The University of New Mexico School of Law community is continuing to call for new leadership at the school after pressure for such change peaked this spring when students, faculty and alumni sent letters to UNM leadership, urging them to not recommend the renewal of Dean Camille Carey’s contract.
During a press conference at the UNM School of Law on June 22, alumni spoke about their concerns, including admissions being primarily based on LSAT scores, low numbers of New Mexican and Indigenous students, inability to retain law school faculty and loss of confidence in the school's ability to support students with multiple grievances.
The press conference was held to “demand Provost Barbara Rodriguez reject UNM School of Law Dean Camille Carey's contract renewal,” according to a press release from a representative for the Center for Civic Policy in Albuquerque.
Among the alumni who spoke at the press conference were immigration attorney Jessica Martínez, 2026 law school graduates Angelica Ortega and Jacob Griego and New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association President Sarah Gorman.
“If I applied to UNM School of Law today, I likely would not get in,” Martinez said. “I struggled with test-taking anxiety. My LSAT scores were not extraordinary, but the leaders of the law school at the time saw something more important than a standardized test score.”
UNM law professor Mark-Tizoc González said that law schools often compete with each other for particular students because higher LSAT scores factor in the U.S. News and World Report ranking system, which he described as “hierarchical elitist ranks.”
“New Mexico is thankfully protecting its people, and needs to train in years to come to do this really hard work," González said. “How do you have equal justice under law at a time of extraordinary income and wealth inequality?”
Martínez said she believes that as the only law school in the state, it has a “sacred obligation to educate lawyers who will serve New Mexico's diverse families, tribes and neighborhoods.”
“That obligation, I believe, is being abandoned under Dean Carey's leadership,” Martínez said.
On June 17, Professor Emerita Margaret E. Montoya wrote a letter to the Office of the Provost, the UNM Board of Regents, outgoing President Garnett Stokes and incoming President Steve Goldstein, opposing Carey’s reappointment.
“Camille Carey does not speak from the vantage point of someone who seeks to lead the law school as an important incubator of talent and innovation,” the letter reads. “Camille Carey is not the leader the law school needs for the next five years. Camille Carey is not a leader.”
On June 23, UNM Director of University Communication Steve Carr shared a “University statement regarding the School of Law,” and wrote that decisions regarding academic leadership appointments are made after a comprehensive review, with no single criterion or timeline determining the outcome.
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“The University of New Mexico is aware of concerns raised by some members of the community regarding the School of Law and, as always, will follow established processes for review of those concerns. The University evaluates all academic leadership appointments and reappointments in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook,” the statement reads.
Following a faculty survey beginning April 20 and concluding on May 4, law school faculty and alumni continued to raise concerns about Carey’s leadership, including her recent “summary of accomplishments” report that was included with the faculty survey.
“This report summarizes the major accomplishments during my tenure as Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law. It reflects progress across key areas including fundraising, advancement, faculty and student support, staff development, facilities, budget management, accreditation, and statewide service,” Carey’s report reads.
According to the UNM Faculty Handbook, “reappointments to terms of office are to be made by the Provost… after consultation with departmental college/school faculty and chairs, UNM officers, and other such persons as they shall see fit,” including by electronic ballot. The handbook also states that the results of the survey should be sent to the provost and released to the department chairs and faculty of the respective school.
UNM law professor Laura Gómez said she was disappointed by Carey’s report because she thought it primarily focused on her fundraising efforts without addressing the concerns that have been raised about her leadership, including those raised at her Jan. 21 hearing before the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee and in the open letter from “concerned students.”
Gómez wrote a letter on April 27 to UNM leadership voicing her concerns about Carey’s report, calling the fundraising claims “exaggerated,” and stating the report “provides further evidence for why Carey is not the right dean for the UNM School of Law at this time.”
Family law attorney Sheryl Saavedra, who has been a member of the UNM School of Law Alumni Association Board since 2015, shared a similar sentiment as Gómez.
“In my mind, a good dean would take all of the criticism that is pending — the ACLU, the New Mexico Hispanic Bar, the GPSA, all of the stuff that is coming in and saying ‘well there's obviously an issue here, let me address it,’” Saavedra said.
The ACLU and NMHBA previously wrote letters to UNM’s leadership with concerns about Carey’s deanship, and the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association passed a resolution urging University and state leadership to decline to recommend the renewal of Carey’s contract.
The resolution was drafted by Jacob Griego when he was GPSA Council Chair and incorporated the open letter into legislation that was emailed directly to the provost, he said.
“That way she could see that it was not just a letter on law students (behalf), but on behalf of all graduate students,” Griego told the Daily Lobo.
Griego said during the press conference that he has known of students who raised concerns at the law school since 2023.
“We were not asking for conflict, we were asking to be heard,” Griego said. “That is why students, alumni, faculty and community members have all come together today, because the University of New Mexico School of Law exists to serve New Mexico.”
Montoya was among those who denounced Carey's summary of accomplishments, stating that it “lacks joy, energy, and compassion.”
“This historical moment our country is living in requires inspired and bold leadership from universities; law deans are uniquely placed to give voice to the values and structures that undergird our democracy and academic freedom,” Montoya’s letter to the provost reads.
González said that regardless of who the new dean is, he expects to be working in collaboration with faculty, staff, student leaders and “engaged alumni,” to address the concerns that have been raised about the law school.
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
