The Attorneys

Firm Member Ronald Whitener (Squaxin Island) focuses on assisting tribes and Native American organizations to develop systems regulating research by non-natives conducted in tribal communities.

Ron graduated from the University of Washington School of Law and upon graduation worked as in-house legal counsel for the Squaxin Island Tribe. He also served as a staff attorney at the Northwest Justice Project where he represented low-income Native American clients in federal, state and tribal courts. In 2000, he returned to the University of Washington Law School to teach and formed the Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic. Between 2008 and the present, Ron has served as Chief Judge for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Indian Reservation and the Tulalip Tribes. Among other awards, in 2011, Ron was named a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama for his work in providing public defense in tribal courts. Ron retired as the Chief Judge for the Tulalip Tribal Court in 2020. Ron is also a co-owner of the Indian-owned consulting firm The Whitener Group,.

ronw@fortwhitener.com

Firm Member Kathryn Fort has been a practicing attorney representing tribes for over 15 years in both state and federal courts. She currently represents the four intervening tribes in a major Constitutional challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act. She is the author of American Indian Children and the Law, published by Carolina Academic Press. She is the founding Director of the Indian Law Clinic at Michigan State University College of Law where she teaches the Clinic and traditional classes in federal Indian law. Ms. Fort has written articles on laches and land claims and has researched and written extensively on the Indian Child Welfare Act. Her publications include articles in the Harvard Public Health Review, George Mason Law Review, Saint Louis University Law Journal, and American Indian Law Review. She co-edited Facing the Future: The Indian Child Welfare Act at 30 with Wenona T. Singel and Matthew L.M. Fletcher (Michigan State University Press 2009). She co-edits the popular and influential Indian law blog, TurtleTalk with Professor Matthew Fletcher. Kate is also a Senior Consultant with The Whitener Group.

Ms. Fort graduated magna cum laude in from Michigan State University College of Law with the Certificate in Indigenous Law, and is licensed to practice law in Michigan and in various federal courts. She received her B.A. in History with honors from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.

katef@fortwhitener.com

Adrian "Addie" Smith was the staff attorney for the National Indian Child Welfare Association where she worked with tribes across the country on improving their family serving systems. Immediately prior to joining Fort Whitener as Of Counsel, Ms. Smith was counsel for the Judiciary Committees of the Oregon State Legislature where she worked extensively on the Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act and other legislation. Ms. Smith also facilitates strategic planning for tribal and other organizations, including recent work with the National American Indian Court Judges Association. She also is the owner of Tobin Smith Consulting and a Senior Consultant with The Whitener Group, LLC.

addie@fortwhitener.com