Current Pre-Law Programs
Internal UNM School of Law Programs
The Conversation (Rising 2nd - 3rd- & 4th-Year Undergraduates)
The Conversation is an undergraduate multi-cultural dialogue on race, (in)justice and law.
Brown University, Tougaloo College, and the University of New Mexico School of Law have partnered to host a three-week summer research dialogue among rising second, third- and fourth-year undergraduates around issues of race, justice and the law as they have affected “involuntary Americans” (e.g., Indigenous peoples here before Columbus, Blacks brought as enslaved people, Mexicans here before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and immigrants brought as children). Participants will be encouraged to consider career pathways in academia, law, and combinations thereof in hopes that they can, in the course of their careers, further ongoing conversations and work on the issues involved.
Learn More about The Conversation
Marshall-Brennan Project (Grades 9-12)
The Marshall-Brennan Project focuses on teaching high school students about the Bill of Rights, while also engaging students in rigorous writing and speaking exercises using real cases and legal materials. The classroom experience culminates in a moot court competition featuring the participating high school students. This project exists in 19 law schools across America and has affiliates in three other countries. The UNM Chapter of Marshall-Brennan recognizes New Mexico’s unique cultural and ethnic heritage, providing coverage of topics including the interaction of tribal law and the Federal Constitution. The spring of 2012 marked the inaugural semester of the Marshall-Brennan Project at UNM and began with a small group of four teaching Fellows who worked with students from Atrisco Heritage Academy in Albuquerque’s South Valley.
Learn More about the Marshall-Brennan Project
Financial Literacy Program (Grades 9-12)
The UNM School of Law Financial Literacy Team is dedicated to providing financial education to young people in our community. We understand that high school students will soon be facing important financial choices, and our programs are designed to provide them with the knowledge and understanding to make sound financial decisions now and in the future.
Learn More about the Financial Literacy Program
New Mexico Law (Grades 9-12)
New Mexico LAW is designed to give high school students access to the UNM School of Law and the legal community and is hosted by the Mexican American Law Student Association (MALSA). MALSA’s New Mexico High School Law and Advocacy Workshop (NMLAW) is a day-long program aimed at high school students interested in attending law school from underserved communities. During the workshop, students will have the opportunity to meet with law students and attorneys to learn about life at law school and how the legal process works. Students will be given a tour of the law school and the law library, and will have the opportunity to observe mock trials conducted by law students. Additionally, students will hear from local attorneys about the practice of law in New Mexico. All high school students are welcome to attend. New Mexico Law is conducted in the spring semester.
Learn More about New Mexico Law
Wild Friends (Grades 4-12)
Wild Friends is a unique, award-winning civics education program at the UNM School of Law. Our mission is to provide a statewide, experiential education program that integrates civics and wildlife law to help students in grades 4-12 understand the democratic process, develop good citizenship skills, and contribute to wildlife conservation by involving them in public policy projects of their choosing.
University Programs
ENLACE (Grades K-12)
The ENLACE Statewide Collaborative focuses on student access and success, family and community engagement, leadership and professional development, and policy development. We provide coaching, mentoring, and tutoring to increase retention and to promote graduation at elementary, middle, and high schools. We are also involved in a variety of student success initiatives to increase retention and to promote graduation in higher education. We currently have a 93% retention rate and a 90% graduation rate for participants in our initiatives. We also administer an ENLACE Legislative Internship, an ENLACE Ambassador Program, and are involved in a variety of other collaborative leadership and professional development initiatives involving students, families, and community leaders.
External Programs
American Indian Law Center Pre-Law Summer Institute (Summer before Law School)
PLSI is an intensive two-month program which prepares American Indian and Alaska Native individuals for the rigors of law school by essentially replicating the first semester of law school. Likened to boot camp by many former participants, the PLSI concentrates its content into eight weeks of instruction, research and study, teaching students the unique methods of law school research, analysis, and writing. The success of the PLSI in providing a nationally respected pre-law orientation can be traced to its original and continuing intent — that it be based on sound legal education principles, and not function as a philosophical, political, or cultural training ground. For more than four decades, the Law Center has remained dedicated to providing valid training in the skills required for the study of law.
Learn More about the American Indian Law Center
CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute (Summer before Law School)
The CLEO Six-Week Pre-Law Summer Institute is designed to "demystify" the law school experience. Preparation builds self-assurance and participants enter law school more confident in their ability to succeed. A full-time program, held on two law school campuses during June and July, the Institute is both rigorous and demanding. The Institute focuses on legal methods and techniques that help to develop students’ abstract thinking, analysis, and synthesizing skills. The Institute has an impressive track record of success. Nearly 9,000 diverse and/or economically disadvantaged students have been oriented to law school through the Institutes since 1968. More than 90% of the students who attend the institute enter law school in the fall.
Learn More about the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute
College Horizons (Grades 9-12)
College Horizons is a pre-college program for Native American high school students open to current sophomores and juniors. Each summer students work with college counselors and college admissions officers in a five-day "crash course." The individualized program helps students select colleges suitable for them to apply to, get admitted to, and receive adequate financial aid. Students research their top 10 schools; complete college essays, resumes, the Common Application, and the preliminary FAFSA; receive interviewing skills and test-taking strategies (on the ACT and SAT) and financial aid/scholarship information.
Learn More about College Horizons
DiscoverLaw.org Months (Grades 9-12, Early College, and Community College)
From January 15 through March 15, LSAC will be joined by law schools across the country to observe DiscoverLaw.org Months, a yearlong initiative targeted to students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the legal profession. Law schools are encouraged to host events that demonstrate to high school and early college students why the world does need another lawyer.
Learn More about DiscoverLaw.org
CLEO Scholars Programs (College)
The Council On Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) offers The CLEO College Scholars Program. Its purpose is to identify, motivate and prepare students for a career in the legal profession. The College Scholars program aims to help low-income, minority and otherwise disadvantaged students become competitive law school applicants. Committed students can learn how to successfully navigate the law school admission process and underwrite their success in law school by participating in the College Scholars program.
Learn More about CLEO Scholars Program
Discoverlaw.org PLUS Programs (College Freshman or Sophomore)
The Law School Admission Council's DiscoverLaw.org Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) programs are targeted, but not restricted, to college students from racial and ethnic minority groups underrepresented in the legal profession. The programs are designed for students in the first two years of college, and preference will be given to students who have signed up for DiscoverLaw.org. The four-week programs provide an intense focus on the skills required to succeed in law school, the law school admission process, and legal career opportunities. Interested students should contact the schools directly for application information, including deadlines and selection criteria.
Learn More about DiscoverLaw PLUS
Graduate Horizons (College Senior or Post-College)
Graduate Horizons is a four-day workshop for Native college students, college graduates, and master’s students in preparing for graduate school (master’s, Ph.D. or professional school). Graduate Horizons partners with 45 university graduate/professional degree programs where admission officers, professors and deans mentor and advise students on the admissions process, professional/career development, and the various fields of study, research, and graduate programs available. Participants of the program complete graduate ready personal statements/statements of purpose; resumes/cvʼs; applications; receive test-taking strategies (on the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT) by the Princeton Review Foundation; understand the financial aid process for graduate school and learn about graduate scholarship/ fellowship opportunities; and they attend seminars on the various aspects of the admissions process (selecting faculty/professional recommenders, determining the right fit/match in a degree program, role of direct/relevant work experience, etc).
