State Bar Honors Clinical Law Program
July 7, 2010
The University of New Mexico School of Law’s Clinical Law Programs received the Outstanding Legal Program Award during the annual state convention of the State Bar of New Mexico.
In presenting the award, Stephen Shanor, president of the State Bar, said, “The University of New Mexico has been a national leader in clinical education since the clinical program’s inception in 1971. All UNM graduates must complete six credit hours of clinical study wherein they represent underserved clients and communities while working under the close supervision of tenured and tenure track professors. Modern facilities provide students with dedicated work space and access to the latest technology and equipment.
“Based on the program’s effectiveness in preparing students in the fundamental skills and professional values necessary for success in the practice of law, the Carnegie Foundation, in its 2008 Report on Educating Lawyers, exhorted all law schools to adopt clinical programs like those at UNM. The program is also consistently highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Through the leadership of Fred Hart and clinical directors Bill MacPherson (`66), Jose Martinez, Mike Norwood (`70) and Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, UNM’s Clinical Law Program has had an important impact on New Mexico and legal education nationally.”
