Dr. Paddy Brzezinski - Faculty

Patricia "Paddy" Hawpetoss Brzezinski is of Menominee and Forest County Potawatomi heritage. She was born in Keshena on the Menominee Reservation and was given the name “Waupechewon” (something that always keeps moving – like a river) by her aunt, Waubanaqua Neconish. After serving as the CMN Vice President of Academic Affairs for two years, she decided to pursue her two passions, teaching and practicing law.

Paddy is the instructor for Tribal Legal Studies. The program is designed to educate tribal court judges, tribal court advocates, tribal administrators and tribal police officers in tribal and federal Indian law.

Paddy received a B.A. in sociology, with a minor in psychology, from Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She received a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988 and is admitted to practice law in the Menominee Tribal Court and the state and federal courts of Wisconsin.

Paddy practiced law privately before joining CMN. Previous to working full-time at CMN, she served as adjunct faculty at CMN and NWTC teaching such courses as Indian Law, Gaming Law and Regulations, and Corporate Law. She is a noted presenter in the areas of legal ethics, tribal courts, the Indian Child Welfare Act, federal Indian law, business law, and financing in Indian country.

Paddy is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin. She is the founder of the Indian Law Section, and a board member of the Administrative and Local Government Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. For nine years, she served as a Wisconsin Supreme Court appointee on the District 14 Committee of the Office of Lawyer Regulation.

Paddy is the daughter of the late "Breezy" and Laura (Hawpetoss) Brzezinski and the first grandchild of John Mayawakasic "Duffy" (Pemma) and Catherine (Wychesit) Hawpetoss. She has one daughter, Kotanee (Namahkokiew), who attends the Medical College of Wisconsin , and one son-in-law, Robert.