Indian Law Fellow
Leila earned her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles in 2021 where she majored in American Indian Studies. In 2025, she earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, graduating with specializations in Native Nations Law & Policy, Critical Race Studies, and Public Interest Law & Policy.
At UCLA Law, Leila served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Indigenous Peoples’ Journal of Law, Culture, & Resistance and both Media Chair and Recruitment Chair of UCLA’s Native American Law Student Association. Leila’s accolades in her time at law school include being a Graton Scholar, a Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellow, and an Articles Editor of the UCLA Law Review.
Leila worked as a research assistant for Professor Lauren van Schilfgaarde in law school researching the implications of tax and citizenship laws for tribes, energy and environmental law, and the doctrine of aboriginal title. She also worked first-hand with tribal clients through UCLA’s Tribal Legal Development Clinic working on issues including ICWA and the development of tribal court rules. Her skill for traversing tribal courts and code development grew during her time externing at the Yurok Office of the Tribal Attorney. Leila’s first summer was spent as a law clerk at the Intertribal Court of Southern California. She also has a great passion for legal aid, as she has volunteered extensively with pro bono housing clinics and spent her second summer at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego.