Lauren van Schilfgaarde serves as TLPI’s Tribal Law Specialist, facilitating technical assistance to tribal courts, including Healing to Wellness Courts, and researching legal and policy issues as they face tribal governance and sovereignty. Lauren works with tribes on building tribal justice capacity, restorative justice models, and child welfare and culturally competent best practices. Lauren additionally serves as Professor for the Tribal Legal Development Clinic at the UCLA School of Law. Prior to TLPI, Lauren served as law clerk for the Native American Rights Fund and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Lauren is licensed in the State of California, and currently serves on the board of the National Native American Bar Association, the American Bar Association’s Native American Concerns Committee, and the American Bar Association’s Tribal Courts Council. Lauren previously served on the board of the California Indian Law Association. Lauren graduated from the UCLA School of Law, where she focused her studies on tribal and federal Indian law. Lauren is originally from Albuquerque, NM.