Tribal Courts and Secured Transactions Law Workshops

This comprehensive two-day workshop will focus primarily on the provisions of the Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act, which has been enacted by many tribes. The workshop will offer instruction on the basics of secured transactions law, including the use of such personal property as inventory, equipment, receivables, and consumer goods as collateral for extensions of credit. Specific topics will include the conditions that must be satisfied for a lender to obtain an enforceable security interest in a borrower’s collateral; the importance of a sound central filing system by which secured lenders may make their security interests known to the public, thereby giving prospective secured creditors and buyers of the collateral the means to learn about existing security interests; the rules that govern the prioritization of rights in the collateral when competing claims arise; the procedures that a secured creditor must follow to realize upon its collateral if the borrower defaults on its repayment obligation; and the rules that protect the rights of both consumer and business borrowers. The workshops will also address aspects of secured transactions law that are unique to tribal jurisdictions.

Instructors: The instructors for the workshop are William H. Henning, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Alabama School of Law, Maylinn Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of Montana School of Law, and Susan Woodrow, Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis/Helena Montana Branch. Each of the instructors has expertise in secured-transactions law and each was instrumental in the development of the Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act. They bring unique and diverse perspectives to the workshops. Professor Henning is a respected national and international scholar and lecturer on secured-transactions law, Professor Smith has extensive experience as a tribal trial and appellate judge and also as legal counsel, and Ms. Woodrow is an expert on the requirements for sound economic development.

CLE Credits
Forms to apply for CLE credits will be available.