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Message from the Dean
The 2024-2025 academic year has been off to a great start. We began by welcoming the Class of 2027, a group of talented and dedicated students from richly diverse backgrounds.
We are in the process of hiring faculty members to teach in the areas of Evidence and Trial Practice, Business Law, and Indian Law. We have also created two new staff positions, the Director of Bar Exam Success and the Associate Director of Admissions and Pathway Initiatives. The Director of Bar Exam Success is actively supporting students and graduates in preparing for the current bar exam, while also gearing up for New Mexico’s transition to the NextGen Bar Exam in July 2027. The Associate Director of Admissions and Pathway Initiatives is leading statewide and national recruitment efforts, with a focus on connecting with high school and college students to inspire them to attend law school.
The School of Law was honored to receive a generous $2.5 million gift from David B. Martinez, Kelly Stout Sanchez, and Julio C. Romero, partners at Martinez, Hart, Sanchez & Romero P.C., which established the F. Michael Hart Chair in Children’s Law. At our Distinguished Achievement Awards Dinner, we celebrated an exceptional class of honorees, including The Honorable Deb Haaland, F. Michael Hart, Professor Emerita Gloria Valencia Weber, and Alumni Promise Award recipient Noell Sauer Huffmyer. Additionally, we hosted the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program Gathering of Communities and Nations Convocation, featuring distinguished alumnus John Echohawk as the keynote speaker. Lastly, with your support, New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 3 was successfully passed during the November 5, 2024, general election.
This winter break provides a welcome retreat. From all of us at the UNM School of Law, we wish you a restful and joyous holiday season.
Happy Holidays,
Camille Carey
Dean
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The 2024 Scholarship Donor and Recipient Luncheon
The 2024 Scholarship Donor and Recipient Luncheon was hosted at the School of Law on November 8, 2024. This annual luncheon brings together donors and student scholarship recipients to celebrate the inspirational and transformative power of academic scholarships. Bert Parnall, representing the Kathryn and Ted Parnall Scholarship for Law as an Instrument of Economic Growth and Social Development, delivered an inspirational address. First-year law student Andy Kessel also spoke, expressing his heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities afforded by the Parnall scholarship.
The School of Law extends its sincere gratitude to all donors whose ongoing support makes a lasting impact on the future of law students. Donor generosity plays a crucial role in shaping the next generation of legal professionals.
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School of Law Students Gain Invaluable Experience in the Semester in D.C. Program
The UNM School of Law offers a unique program that allows select students to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. to live, study, and work. This experience allows participants to engage with judges, practitioners, and national political leaders, providing them with practical legal training and direct exposure to the operations of government.
During the semester, students work full-time at a nonprofit organization or government agency while attending a weekly class taught by a D.C.-based adjunct professor. In the 2024 fall semester, six School of Law students participated in the program, including second-year student Stella Leitner. “This semester has been incredible. D.C. feels like a playground for law students,” shared Leitner. She described the program as an eye-opening experience, highlighting the fast-paced work environment and the unique culture of legal practice in the nation’s capital. Leitner also shared how the program has provided her with a clearer understanding of her post-law school goals and reinforced that she is on the right path. “The city is full of attorneys who work at nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, private firms, on the Hill, the list goes on. They’re excited to talk about their experiences, especially with a student who came all the way from New Mexico. I’ve learned about career paths and areas of law that I didn’t even know existed. I feel very grateful to the School of Law for giving us the opportunity to spend a semester in D.C.”
One of the highlights of Leitner’s semester was attending oral arguments for Garland v. Vanderstock at the United States Supreme Court. Public seating for these arguments is notoriously limited, often requiring attendees to wait in long lines with no assurance of entry. Leitner described the experience, saying, “The public seating for oral arguments is first-come, first-served, and everyone lines up on the sidewalk next to the courthouse, right in front of the Capitol. My classmate and I got in line at 4 a.m. They let us into the courthouse around 8:30 a.m., and the argument started at 10 a.m. It was worth every minute of the wait. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued for the United States, and she was phenomenal. The best part was, she delivered her argument more or less in the same way we learned to do oral arguments in school. For days after, I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I get to have the same job as her—attorney, that is.’”
While the Semester in D.C. program offers students invaluable hands-on experience, it also unlocks new opportunities and sparks inspiration. To learn more about the Semester in D.C. program, visit our website.
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The Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program Shapes the Future of the Program
The Natural Resources and Environmental Law (NREL) program is dedicated to educating students to become influential leaders in the field of environmental law, preparing them to tackle pressing issues in natural resource management and environmental stewardship. To achieve its objectives, the program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to address the challenges posed by complex environmental issues. Students gain in-depth knowledge on a variety of critical topics, including climate change and energy policy, the complexities of federal land management, regulatory frameworks of oil and gas industries, management of tribal natural and cultural resources, and the intricacies of water law and environmental justice.
In addition to classroom learning, students participating in the NREL Program can also gain hands-on experience by working in the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic or serving on the Natural Resources Journal. These opportunities provide valuable insights into real-world environmental legal practice.
To ensure continued success and growth, the NREL program recently held a retreat to analyze its current systems and identify strategies for future development. “The retreat was organized to help the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program identify ways it can continue to build on the success of the program after the retirement of longtime program director Professor Reed Benson. The NREL faculty and students, as well as staff from the Utton Transboundary Resources Center, took stock of the program’s curricular offerings, student experience, internship and job resources, and connections to practice, and identified ways to continue to strengthen the program in each of these areas,” said Professor Gabe Pacyniak, current director of the program.
The insights gained from the retreat will help shape the future of the NREL program, ensuring it continues to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to lead in the field of environmental law.
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The American Indian Law Center Pre-Law Summer Institute Judicial Clerkship Committee Received an Annual Award from the State Bar of New Mexico
The State Bar of New Mexico hosted its State Bar Annual Awards Presentation during the Annual Meeting on October 25, 2024. The Annual Awards recognize those who have made exemplary contributions to the State Bar or legal profession in the past year. This year, the American Indian Law Center Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) Judicial Clerkship Committee received the Outstanding Legal Organization Award. “We hope that the Committee’s work will help the state, tribal, and federal benches better reflect the populations in their jurisdictions,” said Rodina Cave Parnall, Executive Director of the
American Indian Law Center.
Congratulations to the PLSI Judicial Clerkship Committee: Lydia Locklear, Chair; Kateri Eisenberg, Secretary; Alma Buena, Member; Jens Camp, Member; Rodina Cave Parnall, Member; Tim Devine, Member; Joaquin Gallegos, Member; Alexander Mallory, Member; Doreen McPaul, Member; Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Member; and Justice Roshanna Toya, Member.
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The School of Law Hosted Halloween Movie Night on the Green
The School of Law hosted a Halloween movie night on October 24, 2024. Students, faculty, alumni, and community members gathered on the School of Law’s back lawn to watch The Addams Family while enjoying hot chocolate and snacks.
A special thank you to the New Mexico State Bar Young Lawyers Division for co-sponsoring the event.
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2024 Distinguished Achievement Awards Dinner Sponsor Thank You and Nominations Open for 2025
The School of Law and the Alumni Association would like once again thank the generous event sponsors of the Distinguished Achievement Awards Dinner. The support of sponsors is instrumental in making this event possible and in advancing student scholarship and success. To learn more about our 2024 sponsors, please visit our website.
Photos from the 2024 event can be accessed here.
Reminder - nominations are now open for the 2025 awards. Closing date is February 17, 2025.
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The State Bar of New Mexico’s Senior Lawyers Division Presents Scholarships to Three Third-Year Law Students
The State Bar of New Mexico’s Senior Lawyers Division held the Eleventh Annual Attorney Memorial Scholarship Presentation and Reception on November 12, 2024. The Senior Lawyers Division honored members of New Mexico’s legal community who have passed over the last year and presented three scholarships to UNM School of Law third-year students. This year’s Attorney Memorial Scholarships were awarded to Hakim Bellamy, Daniel Hurren, and Stefanie Jock.
Jock expressed her gratitude for the recognition, sharing, “I am so grateful to be recognized by the Senior Lawyers Division of the State Bar of New Mexico and to be a recipient of the Attorney Memorial Scholarship award this year.”
The Senior Lawyers Division has been awarding scholarships to UNM School of Law students for several years. Each scholarship, valued at $5,000, is awarded in memory of attorneys who have passed away. Recipients are chosen based on their academic performance, career aspirations, and essay submissions. “The State Bar of New Mexico includes so many talented and experienced attorneys and the Senior Lawyers Division includes the most experienced of those attorneys, so to have my essay selected by this highly-respected group is such an honor. I am also thrilled to receive this award alongside Daniel Hurren and Hakim Bellamy, both of whom possess tremendous talent in legal writing and an impressive work ethic,” said Jock.
Bellamy also shared his appreciation for the honor. “In addition to the surprise that comes with being recognized for one’s scholarship with a scholarship, I am even more grateful to the Senior Lawyers Division for the opportunity to be mentioned (as both colleague-to-be and legatee) in the company of the attorneys memorialized by this award. In these past few years of law school, I have been fond of saying that ‘the conversations I want to be having about the world are happening on this campus,’ and I look forward to having more of these critically jurisprudential conversations with the members of this bar.”
The Attorney Memorial Scholarship is a notable recognition, and this year’s recipients are committed to continuing their work with the same dedication and passion exemplified by the attorneys memorialized by the Senior Lawyers Division. “Thank you to everyone involved in the scholarship process, and a special thank you to my family and friends for providing encouragement and support,” said Jock.
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RECENT APPEARANCES & PUBLICATIONS: | | |
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Professor Warigia Bowman
- Presented a seminar titled “Technocrats or Autocrats: Information Technology for Development in Uganda and Kenya” at the Program on Science, Technology, and Society at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government on November 4, 2024.
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Professor Emerita Sherri Burr
- Co-presented a paper titled “Tribes and Trademarks: Leveraging Federal and Tribal Intellectual Property Law to Protect Indigenous IP” at the National Congress of American Indians during its 81st Annual Convention and Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The paper is co-authored with School of Law alumna Carrie Frias (’09) of Patterson, Earnhart, Real Bird & Wilson, LLP.
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Professor Verónica Gonzales
- Hosted a “Lunch and Learn” with Director of Admissions Renee Ferrell highlighting the experiences of six first-generation student speakers who discussed the unique challenges facing first-gen students.
- Spoke as part of an agenda for First Gen Day that featured President Garnett Stokes and Vice President of Student Affairs Eric Scott. Verónica shared the challenges that she faced as a first-generation student and the help she received as an undergraduate from Student Support Services.
- Hosted a first-generation law student meetup with 3L students Stephanie Flores and Damon Nieto at the School of Law to celebrate the achievements and resilience of first-generation students.
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Professor April Land
- Participated on a panel titled “Migration Activism: Legal Aid and Community Support” on November 12, 2024. The panel was part of the symposium “Perspectives on Migration” hosted by the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
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- Participated on a panel titled “Migration Activism: Legal Aid and Community Support” on November 12, 2024. The panel was part of the symposium “Perspectives on Migration” hosted by the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
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Professor Gabe Pacyniak
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Presented his article titled “The Local Turn in Federal Climate Policy: Assessing Challenges in Getting Funds to Disadvantaged, Rural, and Low-Capacity Communities” at the Law and Rurality Workshop at the University of Iowa.
- Presented “Just Transition: Engaging with Government Agencies Towards Policy Development” at the UNM Grand Challenges Day on November 12, 2024.
- Secured a $94,000 grant from the Just Transition Fund that will fund a post-graduate fellow who will be hired by the UNM Center for Social Policy to support the Just Transition Advisor in the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
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Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin
- Served as a panelist on the opening plenary session for the National Association of Women Judges. Pictures from the event are available here and here.
- Interviewed by Barron’s in the article titled “The Obamas Stump For Harris, Key Allies In Final Days of Campaign.” The article, and Sonia’s remarks, were reprinted in MSN, ABS-CBN, Firstpost, and Japan Times.
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Professor Carol Suzuki
- Participated on a panel titled “Migration Activism: Legal Aid and Community Support” on November 12, 2024. The panel was part of the symposium “Perspectives on Migration” hosted by the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
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Professor Samuel Winder
- Presented his paper titled “Trial by Ambush, the Prosecution of Indians in Federal Court” as a CLE before the New Mexico State Bar’s Indian Law Section on November 7, 2024.
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The John Field Simms, Sr. Lectureship in Law
The School of Law invites you to attend the John Field Simms, Sr. Lectureship in Law on January 30, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. The lecture “Covering the Supreme Court in 2024—One Journalist’s Perspective” will be presented by Amy Howe, Independent Contractor and Reporter for SCOTUSblog.
The event will take place in the School of Law Forum.
Register here.s://forms.unm.edu/forms/simms
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Volunteer as a Judge for the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Preliminary Round of the National Moot Court Tournament
The University of New Mexico School of Law is proud to host one of the Preliminary Rounds of the National Moot Court Tournament, sponsored by the American Moot Court Association (AMCA). This prestigious event will feature top undergraduate students, and we invite volunteers to serve as judges.
Event Details:
- Dates: January 25-26, 2025
- Location: University of New Mexico School of Law
Volunteer Details:
- Judges will receive materials and a brief orientation ahead of time.
- The online ballot system requires a personal device.
- Judges’ suite with food and beverages provided.
If you are interested or know someone who would be a great fit, please complete the volunteer form. Your participation will enrich the experience for these aspiring attorneys and help make this tournament a success.
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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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Online CLEs
Need some CLE credits? The UNM Law School has you covered! Check out all of the online CLEs available to you and info on how to submit for credit here.
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