU Law graduate (cum laude, 2006), she is a founding member of the Utah Tribal Relief Foundation and serves on the boards of the Refugee Justice League and Utah Crew.
For questions about this event, email events@law.utah.edu.
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The S.J. Quinney College of Law is pleased to provide free CLE opportunities for attorneys. All donations welcome to support our programs.