Open Rank - Southwest Indian Law Clinic

The University of New Mexico•Albuquerque, NM

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of New Mexico School of Law invites applications for faculty positions starting in fall 2027. The School of Law anticipates hiring a tenured or tenure-track faculty member to teach in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic. Both experienced and entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will be expected to share responsibility for teaching in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic with its current Director. Additionally, there will be opportunities to rotate out of the Clinical Program to teach other courses within the curriculum of the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program. The faculty member may also contribute to the broader curriculum of the School of Law, depending on interest, expertise, and curricular need. This position supports the Southwest Indian Law Clinic (SILC), a core component of the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Law and Indigenous Peoples Program (LIPP). LIPP integrates academic study, experiential learning, and scholarly engagement through its three foundational components: the Indian Law Certificate Program, the Tribal Law Journal, and SILC. SILC serves as the experiential cornerstone of LIPP, providing students with opportunities to represent Native clients, Tribal governments, and organizations serving Indigenous communities under faculty supervision. Participation in SILC enables students to apply the principles and doctrines studied in the Indian Law Certificate curriculum to real-world legal issues affecting Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples. Together, the Certificate Program, SILC, and the Tribal Law Journal create a comprehensive educational experience that prepares students for legal careers serving Native communities while advancing scholarship and advocacy in Indigenous law and governance at the tribal, national, and international levels. About the School of Law: The UNM School of Law and its institutes and centers comprise a large, highly diverse academic unit of the University of New Mexico. With a student body of about 300 students, the School of Law offers a Juris Doctor degree, a Master of Legal Studies degree, and many cross-disciplinary dual degrees. The School of Law’s program of legal education is nationally recognized for a required clinical legal education component (students undertake live client representation under law faculty supervision), innovative classes that combine law practice skills training with doctrinal instruction, and a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. All faculty—doctrinal, clinical, writing, and law library—are on a unified tenure track, with equal sabbatical and faculty governance rights, compensation, and research support. The School of Law offers certificate programs in Indian Law and Natural Resources/Environmental Law and its scholarly publications include the New Mexico Law Review, the Natural Resources Journal, and the Tribal Law Journal. As the only law school in New Mexico, it has a large public service mission and enjoys close ties with the bench and bar. It operates policy centers to address issues related to children's law and natural resources law. In partnership with the American Indian Law Center, Inc., the School of Law hosts a nationally recognized annual Pre-Law Summer Institute for Native American students entire law schools throughout the country. We value candidates from varied backgrounds and perspectives, including women, individuals with disabilities, people who attended law school later in their careers, people from rural origins, first-generation college graduates, veterans, and groups historically marginalized in American life. We also value a demonstrated commitment to cultivating an understanding of the rich and varied cultures of New Mexico and to the success of the University’s mission to serve local and global communities.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school or an equivalent foreign legal degree.

Nice To Haves

Excellence or the promise of excellence in teaching courses like U.S. federal Indian law; U.S. tribal law; tribal courts; and comparative, international, or foreign Indigenous law as it relates to the United States.
Excellence or the promise of excellence in academic scholarship in subjects like U.S. federal Indian law; U.S. tribal law; tribal courts; comparative, international, or foreign Indigenous law as it relates to the United States; or clinical pedagogy, particularly as it relates to tribal court practice.
Practice experience of at least five years representing tribal communities and nations or tribally-enrolled individuals in federal, state, or tribal courts.
Practice experience of at least one to two years in the courts of one or more of New Mexico’s 23 federally-recognized tribes.
Pre- or post-J.D. professional experience or training, which can include teaching, other graduate-level study, fellowships, or judicial clerkships.
Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with professional colleagues.
Commitment to cultivating an understanding of the rich and varied cultures of New Mexico and to the success of the University’s mission to serve local and global communities.

Responsibilities

Share responsibility for teaching in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic with its current Director.
Teach other courses within the curriculum of the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program.
Contribute to the broader curriculum of the School of Law, depending on interest, expertise, and curricular need.
Provide students with opportunities to represent Native clients, Tribal governments, and organizations serving Indigenous communities under faculty supervision.
Prepare students for legal careers serving Native communities while advancing scholarship and advocacy in Indigenous law and governance at the tribal, national, and international levels.