Lawrence M. Kasen

Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, Lawrence M. Kasen was deeply aware of the unequal treatment individuals faced based on race and origin. This awareness fueled his passion for ensuring that the civil rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution are accessible to all. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he explored the history, religion, languages, and culture of Native American peoples, alongside cultural anthropology.

In 1976, Lawrence enrolled at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. There, he was influenced by Herbert Reid, a renowned constitutional law professor involved in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. This exposure, along with other civil rights courses, led to a 1978 summer clerkship with the Solicitor's Office - Division of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior.

Encouraged by the Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs, Lawrence undertook a special fellowship in Indian Law and Natural Resources Law at the University of New Mexico's National Indian Law Center in Albuquerque. This fellowship equipped him to work for two and a half years representing Indian tribes and individual Native Americans in Nebraska and Arizona.