Elana Hicks
Elana Hicks
Elana Hicks was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and minors in Art History and Sociology. Elana then graduated from the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in 2022.
Through her law school courses on Domestic Relations, Indian Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Elana became passionate about Domestic Relations Law—both at the state and tribal levels—and Mediation. After completing a year-long externship with the Great North Innocence Project, she was a summer intern for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. During her final year of law school, Elana was part of the WORKS Clinic, a service for low-income and pro se divorcing couples.
Elana worked on South Dakota Law Review from 2020 to 2022, and as a research assistant from 2021 to 2022. Engagement with the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) led Elana to participate in two NALSA Symposiums and allowed her to attend the Federal Bar Association Annual Indian Law Conference in Albuquerque in 2022. She was also a member of the law school group OUTLaws, in which Queer individuals and allies support the LGBTQI+ community.
Elana began as an associate at Riggins Family Law & Mediation, Prof. L.L.C., in the fall of 2022. Elana practices Domestic Relations Law and is committed to being an advocate in this field.