A recent issue of preLaw Magazine graded the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Natural Resources and Environmental Law Programs with an “A” rating.
The program was recognized for its robust curriculum, a certificate program and experiential opportunities for students, according to a UNM press release.
“A variety of specialized courses are offered in natural resources, environmental, tribal resources, and energy law. The curriculum includes regular courses as well as seminars and lectures on current topics such as toxic water contamination crises, proposed rulings from the EPA, and wildlife issues,” according to the statement.
Reed Benson, professor of Law and chair of the Natural Resources & Environmental Law Program at the School of Law, said the certificate offered by the program is awarded to graduating students who have completed certain requirements, including 21 credits of relevant coursework.
He said many features of the program make this program special.
“We have strong faculty, all of whom came to UNM after years of experience working for government, industry, or environmental groups. The Natural Resources Journal is the oldest law review in the field; run by students, it’s been publishing important scholarship on natural resources and environmental issues for over 50 years,” he said.
Benson said that students in the program can not only partake in a wide variety of courses, they can also gain great experience outside the classroom in a variety of ways.
He said that different elements of the program started at different times.
“The oldest element is the Natural Resources Journal, which goes back to the early 1960s,” Benson said.
He said that quite a few students each year take the courses, and about a dozen students in each year’s class serve on the Natural Resources Journal.
He said the program serves the community, mostly by educating students who are overwhelmingly New Mexico residents, and by preparing them to work on issues important to New Mexico, such as water management and energy development.
He said that the career opportunities for the people who graduate from the program are diverse.
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“We have recent graduates working at all levels of government, in private practice, and for public interest organizations,” Benson said.
He said that the law school is planning to launch its first environmental/natural resources clinic in the near future.
“This will build on UNM’s strength in clinical education as well as environmental law, and will be another way that our program can help serve the needs of New Mexico,” he said.
Anne Minard, a law school graduate student, described her experience at the law school as “fantastic”.
“I feel like I am getting a solid legal education and I have enjoyed opportunities through this school that I didn't even know existed,” she said.
“Two things really stand out for me: the practical experience, and the involvement of local judges and attorneys here at the law school,” she said.
“…Through UNM's Southwest Indian Law Clinic last fall, I actually got to participate in hearings in tribal courts. And you don't even have to be in clinic to benefit from our school's focus on practical experiences; I got it through a class called Evidence and Trial Practice, which culminates in a giant mock trial with participation from actual judges in the community, and in an Appellate Decision-Making class, taught by judges (Michael) Bustamante and (Jonathan) Sutin from the New Mexico Court of Appeals,” she said.
She said that the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program has been helpful in introducing her to opportunities in the niche profession of environmental and natural resources law.
“The professors involved bring a wealth of experience and ideas, and have opened my eyes to many ways to practice this type of law -- for the state or federal government, for example, for industry or non-profits,” she said.
She said that through the program's excellent contacts, she was able to secure externships with the Department of Justice's Environmental and Natural Resources Division and with Judge Wechsler of the New Mexico Court of Appeals, working on water cases.
“The Natural Resource Committee often brings in excellent talks about topics of legal and social significance in environmental law, which keeps us current,” she said.
Sayyed Shah is assistant news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
