Faculty
Professor Barbara E. Bergman
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law
B.A. 1973, Bradley University
J.D. 1976, Stanford University
Member of the California, District of Columbia, and New Mexico Bars
Barbara Bergman joined the UNM law faculty in 1987, bringing years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer with the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C. She also had spent a year as associate counsel to President Jimmy Carter and had practiced for three years with an employment law/union-side labor law firm.
Her teaching remains focused on criminal law, but once a year, she leads students through an intense Evidence and Trial Practice course. On leave in 2000-2001 and the spring of 2004, Bergman put her teaching into practice when she worked on the defense team in the State of Oklahoma v. Terry Nichols, a state death penalty case. Nichols was prosecuted for conspiracy and murder in connection with the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.
Bergman has lectured and published extensively, including serving as editor of the Fourth Edition of the D.C. Criminal Jury Instructions. She also is the co-author of Wharton's Criminal Evidence., 15th edition and The EveryTrial Criminal Defense Resource Book. The latter deals with emergencies that may arise in criminal trials.
Bergman is a past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In 2001, Bergman received the Robert C. Heeney Award, the highest honor given by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The Roscoe Pound Foundation also honored her with the Richard S. Jacobson Award for excellence in teaching of trial advocacy.
Contact Information
Ph.: 505-277-3304
Fax: 505-277-0068
Office: 3115
Email: bergman@law.unm.edu
