Senator Joseph Cervantes (JD ’91) of Cervantes Scherr Legate, Las Cruces, James F. Scherr and Sam J. Legate of Scherr Legate, El Paso, Joseph G. Isaac, formerly of Scherr Legate, El Paso, and Daniel Anchondo of Anchondo & Anchondo, El Paso, have contributed $2 million to the University of New Mexico School of Law.
The gift will establish two endowed scholarship funds. The first, the Cervantes Scherr Legate Isaac and Anchondo Scholarship Endowed Fund, has an initial gift of $1.5 million. Recipients must have a proven record of strong academic achievement and maintain a high GPA to remain eligible for the award.
The second endowed fund, the Judge Sarah Singleton Endowed Scholarship Fund, has an initial gift of $500,000. This scholarship honors Judge Sarah Singleton, who retired from the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico in 2017 and passed away in 2019. Judge Singleton presided over many influential cases during her long career and was a highly respected judge. In 2013, she became the first New Mexico judge to rule in favor of same-sex marriage.
“We are extremely grateful to Senator Joseph Cervantes and attorneys Jim Scherr, Joseph Isaac, Sam Legate, and Danny Anchondo for their incredible generosity,” Dean Camille Carey said.
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UNM School of Law welcomes Courtney Holmes, Senior Director of Advancement |
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Courtney comes to Law from the UNM School of Engineering. Her background is in alumni and donor relations. She has worked at UNM for nearly fifteen years.
"I look forward to working with the alumni, donors and the greater law community. I am grateful to be a part of the long-standing tradition of excellence here at the School of Law."
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UNM Law students compete at the National Mock Trial Competition
The UNM Law Mock Trial team competed in the National Trial Competition at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California in early February. Both of the teams that competed made it to the semifinals and one student, Jamshed Jehangir (3L), was named Best Overall Advocate in the entire competition!
Jamshed explained that “Competing in San Francisco was an absolute blast. As a team [they] spent almost every day in January preparing and practicing.” He also stated that “The competition [was] really the icing on the cake. The real benefits and joys of mock trial are in the hard work that the team puts in beforehand. Mock trial is hands down the best experience in law school, and everybody on the team is incredibly grateful to our coach, Steve Scholl, who makes it happen.”
The students who participated in the competition are:
Sophie Bunch, Parker Connolly, Emilee Greenhouse, Akram Hernandez, Jamshed Jehangir, Rhys Llewellyn, Rebecca Needhammer, Alexis Salas, Jeff Vescovi, and Cooper Williams.
Congratulations again to the team and their coach, Steve Scholl!
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UNM School of Law student Noah Allaire publishes article in the Tribal Law Journal
UNM Law student Noah Allaire will have his article entitled "Experiments in Legal Hybridity: From Indian Tort Law to Tribal Tort Law" published in the Tribal Law Journal.
The article describes and analyzes the ongoing emergence of tribal tort law in tribal nations across the United States. It argues that although federal, state, and common law tort rules often serve the needs of tribal communities, tribal courts should also (re)incorporate relevant tribal concepts into their tort jurisprudence. In doing so, tribal courts would experiment with legal hybridity and act in furtherance of tribal sovereignty and self-determination.
Congratulation on the article, Noah!
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Class of 2023 Clerkship numbers
The class of 2023 has nineteen students who have been placed in state and federal clerkships.
Clerkships provide one-of-a-kind access to and first-hand experience with the judicial process.
Among the nineteen clerkships, Alexis Salas accepted a clerkship with Judge Carson on the 10th Circuit. The clerkship will commence in 2025. After graduation, Alexis will clerk for Judge Johnson on the federal district court. Jeff Vescovi will be clerking for Judge Kelly on the 10th Circuit after graduation.
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RECENT APPEARANCES & PUBLICATIONS: |
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- Provided comments to the New Mexico Senate Judiciary Committee about race, use of force, and the death of Tyre Nichols.
- Had various speaking appearances throughout February, including topics about Black History Month and law school.
- Was recommended for tenure by the voting faculty.
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Serves as the President of the New Mexico Press Women (NMPW), which is hosting a conference on March 10 and 11. There will be a number of interesting panels at the conference.
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Curated an African-American History Exhibit at the Unitarian Church on Carlisle. Details on the exhibit can be found here.
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- Was interviewed for the Wall Street Journal's television news where he discussed the criminal allegations against Alec Baldwin for the shooting in Santa Fe.
- Was interviewed by NBC News about Alec Baldwin's attempt to remove special prosecutor Andrea Reeb from Baldwin's case.
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- Recently published an article entitled "Servitudes Done 'Proper'ly: Propriety, Not Contract Law" in the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law which was featured in JOTWELL.
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- The ABA House of Delegates adopted a proposal drafted by the Women in Criminal Justice Task Force in which Professor Ahranjani and Professor Creel served as members (Resolution 501 includes 10 Principles to achieve equity in the Criminal Legal Profession).
- Was interviewed in The 74 Million, a leading education news source about legal complaints filed by the conservative Parents Defending Education organization.
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- Engaged in a discussion with lawyer Cory Liu on the affirmative action cases that are before the Supreme Court.
- Was quoted by Insider about how presidential contender Nikki Haley is manipulating the model minority myth for South Asians. According to Professor Harpalani, "Essentially, these people are being exalted to kind of mask the way white conservatives have perpetuated racism."
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- Was recommended for tenure by the voting faculty.
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- Was recommended for tenure by the voting faculty.
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- The ABA House of Delegates adopted a proposal drafted by the Women in Criminal Justice Task Force in which Professor Ahranjani and Professor Creel serve as members (Resolution 501 includes 10 Principles to achieve equity in the Criminal Legal Profession)
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Alumna Barbara Brown Simmons (’74) was a woman of many firsts. Not only was she the first Black woman to graduate from the UNM School of Law, but she was also the first Black woman to become a member of the State Bar of New Mexico. She was a tremendous advocate and leader at the University and beyond.
Friends, family, community members and the UNM community celebrated her life with an evening to remember on January 27. Brown Simmons passed in 2021. She was a trailblazer. “As a student, Barbara was a fierce advocate for civil rights and was instrumental in developing UNM’s Black Studies program,” said UNM President Garnett Stokes.
Dean Emeritus Alfred Matthewson was quoted in the Albuquerque Journal stating, “she tirelessly worked to change the world, to change UNM, not so that she would benefit, but so that Black students in the future would not be in the same conditions in which she found them. This is what happens when someone is constantly engaged in good trouble, who prefers justice to popularity.”
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Alumnus Ben Sherman is the New Mexico Bar President for 2023
Ben Sherman ('08) was selected as the New Mexico State Bar President for 2023. Ben is a proud Lobo and member of the UNM School of Law Alumni Association. His law firm specializes in workers' compensation cases.
Ben has practiced law in New Mexico for the past eleven years. Sherman has also served under the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor and as an assistant City Attorney with the City of Albuquerque's litigation department.
A fluent Spanish-speaker, he enjoys representing people from all communities and appreciates New Mexico’s unique diversity and rich traditions. Sherman is a past chair and board member of the State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers Division.
Congratulations Ben!
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Free UNM Law Alumni Services |
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Career Services Support
Access to the UNM Law Career Services Office does not end when you graduate. UNM Law Career Services is available to you throughout your career. Check out all of the services available to you and how to take advantage of them here.
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Free Online CLEs
Need some CLE credits? The UNM Law School has you covered! Check out all of the free online CLEs available to you and info on how to submit for credit here.
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75th Anniversary Gala
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
Registration available soon.
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