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49th Annual Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference
The Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section hosted its 49th Annual Indian Law Conference on April 4 - 5, 2024 at Sandia Resort and Casino. This year’s Indian Law Conference hosted over 800 legal professionals from all across the nation. The two-day conference focused on recent litigation impacting Tribes and Indigenous individuals. The School of Law, the Pre-Law Summer Institute, the Native American Law Students Association, and the Tribal Law Journal had exhibit tables at the event.
UNM School of Law Assistant Professor Vanessa Racehorse presented on the panel, “A Year After Dobbs: Women’s Health in Indian Country.” She discussed the legal and social issues that impact the health of Native women.
Professor Racehorse is associated with the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program and the Southwest Indian Law Clinic. The Law and Indigenous Peoples Program is an integral and longstanding educational tradition at the School of Law that acknowledges the impact lawyers have on advancing rights for Native American nations and communities.
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School of Law professors discuss academic freedom on campus
Advance at UNM, the UNM Office of Academic Affairs, the UNM Center for Teaching and Learning, and the UNM School of Law hosted two events for faculty and staff to explore freedom of speech best practices and the current free speech climate.
On March 19, 2024, a webinar titled “Academic Freedom on Campus: Professional and Personal Reflections” discussed academic freedom through historical, legal, and practical lenses. The webinar contained presentations by four professors of law: Maryam Ahranjani, John Kang, Joshua Kastenerg, and Sonia Gipson Rankin. The moderators included Julia Fulghum, Advance at UNM Director and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin. The presentation can be viewed here.
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UNM School of Law Environmental Law Program ranked number 25 by U.S. News & World Report
The University of New Mexico School of Law continues to climb the U.S. News & World Report rankings for Environmental Law, ranking number 25 for the first time. The Law School's Natural Resources and Environmental Law (NREL) Program offers a variety of courses, a certificate program, the Natural Resources Journal, the NREL Clinic, and more. “UNM Law offers great opportunities for students in environmental law, and our Clinic and faculty do great work in the community,” said NREL Program Director Reed Benson. “It’s great to be nationally recognized as a leading school for environmental law.” UNM is tied for #25 in the latest Environmental Law rankings, sharing that spot with Florida, Texas A&M, Virginia, and Yale.
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Justice C. Shannon Bacon will be the UNM School of Law 2024 Commencement Speaker
Justice C. Shannon Bacon will serve as the distinguished speaker for the UNM School of Law's 2024 commencement ceremony on May 11, 2024. “I am honored and delighted to speak with the University of New Mexico law school graduates as they enter our honored profession,” Justice Bacon stated.
Justice Bacon recently completed her nearly two-year term as Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Before her appointment to the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Bacon served as a District Court Judge in the Second Judicial District of New Mexico and as the Presiding Civil Judge. She also served as the Bernalillo County Water and Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District Judge. Justice Bacon attended Creighton University where she graduated with a Bachelor of History and a J.D. before returning to New Mexico to begin her law career.
Learn more about the 2024 Commencement Ceremony here.
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UNM School of Law 1L student appointed Student Regent for the Board of Regents | |
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Victor Reyes (1L) was appointed the Student Regent for the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico. The Student Regent is one of seven voting members of the Board of Regents. Reyes will serve a partial term, completing a two-year term previously held by another student. As a member of the Board of Regents, Reyes will help to manage the state's flagship university. To that end, Reyes will attend orientation sessions, committee meetings, and vote on action items.
Read more about Student Regent responsibilities here.
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UNM Law student earns award at Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Competition
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Crestencia Pihlaja, a 2L at the School of Law, earned second place for Best Oral Argument at the Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Competition in Seattle in March.
Pihlaja competed against more than 60 other law students from law schools across the country. She said she was honored and surprised to earn the award and was grateful to those who helped her and teammate Damon Nieto prep for the competition.
“I’d like to express my appreciation for the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association and all of our guest judges for their immense support,” Pihlaja said. “I am also extremely grateful for the support and teaching that my coaches and advisors, Kateri Garcia West and Ret. Justice Ed Chavez, provided for our team.”
Read the full story here.
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RECENT APPEARANCES & PUBLICATIONS: | | |
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Professor Maryam Ahranjani
- Presented on the UNM panel “Academic Freedom on Campus: Professional and Personal Reflections.” The presentation can be viewed here.
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Professor Emerita Sherri Burr
- Presented the Courageous Communicator Award to author George R.R. Martin.
- Honored with a Courageous Communicator Award for Prolific Authorship and Outstanding Leadership of New Mexico Press Women by the New Mexico Press Women Board.
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Professor Elizabeth Elia
- Had her article, “Embrace the Suck: Why States and Localities Should Use Property Rights to Fix Broken Housing Voucher Programs,” accepted for publication in 28 Lewis & Clark Law Review (forthcoming 2025).
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Professor Laura Gomez
- Recognized for her contributions to the UCLA School of Law during a symposium dedicated to her career, “Celebrating the Career of Laura E. Gómez, Rachel F. Moran Endowed Chair in Law.” Photos of Professor Gomez speaking at the symposium can be found here and here.
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Professor Vinay Harpalani
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Presented on the “Identities & Intersectionality” panel for “Equality Besieged: A Critical Analysis of Supreme Court Jurisprudence,” a symposium sponsored by the California Law Review on March 1, 2024.
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Presented “Peril of the Mind: Asian American Achievement and the Legal Challenges to Racial Diversity in Admissions” at the Critical Race Theory Workshop for the Boston University School of Law on March 5, 2024, and at the Boston University School of Law Faculty Workshop on March 7, 2024.
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Was a presenter on the “Contextualizing SFFA” panel for the symposium, “Asian Americans & Affirmative Action: Complicating the ‘Asian Beauty’ Argument.” The symposium was organized by the University of California Berkeley Asian American Law Journal.
- Spoke on the future of Affirmative Action at Vanderbilt University School of Law on March 22, 2024.
- Spoke at the “Countering Attacks on Diversity” symposium on March 29, 2024 for the Boston University Law Review.
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Professor John Kang
- Presented on the UNM panel “Academic Freedom on Campus: Professional and Personal Reflections.” The presentation can be viewed here.
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Professor Joshua Kastenberg
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Interviewed by New Mexico Political Report regarding a case against the use of abortion medication Mifepristone, and a second case regarding state laws banning abortion that conflict with general law. The U.S. Supreme Court heard these cases in April.
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Interviewed by KOB4 about the future implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Mifepristone.
- Presented on the UNM panel “Academic Freedom on Campus: Professional and Personal Reflections.” The presentation can be viewed here.
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UNM Law alumna becomes President of the New Mexico State Bar | |
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Erinna “Erin” Atkins, a 2009 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, took office in January as the President of the State Bar of New Mexico. Even now as she leads the State Bar of New Mexico, she still considers it an immense privilege to practice law and provide legal assistance to her community.
Born and raised in Alamogordo, Atkins is the first woman from the Southern part of New Mexico to be elected president of the State Bar Board of Commissioners. Atkins practices law with her father at the Law Office of S. Bert Atkins, where she represents children in abuse and neglect cases and does legal work for custody, divorce, and criminal defense cases. She also serves as the special prosecutor for the City of Alamogordo and has previously worked as a contract public defender. She is proud to help elevate the voices of rural areas, especially during a time when New Mexico’s legal community is working to address the challenges people in rural areas face in trying to access justice.
“I’ve met some amazing attorneys and I’ve had such a wonderful experience performing State Bar service,” Atkins said. “I’m really proud to serve my community and I hope to inspire other women to consider seeking leadership roles, participating in State Bar service, ... attending UNM Law or working in a rural community.”
Read the full story here.
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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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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.
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