THE CENTER FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS
The Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights (CIPR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free and low-cost legal services and critical nation-building technical assistance to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous nations exercising their inherent rights to self-governance and cultural, social, and economic development. The CIPR also engages in policy research and development to address the challenges impacting Indigenous peoples and Indigenous nations and to advance the policy interests of Indigenous peoples.
The CIPR’s vision is to ensure justice and equity for Indigenous peoples and Indigenous nations under U.S. and international law.
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The CIPR is an Indigenous-led organization and is dedicated to expanding the pipeline of Indigenous peoples in the legal field.
CIPR Directors
Executive Director
Mashapaug Nahaganset Tribe
Co-Director
Baramaya Guainia Yukayeke
Co-Director
Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe
CIPR Board of Directors
Dr. James D. Diamond, Yale University School of Law
Professor David Logan, Fmr. Dean of Roger Williams University School of Law
Mario McClain Jr., Esq., Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (Wabbaquassett Nipmuc Tribe)
Sonia Thomas, College Unbound (Narragansett Indian Tribe)
Juan K. Wilson, Jr., MUSE Foundation (Pequot/Narragansett)
CIPR's Refferal Attorneys
The CIPR has a robust team of referral attorneys providing legal assistance and alternative dispute resolution, including peacemaking for Indigenous and underserved communities and beyond.
In addition, the Center prides itself in providing an educational law program for Indigenous and other underserved youth; and educating and raising awareness in the legal profession on various aspects of state, federal and international Indigenous law and policy.
The Center also hosts undergraduate, graduate, and law student interns who assist with legal research and other aspects of the Center's work. We thank every one for their dedication and efforts towards assisting the Center in achieving it's goals and objectives.​
Meet The Team
Brian Allen
Attorney
Director of Micro-to-Small Business Services, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC)
Experienced legal professional (Suffolk Law School, JD, 2002) in criminal and civil litigation, business manager and consultant with a demonstrated history of providing general business management, project management and analysis and for all kinds of organizations. In-depth knowledge and experience in Corporations law including, but not limited to, entity creation (For Profit (C-Corp, S-Corp or LLC) and Nonprofit, and Domestic and Foreign incorporation for all states), contract drafting and negotiation, and trademarking. MA certified mediator.
Valerie Bataille
Attorney/CIPR Administrator
Valerie Bataille is an attorney licensed in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court, with extensive experience as a mediator. She recently retired after 27 years with the USEPA, where she supported Tribal capacity building, reviewed and assisted with developing administrative and financial policies that aligned with EPA grant regulations, and designed scientific studies on toxin impacts to Tribal communities. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with New England Tribes and the national Joseph Seifter Award for completing the first EPA Tribal Risk Assessment, which informed Maine’s Tribal Water Quality Standards. With nearly three decades of alternative dispute resolution experience—including mediating EEO cases, Tribal issues, court matters, and facilitating strategic planning—she now serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association and the Center for Mediation and Collaboration of RI, helping clients and indigenous peoples navigate legal and administrative challenges.
Jillian Lecza
Attorney
Pokanoket Tribe, Pokanoket Nation. Jill earned her B.S. in legal studies from the University of New Haven in 2019 and her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2025. During law school she was an associate editor and later executive editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law. She was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 2025. Her experience includes work in elder law, juvenile law, personal injury litigation, and insurance defense matters.
Dr. Taino Palermo
Attorney
For over 20 years, Dr. Taino J. Palermo has worked to affect change in policy and practice in the areas of nonprofit management, community and economic development, and education reform. Dr. Palermo is a founding faculty member of College Unbound and served as the Director for both the Community Development and Healthy Communities degree programs at Roger Williams University’s University College in Providence, Rhode Island where he founded the state’s first and only graduate program in Community Development. In 2022, Dr. Palermo completed his law degree at Roger Williams University School of Law where he co-founded the American Indian Law Student Association, and most recently, co-founded the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights, the only pro bono legal services and policy center on the east coast. Dr. Palermo also teaches Federal Indian Law and Tribal Courts & Governments courses at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Jennifer Rawlings
Attorney
Jennifer Rawlings is a Senior Contracts Manager at Yale University and the Co- Director at the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights, a non-profit, Indigenous-led organization the provides low cost legal services to Indigenous peoples and communities. She enjoys providing critical national building support to Tribal communities and increasing pathways to the legal practice. Attorney Rawlings is an active member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and enjoys diving into the rich history of the northeast Tribes’. Attorney Rawlings received her B.A from the University of Massachusetts where she completed a double major in legal studies and journalism as well as the certificate program in Native American Indian studies. She received her J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2015. After law school she volunteered as the chair of the Greater New Haven NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee for several years, where she successfully assisted community members with discrimination cases. While at Yale, Attorney Rawlings co-founded the affinity group, Indigenous Leaders at Yale, a group that fosters community for Indigenous staff and faculty at the University. When not working, Jennifer loves to travel, practice basketry, spend time with family, and participate in pow-wows.
Jasjeet Sahani
Attorney
Jasjeet Sahani is an attorney licensed to practice in state and federal courts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. She is an experienced litigator, who focuses her practice on representing a wide array of policyholders, ranging from individuals to international corporations, in complex coverage disputes. In addition to litigation, she has experience representing clients in arbitrations, appraisals, and mediations. Jasjeet’s interest in federal tribal law was piqued while she was in law school, where she received the CALI Excellence Award in American Indian Law and ranked 14th at the 2020 National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition. She joined the Center in February 2025 to further her goal of providing legal representation to tribal communities.
Raymond Two Hawks Watson
Attorney
Raymond Two Hawks Watson is an attorney, advocate, educator, cultural practitioner, convener, and business professional with approximately 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and executive administration. Watson’s skills consist of program development & implementation, grant writing, motivational speaking, leadership & cultural development consulting, community organizing, and event planning. Watson has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Union College in New York, a master’s degree in community planning from the University of Rhode Island, and a juris doctorate from the Roger Williams University School of Law. Watson is licensed to practice law by the Rhode Island Supreme Court and by the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Watson is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights and also serves on the Board of the Mount Hope Community Center, the Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School, the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education, the Community Medication Center of Rhode Island, and the Providence External Review Authority.