Emily Marrer

I never thought I would be a lawyer—I was a kid in Special Education, with an [Individualized Educational Plan]. I was bullied and felt othered. I had a complicated cultural identity. But I had a family that could and did advocate for me and I have a goal to do that for others.

Emily Marrer grew up in Arizona and is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Today, as a lawyer for children and youth in Portland, Oregon, Emily brings an incredibly unique perspective to the work as a person with learning disabilities and with a complex family and cultural history. That unique perspective just might be her superpower and why she is this month’s Fearless Children’s Lawyer.

There was privilege in my growing up with a mother that was a social worker, a family that advocated for me and supported my educational needs, and growing up with a family that worked to untangle a complex tribal identity. As I grew up, I wanted to take that privilege and help others.

Generations back, members of Emily’s maternal family were sent to the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, one of the most notorious and brutal of the boarding schools that were part of the “kill the Indian, save the man” federal policy. 

My great grandfather and his siblings were sent to Carlisle—my family’s native culture was lost for over a generation. Through my aunts and uncles, and especially my mother, I have been able to develop a relationship with my tribal culture, my tribe, and my own identity as a native person.

But reestablishing a connection to her tribe was not the end of the complexity. 

I have always been interested in my native culture, but when I first started applying to Native American programs in school, I felt conflicted and that maybe I was a fraud. My experience was as a white middle class kid from Phoenix—but over time and being hands on with the work, with clients and service providers, I have found a path to embrace my identity and work through the loss in our family from the boarding schools.

Emily was also helped by the book Braiding Sweetgrass, which she says helped her come full circle and was inspirational to her in finding her cultural identity—the author of the book, Robin Wall Kimmerer, is Emily’s second cousin. It is clear talking with Emily that her path to reconcile family trauma and cultural identity informs her legal advocacy and how she approaches her clients, especially in Indian Child Welfare Act cases, who often face similar issues of trauma and conflicting identities. 

Emily really never imagined being a lawyer. After she graduated from the University of Oregon Law School, Emily joined the Native American Program at Legal Aid Services of Oregon where she practiced for three years as a juvenile dependency attorney prior to joining Sage Legal Center. 

As she has honed her skills, Emily has seen that really listening is critical. Practices as simple as sitting with kids and youth, hearing their stories, honoring their knowledge and experience, and understanding their strengths and where their successes lie can make a world of difference. 

I really enjoy working with kids, I enjoy getting to know who they are. Because of the struggles I had educationally and with cultural identity, I think I can be empathetic and see a person who has not had much opportunity in life, has had trauma, and I can help them know they can be successful. I want to be able to give kids what they need while in the system, lift them up, find their own identity and strength. 

Emily has definitely accomplished that lifting up, and the child welfare community is privileged to have her. It is no surprise that Emily has recently been asked to consider a position on the bench, another opportunity she can bring her unique perspective to and where she can meet her goal to do good for others.

Emily’s advice to new lawyers or lawyers new to children’s law is to not be afraid to make a mistake.

You will not always say the right thing. It is important to keep in mind that these kids have lived and have experienced what has been taking place in this case, and it is important to not hide what is happening—have open and honest conversations to be sure we are providing the support and trauma-informed practice. They know what is happening, and we need to be as trauma informed as possible.

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