Specializing in Indian Law
All students at the University of New Mexico School of Law are eligible to participate in the Indian Law Certificate (ILC) Program, which was developed in response to a growing need nationwide for lawyers trained in Indian law. The Program prepares students to work with tribes, Indian clients, and the federal government.
All students at the University of New Mexico School of Law are eligible to participate in the Indian Law Certificate (ILC) Program, which was developed in response to a growing need nationwide for lawyers trained in Indian law. The Program prepares students to work with tribes, Indian clients, and the federal government.
UNM law students have until the beginning of the spring semester of their second year to enroll in the Program and they also must complete all other graduation requirements. ILC enrollment forms are available online at https://lawschool.unm.edu/indian/certificate/ilcp-record-completion.pdf
The 21-hour requirement can be met by successfully completing the following components:
ILC Required Course (3 hours)
- Indian Law
ILC Elective Curricular Offerings (Total of 9–12 hours)
- Tribal Law Journal Seminar
- Tribal Law Journal (up to 4 credit hours)
- Law of Indigenous Peoples
- Indian Law Appellate Advocacy
- Tribal Natural and Cultural Resources
- Indian Water Law
- Criminal Law in Indian Country
- Indian Civil Rights
- Jurisdiction in Indian Country
- Indigenous Peoples and International Law
- Indian Children, Youth and Families
- Indian Gaming
- Federal Jurisdiction
- Administrative Law
- National NALSA Moot Court Competition (application required)
ILC Experiential Training (6 hours)
- Southwest Indian Law Clinic (SILC)
Graduate-Level Non-Law Courses (3 hours–optional)
Students may select a graduate-level UNM Native American Studies course that focuses on American Indians. To count toward a student’s completion of ILC requirements the selected course must be formally approved in advance by the Director of the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program.
ILC Writing Seminar Requirement
This requirement must be met by completing a designated writing seminar that focuses entirely on the subject matter of Indian law from among the elective curricular offerings that count toward the Indian Law Certificate (see list, above). The designation of an ILC curricular offering as a writing seminar may be found in the course schedules posted under the “Academics” heading at the law school’s main web page: https://lawschool.unm.edu/. For more information about writing seminars, see the “Writing Requirement” section of the law school’s Bulletin and Handbook of Policies: https://lawschool.unm.edu/academics/common/docs/bulletin-handbook-policies.pdf.
Contact
Questions about the Indian Law Certificate Program should be directed to the Program Administrator at (505)277-0405.
