Dear Sir:

This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 21st instant regarding the objections of the Mikasuki Seminoles of the State of Florida to the claim of the Seminole Indians of the State of Florida, Docket Nos. 73 and 73-A.

Since the claims were filed by attorneys under an approved contract, the Commission considers that under the Indian Claims Commission Act it is obliged to proceed with their hoaring and determination. But of course this will not bar the Mikasuki Seminoles from formally submitting objections to the prosecution of the claims as indicated in my letter of October 14. In this connection I might state that the attorneys are pressing for an early hearing on the pending claims so perhaps you should present your objections with as little delay as possible.

With reference to the second paragraph of your letter, the following is quoted from the Commission's Rules of Procedure:

"Sec. 34. Claims filed by attorney. Claims may be filed on behalf of a claimant by an attorney or firm of attorneys retained for that purpose under the provisions of section 15 of the act creating the Commission. where a claimant has retained more than one attorney or more than one firm of attorneys, only one of said attorneys shall be designated Individually as the attorney of record. All pleadings, notices, or other papers required by these rules or by orders of the Commission to be serviced upon a claimant, shall be sent to such attorney of record at the address designated by him, and service upon him shall be deemed to be service upon the claimant."

"Sec. 35. Attorneys to register. An attorney of record, on appearing in a case, shall register with the clerk of the Commission his name and post-office address or the designation as such and his post-office address may be shown at the end of the petition."

There is enclosed a copy of the form used for registration of attorneys.

                                                        Very truly yours,

Jal:ko

James A. Langston
Clerk