Galanda Broadman partner and Chehalis Tribal citizen Amber Penn-Roco is profiled in the September 2024 edition of “Washington Tribes,” a newsletter published by the Washington Indian Gaming Association. Through Q&A, Amber shares her inspiring journey to the legal profession, where she now represents Tribes and Indigenous communities. Her interview is also shown in the below YouTube video.
A couple excerpts:
Q: Please tell us about your work.
A: I am a partner at Galanda Broadman, an Indigenous rights law firm. I specialize in environmental protection and the preservation of cultural and natural resources. Being an attorney is a challenging career, and I find that the best way to navigate it is by finding work you are passionate about. My entire life, I knew I wanted to work on behalf of the Indigenous people, in order to give back to the communities that have given me so much. I think that the Tribes and Indigenous communities that I represent appreciate having an advocate who looks like them, who understands their communities, who understands the intricacies of what it is like to live on a reservation, to be a part of a Tribe, and to constantly fight for recognition as a government.Q: What does your family think of where your education has taken you?
A: They are so proud. My mom was my biggest cheerleader. She loved that I went to law school. One of my favorite photos of us ever taken is a picture from my law school graduation. You can just feel how proud she is and how she feels like she made it too. And my daughters. They see me, a strong, female, person of color, an attorney owning my own law firm, and they have someone to look up to. I think they are very proud of me.
Amber Penn-Roco is a partner at Galanda Broadman. Her practice focuses on tribal sovereignty issues, including environmental issues, economic development, and complex Indian Country litigation. Her experience also includes work on transactional matters, including entity formation, environmental compliance and permitting. Amber is an enrolled member of the Chehalis Tribe.
