Thomas W. Fredericks wins alumni award for career in Indian law

Wednesday, September 28, 2011  

Thomas W. Fredericks, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota, received the Minot State University Alumni Association’s Golden Award for his dedication to Indian law.

After graduating from MSU, Fredericks, 68, enrolled in the University of Colorado Boulder Law School. He was only a student but he started the Indian law program there.

“When I went to law school, it didn’t have any Indian law, and I talked one of my professors into teaching Indian law — I helped write the curriculum,” Fredericks told The Dickinson Press.

He went on to work for the California Indian Legal Defense Fund, the Native American Rights Fund and the Interior Department. Now he runs his own firm -- Fredericks, Peebles & Morgan.

“We are probably the biggest Indian law firm in the country with offices in eight states,” he said

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Fredericks dedicates life to Indian law (The Dickinson Press 9/28)