Most students come to law school to get a full time job as a lawyer. Ninety-four percent of the UNM Law School 2014 graduates are employed in jobs requiring passage of the bar exam or where a J.D. is a distinct advantage - much higher than the national average of seventy-nine percent.

Eighty percent of the Class of 2014 are employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring passage of the bar examination, well above the national rate of 60 percent.

Mirroring the school’s admission policies, most UNM Law School graduates stay in New Mexico (85 percent for the Class of 2014). The second largest market last year was Washington, D.C.

This is the third year in a row that the UNM School of Law has surpassed the national employment rate in this key metric by more than 12 percent.

The UNM Law School also surpasses Yale and its regional peers in the Southwest (see table below).

Heather Harrigan, Assistant Dean of Student & Career Services, says, “In addition to having a smaller class size and higher employment rates than other law schools in the Southwest, the law school has a very active connection to the bench and bar, offering students opportunities for collaboration, training and employment.”

Full-Time, Long-Term Bar Passage Required Employment Outcomes for 2014 Graduates

This is the third year in a row that the UNM School of Law has surpassed the national employment rate in this key metric by more than 12 percent.

Throughout their experience at the UNM School of Law, students take classes that focus on developing their professional competencies.

The Office of Student & Career Services works with students from their very first semester of law school to help them imagine, plan and start their career. “Students also are supported by faculty and alumni who are devoted to our students’ success, which contribute to our very strong employment rates. The strength of this professional network is unlike any other I have encountered and I believe is tied to the important public mission of the school,” says Harrigan.

The UNM Law School is also very successful in helping graduates secure JD advantage positions – jobs for which bar passage is not required but for which a JD degree provides a distinct advantage. Of the 111 graduates in the Class of 2014, 104 secured positions that were either bar passage required or JD advantage positions.

The UNM Law School’s rate for all types of employment – bar passage required, JD advantage, non-professional and part-time work – for the Class of 2014 is 96 percent. That’s 11 percent higher than the national rate.

Lila Jones, who graduated from the UNM Law School in May 2015, competed against almost 400 applicants for 15 slots in the Environmental Division of the Department of Justice. She was successful, and in September, she will start her new position as a DOJ Honors Program Attorney.

“Aside from excellent course instruction from the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program at UNM, I received individualized mentorship from many of the faculty,” says Jones. “The Office of Student & Career Services at the law school was also a strong ally in my employment search. Every step of the way I received guidance and support, and when I learned about my job offer, they celebrated with me too.”

Jones says that when she was interviewing for full-time positions, she “quickly learned that UNM School of Law has a great reputation both within and outside New Mexico.”

About the University of New Mexico School of Law

The UNM School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD) program and certificates in Indian Law and in Natural Resources and Environmental Law. New Mexico’s only law school is known nationwide for its pioneering, required Clinical Law Program. Frequently rated as one of the most popular and most diverse law schools in the country, the UNM Law School is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is approved by the American Bar Association.

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