A recent issue of preLaw Magazine named the University of New Mexico School of Law as number one in the country for public defenders and prosecutors.
The magazine listed the school high on the list because of its strong faculty, curriculum and financial help for the students, according to a UNM press release.
The study is based 50 percent on employment, 40 percent on curriculum and 10 percent on financial. Financial itself is 40 percent based on public salary, 40 percent debt and 20 percent on a Loan Repayment Assistance Program, according to the release.
According to the official website, the magazine was founded in 1997 and is published four times a year.
“It is read by more than 45,000 prospective law students. The magazines are also read by professors and law school administrators,” according to the website.
According to the UNM statement, curriculum at the School of Law features over 100 classes beneficial to a public interest practice, and many of them are experiential.
Heather Harrigan, assistant dean for Student & Career Services at the school, said while there is not a formal certificate program at the law school, the school’s curriculum offers a strong combination of doctrinal and experiential classes.
“For example, unlike at most other law schools where students are taught the rules of evidence without practical context, UNM law students have the opportunity to learn evidence through realistic application in the Evidence and Trial Practice course, where lectures and class discussions are combined with practice sessions, culminating in students participating in a mock jury trial,” she said.
In addition, Harrigan said students at the law school can work under an experienced prosecutor or public defender in the Criminal Law in Practice course, Domestic Violence/DWI Prosecution in Practice course and the externship program. Externships are when students shadow currently practicing lawyers to gain additional insight, according to the school’s website.
“It is the strong collaboration between the law school and our legal community that allows our students to gain the practical experience, skills and confidence needed to hit the ground running as an entry-level public servant in our criminal justice system,” Harrigan said.
There is no formal criminal law program at the law school, but approximately half of the students participate in the Evidence and Trial Practice class, she said.
“The law school’s strong outcomes in this area reflect our mission to educate and train students to become excellent lawyers who will enrich and serve their communities,” Harrigan said. “Of the UNM law school class of 2015, 46.8 percent were employed in the public sector — over 20 percent higher than the national rate of 26.4 percent.”
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The UNM School of Law administration is striving to further improve their programs by hiring new faculty members and bringing other innovations, she said.
“We have made some recent faculty hires in the areas of criminal law and evidence, and we are excited to have those new members of our community, who will join us in the fall of 2016, continue to innovate in this important area of the law.”
Cydni Sanchez, managing attorney at the Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD), said that the LOPD strive to recruit and hire graduates who are able to zealously and effectively advocate for their clients.
“Several UNM School of Law graduates elect to participate in the Criminal Law in Practice Class or an internship with the Law Offices of the Public Defender,” she said. “This experience provides them insight into the criminal justice system, the ability to work one on one with experienced trial attorneys, and make a direct and positive impact on our client’s lives.”
Sanchez said that the UNM School of Law graduates are different than graduates from other law schools because they live and work in the community and they understand the issues and challenges facing the citizens of New Mexico.
“The UNM law school’s curriculum includes a requirement that students participate in a clinical law program before graduation. That experience gives each student real life experience working directly with clients before engaging in the practice of law,” she said.
Sayyed Shah is the assistant news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
