Jennifer Laws
Principal Lecturer
Education
- B.A. 1994, University of Kansas
- M.L.I.S. 1996, University of Texas at Austin
Contact Information
Ph.:
505-277-1020
Office:
1360E
laws@law.unm.edu
Website
Bio
Jennifer Laws teaches courses about legal research, manages the UNM Law Library’s electronic resources, and takes the lead on scholarly communication services. She spends most of her time focused on student and faculty success.
Prior to coming to UNM, she worked for a decade managing all aspects of the San Antonio, Texas branch library of the Fifth Circuit Library System. While working in the judiciary she observed the outsized impact that legal research skills have on the functioning of the courts and the success of law clerks. She previously worked in a large law firm supporting the work of multiple practice groups with a well-managed law library, customized legal research services, and lots of training for newer and experienced lawyers alike. She is a former president of the Southwestern Association of Law Libraries and a true believer in the power of professional relationships and mentoring.
As a law librarian, her research focuses on New Mexico legislative history, legal research instruction, and the ways that technologies help or hinder access to and use of legal information.
Book Chapters
The Lawyer in Society: Popular Culture Images of Lawyers and Your Self-Image, in Lawyering From the Inside Out (Cambridge University Press, 2018). Co-authored with Nathalie Martin.
Available at: Law Library
Book Reviews
A Legal History of the Civil War and Reconstruction: A Nation of Rights by Laura F. Edwards, 108 Law Libr. J. 292 (2016).
Available at: UNM-DR
All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals by David Sheffer. 105 Law Libr. J. 381 (2013).
Available at: UNM-DR
An Introduction to Islamic Law by Wael B. Hallaq, 102 Law Libr. J. 294 (2010).
Available at: UNM-DR
Courses
Introduction to Legal Research
Applied Legal Research
Presentations
More Bang for Your Buck: Essential Legal Research for the New (and Not So New) Attorney, State Bar of New Mexico Annual Meeting (2018).
How I Flipped the Switch: A Case Study About Online Course Development, Student Learning Outcomes, and ABA Standard 306 in a Skills-Based Law Course, The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning Summer Conference (2018).
Diversify with Video Content: Video Outreach for Law Librarians, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference/Houston Association of Law Libraries Joint Annual Meeting (2018).
Digitization on the Cheap: Using your Limited Resources to Do It Right, New Mexico Library Association Annual Conference (2017).
Legal Research Resources for Public Librarians, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Public Libraries (2017). Co-presented with Keeta Harnett.
The Politics of Food in the Southwest: The Complex Example of New Mexico, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference (2017). Panel moderator.
Open-Access Textbooks in Academia: A Case Study in Law, Digital Collections Special Interest Group (2016).
Legal Research Learning Outcomes: Meeting the ABA Standards on Setting and Assessing Learning Outcomes, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference (2015).
Academic and Professional Journals
Universal Citation and the American Association of Law Libraries: A White Paper 103 Law Libr. J. 331 (2011). Co-edited with Timothy L. Coggins and John Cannan.
Available at: UNM-DR
Resourceful and Tough: The Fifth Circuit Libraries Pull Together to Weather Hurricanes, 10 AALL Spectrum 28 (2006). Co-authored with Amy Hale-Janeke.
Available at: UNM-DR
