February 2024

UNM School of Law 2L Student Amber Reano featured in ABA Human Rights Magazine

UNM School of Law student Amber Reano (2L) published an article that was featured in the ABA Human Rights Magazine on January 2, 2024. Reano’s article is titled “It Is Time to Recognize Native American Lawyers.” The article highlights the need for more Native American attorneys and how the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives (PLSI), housed at the UNM School of Law, supports Native American students before and during law school. Reano explains, “the future of Indian lawyering is bright despite the constant fight to stay visible.”

Read Reano’s article here.

Professor Maryam Ahranjani

• Authored an amicus brief for Trump v. Anderson.
• Interviewed on AirTalk by host Larry Mantle regarding Trump v. Anderson.  
• Invited by Dr. Lisa Peterson, Director of the Graduate School of Psychology Program at New Mexico State University, to deliver a presentation to the graduate students. Professor Ahranjani’s talk was titled “School Psychologists’ Ethical Obligations to Advocate for Individual Students and Systems Change Related to School Policing.”  

Professor Sherri Burr

• Completed her six-year term as President of New Mexico Press Women.
• Published “The Writing Life: Avoiding Regrets” in SouthWest SAGE: The Voice of Southwest Writers.

Professor Elizabeth Elia

• Interviewed by KOB about the impact of out-of-state investors in mobile home parks in New Mexico.

Professor Vinay Harpalani

• Spoke at the Harvard Law Review Coffee Chat on January 30, 2024, about his recent essay “The Need for an Asian American Supreme Court Justice,” which was published in the Harvard Law Review Forum. This essay was also featured in the Legal Ethics Roundup.
• Spoke at the UC Law San Francisco symposium “We the People: Citizenship, Race, and Equality” on February 2, 2024.
• Received a “Recommended” on his article “Roberts Rules of (Dis)Order: Doctrinal Doublespeak on Affirmative Action and Stare Decisis,” forthcoming from SMU Law Review, from UVA Law Professor Larry Solum on his Legal Theory blog.
• Published “Secret Admissions” in the Journal of College and University Law. 

Professor John Kang

• Has a forthcoming article, “Against Hyperindividualism” 48 Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy (2025). 

Professor Joshua Kastenberg

• Interviewed by KOB4 about the actions of two Republican members of the state House who filed articles of impeachment against Gov. Lujan Grisham.
• Interviewed by The New York Times regarding the criminal case against Alec Baldwin.
• Interviewed by Bloomberg Law regarding the new involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin. 
• Interviewed by Slate regarding why Alec Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury for the Rust shooting. 
• Had an article accepted for publication by Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Psychological Association.

Professor Carol Suzuki

• Contributed an essay to the second volume of Beyond the First Year: Integrating Doctrine & Diversity. Professor Suzuki also participated in the webinar relating to the volume. 

UNM School of Law Alumna and Executive Assistant United States Attorney Aja Nicole Brooks was keynote speaker at UNM’s 39th annual Black History Month Kickoff Brunch

UNM School of Law Alumna and Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico Aja Nicole Brooks was the keynote speaker for the 39th annual Black History Month Kickoff Brunch held on January 27, 2024, which was hosted by UNM’s Department of Africana Studies in partnership with African American Student Services.

Brooks is a New Mexico resident, born and raised in Hobbs. She graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and then attended the UNM School of Law, where she graduated with her J.D. in 2008. Brooks has made an impact in several areas of the legal community, including working as the director of the Second Judicial District Court’s Center for Self-Help and Dispute Resolution before her current position. She is involved in many legal groups and activities, including serving as the President-Elect of the State Bar of New Mexico, the current chair for social media and marketing for the New Mexico Black Lawyer’s Association, a member of the Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession, a mentor in the Bridge the Gap Mentorship Program, the secretary of Region X of the National Bar Association, and a member of the Iota Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Brooks is also a donor to the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association’s Cochran Award and the Hannah Banks Best Scholarship for Law Student Diversity at the School of Law.

The brunch highlights the University’s commitment to diversity, gender equity, and social and ethnic justice. Associate Chair of the Department of Africana Studies, Kathy Powers, explains they selected Brooks “because not only is she from New Mexico, but also because of her emphasis on educating the general public about their rights, as well as her phenomenal record aiding Indigenous people of New Mexico. Brooks best represents our motto: ‘Lifting as We Climb.’”

Along with Brooks’ keynote speech, the event celebrated Black History Month by recognizing a student scholar. This year’s student recipient was Kingsley Nelson Jr., an undergraduate studying Chemical Engineering at UNM. The event also welcomed esteemed guest speakers: Gabriella “Brie” Surodjawan, the Mistress of Ceremonies; Michelle Njonkou, AASS Leader; Dr. Kirsten Pai Buick, Department of Africana Studies Chairperson; Brandi Stone, Director of AASS; James Holloway, Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Mexico; Jennifer Malat, Dean of the University of New Mexico College of Arts & Sciences; Doug Small, Director of Public Affairs and Interfaith Liaison for Mayor Tim Keller; Garnett Stokes, President of the University of New Mexico; Alfred Mathewson, Professor Emeritus of Law and former Co-Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law.

UNM School of Law Alumni Recognized by the Albuquerque Bar Association

The Albuquerque Bar Association hosted its annual award presentation luncheon and CLE on January 31, 2024. The award presentation recognizes exemplary performances of legal work within the Albuquerque community. Judge of the Year was awarded to the Honorable Jane Levy, Lawyer of the Year was awarded to UNM School of Law alumna Antonia Roybal-Mack, and the Distinguished Service Award was awarded to UNM School of Law alumnus Ben Sherman.

Antonia Roybal-Mack received her undergraduate degree from New Mexico State University before attending the UNM School of Law where she graduated with her J.D. in 2007. Roybal-Mack is the founder and a managing partner of Roybal-Mack and Cordova, PC, where she practices as a litigation and planning attorney focusing on disaster mitigation, wildfire recovery, watershed issues, and environmental mass tort recovery. She is also an author of several legal publications.

Ben Sherman received his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University before attending the UNM School of Law where he graduated with his J.D. in 2008. Sherman is the founder of Ben Sherman Law LLC, where he represents injured workers in workers’ compensation cases. Sherman recently served as the 2023 President of the State Bar of New Mexico and is the current Vice President of the Alumni/ae Association at the UNM School of Law. He also serves on the New Mexico Board of Examiners, the Access to Justice Fund Grant Committee, and the New Mexico Supreme Court Commission on Legal Regulatory Reform.

UNM School of Law Alumna Josett D. Monette (2015) named Secretary of Indian Affairs Department 

UNM School of Law alumna Josett D. Monette was named Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department on December 15, 2023. Secretary Monette has expertise working with Tribal and State leadership, providing legal services to indigenous communities living on or near pueblos, and working with tribals courts.

Secretary Monette holds a J.D. with a certificate in Indian Law from the UNM School of Law and a Master in Educational Leadership, a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in (American) Indian Studies from the University of North Dakota. She also coaches the UNM School of Law National Native American Law Student Association Moot Court team and serves as an attorney bar exam coach. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

Prior to her position as Cabinet Secretary, Secretary Monette served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary and General Counsel at the Indian Affairs Department. She was also the New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) Native American Program Director, a Staff Attorney at NMLA Native American Program, and an Associate Attorney at Barnhouse, Keegan, Solimon, & West, LLP.

You can read more about Secretary Monette here and here.

UNM Law Alumni Services

2024 UNM Law Scholarship Golf Classic

The UNM School of Law Alumni/ae Association Law Scholarship Golf Classic will take place on Friday, June 7, 2024, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Come out and play while supporting student scholarships. Your support changes students’ lives. 

To check out sponsorship opportunities, please visit this website.

Register for the event here.

Movie Night on the Green

The UNM School of Law, along with the Recent Grad Chapter, is hosting a Movie Night on the Green. The event will take place on the UNM School of Law back lawn on April 19, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The movie is the 1993 film, The Sandlot.

We welcome students, faculty, and alumni to attend. Popcorn and refreshments will be provided.