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Katherine Belzowski

Assistant Attorney General

Katherine Belzowski currently serves as the Assistant Attorney General for the Economic Community Development Unit (ECDU). She received a B.A. from Cornell University, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, and a L.L.M. in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. Before working with ECDU Katherine worked for five years as an attorney with the Department of Justice Litigation Unit where she handled a variety of tribal, state, and federal cases. She is licensed to practice law in Arizona, Michigan (inactive), Navajo Nation, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Arizona, New Mexico, the Ninth and Tenth Circuit. Katherine is the mom of three small humans and enjoys running and biking in the high desert surrounding Gallup, New Mexico.

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Frances Sjoberg

Principal Attorney

Frances Sjoberg was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and raised in Globe, Arizona. She received her law degree with honors from the University of Arizona, where she was editor-in-chief of the Arizona Law Review. She is a principal attorney in the Economic and Community Development Unit of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. Previously, she was a partner in the Tribal Affairs group at Lewis Roca, an associate in commercial real estate at Polsinelli, and a judicial clerk for Arizona Supreme Court Justice John Pelander. Since 2012, she has been a Flinn-Brown Fellow with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership. In 2021 and 2022, she was recognized in AZ Business Leaders in the category of Native American Law, in 2021 as a Leader of the Year in Law by Arizona Capitol Times, and in 2020 as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona. She is licensed to practice law in Navajo Nation and Arizona.

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Julianne Begay

Principal Attorney

Julianne Begay is a Principal Attorney in the Economic and Community Development Unit of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. She is Tóhtsóhnii born for Tódich’ii’nii. Her maternal grandfather is Tsènjákiní and her paternal grandfather is Tóhtsóhnii. Julianne is originally from Klagetoh, Arizona, but grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and currently lives in Bayfield, Colorado. Julianne received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and her Juris Doctorate from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Julianne has practiced law for 8 years. Before joining the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Julianne worked for Colorado Legal Services, a state-wide non-profit that provides free legal services to low-income Colorado residents, where she focused on divorce, custody, and landlord-tenant matters. Prior to that, Julianne worked as an in-house attorney for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and as an associate for Maynes, Bradford Shipps, & Sheftel, LLP. Julianne is licensed to practice law in Arizona, Colorado, and the Navajo Nation. Outside of work, Julianne enjoys Crossfit, rec league soccer, hiking, learning how to mountain bike, DIY home projects, and volunteering in her community.

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Lillian L. Schwales

Senior Attorney

Lillian L. Schwales originally joined the Department of Justice in 2017 and is a Senior Attorney in the Economic and Community Development Unit. Starting out working on Chapter matters until the creation of the Chapter Unit, she represents the Division of Community Development, Division of Economic Development, Navajo Nation Enterprises and Boards, and assists the Nation with other matters as needed.
Lillian graduated with a B.A. from Miami University; where during school and after graduating, she developed her business career at Top Trumps USA, an international toy and game company. She later received her J.D. from American University.
She has practiced law over six years, and in addition to her work at the Navajo Nation, Lillian has taught clinical law at the American University Community, Economic, and Equity Development Law Clinic, clerked at the Peace Corp Inspector General’s Office, and received the J.D. Distinguished Fellowship to work with the Project on Addressing Prison Rape, where she assisted the federal government with policy development and the creation of training resources concerning the treatment of LGBTQ persons in custody.
Originally from Ohio, she is licensed to practice law in Virginia, New Mexico, on and the Navajo Nation. In her spare time, Lillian enjoys taking her two dogs out for hikes, spending time with her family, and watching professional hockey and soccer.

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Susan Eastman

Principal Attorney

Susan Eastman was born and raised in New Jersey. She has lived in the Southwest since May 2002 and in Arizona since November 2004. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in Anthropology and History in 1991and a Master of Library Service in January 1994 from Rutgers University. She earned her Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School and graduated in May 2002. She is the Principal Attorney and Director of the Navajo-Hopi Legal Services Program, where she began as a staff attorney in June 2009. She represents individual Navajos in their claims for relocation assistance benefits before the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation and in federal court. She also provides legal assistance and advice to the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission and Office, and advocacy on behalf of Navajo relocates with the Navajo Nation Washington Office. Before working for NHLSP, Susan worked in private practice as an associate attorney for a California-based law firm in the firm’s Las Vegas and Phoenix’s offices representing subcontractors as insurance defense counsel in construction defect litigation. She has also worked as an attorney for two other Arizona law firms. As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona, Susan represented the Arizona Department of Child Safety in dependency and parental termination proceedings, including ICWA cases involving Navajo children. She is licensed to practice in Arizona, Nevada (inactive), the Navajo Nation, the U.S. District Court of Arizona, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. She lives with her son Gabriel in Flagstaff, Arizona. She enjoys yoga, meditation, cooking, playing music, and hiking in her spare time.

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Laura M. King

Legal Secretary

Laura M King was born and raised on the Navajo Reservation. She lives in Coalmine Canyon since 2005, been working with Navajo Nation for 20 years with different Departments, earned office administration certificate in Mesa, Arizona in 1979. Lives with my adopted children enjoy beading work and pertains to my children and my Grandchildren’s.

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