Juris Doctor

The UNM School of Law offers a full-time course of study leading to the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) Applicants for admission to the School of Law are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), to register for the Law School Data Assembly Service, and to have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university before the time of registration. Beginning law students will be admitted at the opening of the fall semester only. The normal period for a full-time law student to complete requirements for a J.D. degree is three years.

First year law students enrolled in the full-time program may work no more than 15 hours per week. Second and third year law students may work no more than 20 hours per week.

To graduate from UNM with a J.D degree, a student must meet all of the following requirements:

Credit Hours and Class Hours

The student must earn at least 86 hours of law credit. A class hour consists of 50 minutes. One class hour per week of recitation or lecture throughout a semester earns a maximum of one credit hour.

Grade Point Average

The student must attain at least a 2.00 overall grade point average.

Required Courses

• First-Year. The student must take the full required first-year curriculum offered upon entrance.
• Second-Year. Students must take the two credit Legal Research course in their second year (effective with the class of 2013)  They also must take the Constitutional Rights class in the Fall of the second year.
• Professional Responsibility. Students must take and pass Ethics, a professional responsibility course. This requirement is a pre- or co-requisite with the clinic program.
• Clinic. The student must participate satisfactorily in at least six hours of clinical law school credit, as prescribed by the faculty. No extern field experience courses or skills courses apply toward this requirement. There are pre-requisites and/or co-requisites for some clinical courses. To be eligible for clinic courses, a student must have successfully completed 40 credit hours.

Writing Requirements

• Writing Seminar Requirement. Students may fulfill the writing requirement by enrolling in a designated "writing requirement seminar," normally in the second year, or the first semester of the third year.

  The criteria for an acceptable seminar will include: a single paper written by one student alone that requires research. The paper must represent at least 75% of the seminar grade. The course must be taught by a regular or emeritus faculty member.

• Drafting Course Requirement. There is a requirement to take a drafting course in the second or third year. If the writing requirement seminar is going to be done in the third year, the drafting course must be done in the second year.

  The criteria for a suitable drafting class will be: a substantial written product or series of products which are collectively substantial that require research (with the exception of well-conceived closed drafting classes). The written work is to be done by one student alone and the work will represent 75% of the course grade. The course may be taught by a regular, emeritus, or adjunct faculty member, or visiting faculty with comparable qualifications.

Courses

• LAW 500. Comparative and Historical Legal Perspectives. (1-3)
• LAW 501. Introduction to Constitutional Law. (3-4)
• LAW 502. Contracts I. (2-4)
• LAW 504. Criminal Law. (3-4)
• LAW 505. International Law. (2-3)
• LAW 506. Elements of Legal Argumentation I . (1-4)
• LAW 507. Practicum. (1-2)
• LAW 508. Property I. (2-4)
• LAW 510. Torts. (3-4)
• LAW 512. Civil Procedure I. (2-4)
• LAW 513. Elements of Legal Argumentation II. (3-4)
• LAW 516. Entertainment Law. (2-3)
• LAW 517. Trial Practice. (2-3)
• LAW 520. Business Associations I. (2-3)
• LAW 523. Secured Transactions. (1-3)
• LAW 524. Community Property. (1-3)
• LAW 525. Conflict of Laws. (1-4)
• LAW 526. Constitutional Rights. (1-4)
• LAW 527. Business Planning. (2-4
• LAW 528. Legal Research I. (1)
• LAW 529. Criminal Procedure I-4th, 5th, 6th Amendments. (1-3)
• LAW 530. Federal Estate and Gift Tax. (1-3)
• LAW 531. Health Law. (1-5)
• LAW 532. Evidence. (2-4)
• LAW 533. Family Law I. (3-4)
• LAW 534. Federal Income Tax. (3-4)
• LAW 535. Health Law Moot Court. (1-2)
• LAW 537. Labor Law. (1-3)
• LAW 538. Natural Resources Journal I. (2-3)
• LAW 540. Copyright Law. (2-3)
• LAW 541. Human Rights Law. (2-3
• LAW 544. Oil and Gas. (1-3)
• LAW 546. Antitrust Law I. (2-3)
• LAW 547. Water Law. (2-3)
• LAW 550. Mediation. (2)
• LAW 551. Family Mediation Training. (2)
• LAW 552. Federal Jurisdiction. (2-3)
• LAW 553. Financial Literacy. (1-2)
• LAW 554. Indian Water Law. (2-3
• LAW 555. Jurisprudence. (2-3)
• LAW 556. National Hispanic Moot Court. (1-2
• LAW 557. Wills and Trusts. (1-4)
• LAW 558. Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition. (1)
• LAW 559. National Native American Moot Court. (1-2)
• LAW 563. National Moot Court Competition. (1-3)
• LAW 564. Indian Gaming. (2-3)
• LAW 565. Natural Resources. (1-3)
• LAW 566. Taxation of Business Enterprises. (2-3)
• LAW 567. National Mock Trial Competition. (1-3)
• LAW 569. Natural Resources Journal IV. (2 )
• LAW 570. Introduction to Alternate Methods of Dispute Resolution. (2-3)
• LAW 573. Computer Law. (2-3)
• LAW 577. Spanish for Lawyers I. (2)
• LAW 579. Tribal Courts. (2-3)
• LAW 580. Environmental Law. (1-3)
• LAW 581. Insurance. (2-3)
• LAW 582. Economic Development in Indian Country. (2-3)
• LAW 584. Indian Law. (2-3)
• LAW 586. Tribal Law Journal IV-Editors. (2)
• LAW 588. Legal History of New Mexico. (1-3)
• LAW 589. Information, Technology and Law. (2-3)
• LAW 593. Topics in Law. (1-9, no limit Δ)
• LAW 594. Independent Research. (1-3)
• LAW 595. Tribal Law Journal I-Staff. (1)
• LAW 596. Tribal Law Journal I-Editors. (1-2)
• LAW 598. Tribal Law Journal II-Staff. (1)
• LAW 601. Art Law. (2-3)
• LAW 605. Advanced Constitutional Rights. (2-3)
• LAW 606. Civil Procedure II. (3-4)
• LAW 607. Employment Law. (2-3)
• LAW 608. Property II. (3-4)
• LAW 613. Sexual Orientation and the Law. (2-3)
• LAW 614. Administrative Law. (2-3)
• LAW 622. Payment Systems. (1-3)
• LAW 623. Sales of Goods. (2-3)
• LAW 624. Mexican Legal Systems. (2-3)
• LAW 625. Supreme Court Decision-Making. (2-3)
• LAW 626. International Criminal Law. (2-3)
• LAW 627. Criminal Procedure II-Bail to Jail. (2-3)
• LAW 628. Law of Indigenous People. (2-3)
• LAW 629. Bankruptcy. (1-3)
• LAW 631. Remedies. (2-4)
• LAW 632. Evidence/Trial Practice. (3-6)
• LAW 633. Advanced Trial Practice. (2-6)
• LAW 634. Children's Law. (2-3)
• LAW 635. Land Use Regulation. (2-3)
• LAW 636. NAFTA: A Comparative Approach. (2-3)
• LAW 639. New Mexico Law Review II. (2-3)
• LAW 641. Overview of Mexican Business Law. (2-3)
• LAW 642. Sports Law. (2-3)
• LAW 643. Spanish for Lawyers II. (2)
• LAW 644. Specialized Legal Research. (1-2)
• LAW 646. Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. (1)
• LAW 650. Mental Health and Retardation Law. (2-3)
• LAW 654. State and Local Tax. (2-3)
• LAW 661. Williams Institute Moot Court Competition. (1)
• LAW 662. Mental Disability and Criminal Law. (1-3)
• LAW 663. Topics in Comparative Law. (1-3 to a maximum of 24 Δ)
• LAW 665. First Amendment Rights: Church and State. (2-3)
• LAW 667. Immigration Law. (2-3)
• LAW 669. New Mexico Law Review IV. (2)
• LAW 670. Animal Law. (2-3)
• LAW 679. International Business Transactions. (2-3)
• LAW 691. Intellectual Property Law. (2-3)
• LAW 710. Pre-Trial Practice. (2-3)
• LAW 714. Law Office Management. (1-3)
• LAW 718. Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiations. (1-3)
• LAW 720. Mexican Externship Program. (2-3)
• LAW 721. Law Extern Program. (2-3)
• LAW 725. Alternate Disposition Resolution Externship. (2-3)
• LAW 726. Community Lawyering Clinic. (1-6)
• LAW 727. Southwest Indian Law Clinic. (1-6)
• LAW 728. Business and Tax Clinic. (6)
• LAW 729. Advanced Clinic. (1-3)
• LAW 730. Criminal Law in Practice. (4-6)
• LAW 740. Law Practice Clinic. (1-6)
• LAW 744. Judicial Extern. (2-3)
• LAW 750. Ethics. (2-3)

• Currently hold, or will have earned by the time of matriculation, a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent
• Have taken, or plan to take this admission cycle, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
• A completed application form submitted through LSAC.org
• Nonrefundable $50 application fee
• Personal Statement
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
  • An academic summary report
  • LSAT score(s) and writing sample(s)
  • All undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional transcripts
  • Letters of recommendation
• Demonstrate proficiency in English. If English is not your first language or if English is not the official language spoken in your country, you must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 600 on the paper-based test, 250 on the computer-based test, or 100 on the internet-based test. Please see TOEFL for more information.
• All international applicants will be required to submit documentation verifying adequate funding to meet study and living expenses while in the United States. An international applicant must provide proof of funding equivalent to at least one year’s cost of attendance for nonresident applicants (tuition + cost of living expenses).