School of Law among top leaders in the nation for Environmental Law

The National Jurist's PreLaw Magazine recently released the rankings for the top schools in environmental law. The UNM School of Law's Natural Resources and Environmental Law (NREL) Program has earned an A+ rating this spring. The School of Law is one of only 16 schools nationally to receive this grade in environmental law.

"The University of New Mexico School of Law is proud to be ranked once again by National Jurist in the very top tier of programs for environmental law, alongside other great programs at schools including Pace, Vermont, Lewis & Clark, UCLA, Harvard and Georgetown," said Professor Cliff Villa, director of the UNM Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program. "In April, we continued to produce innovative programming including a symposium exploring the use of art, which covered painting, sculpture and comic books, as a tool for environmental advocacy. In May, we welcomed legal scholars from across the country for a conference including panel presentations and field trips exploring resource management and highlighting the unique Indigenous and Hispano cultures of New Mexico.

"Next year, in addition to core courses and diverse electives in natural resources and environmental law, we will continue to support experiential learning through our Natural Resources and Environmental Law clinic, participation in the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition and scholarship opportunities through our Natural Resources Journal. We will also continue to expand curricular opportunities, to include offering new courses in Animal Law, Disaster Law and the Law of Land Grants and Acequias. In every way, the UNM School of Law continues to earn its ranking in the top tier of schools for environmental law, never resting and always asking what more we can do for our students, our alumni, our community and our planet."

The University of New Mexico's strong tradition in natural resources and environmental law goes back at least to the 1970s, when the School of Law began awarding certificates in natural resources law. UNM offers a wide variety of NREL courses, on topics as diverse as climate change and energy, federal lands, environmental justice, oil and gas, tribal natural and cultural resources, and water law. Students interested in this field may also serve on the editorial board or staff of the Natural Resources Journal, which is the oldest law journal on natural resource issues at any U.S. law school. Seminars and "drafting" courses help students hone their writing skills on a variety of NREL topics.

UNM also provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience working on NREL issues. Our Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic allows third-year students to work on a range of real-life matters. The law school's Utton Transboundary Resources Center employs a variety of students throughout the year, primarily researching NREL issues relating to New Mexico.

For more information about the program, visit Natural Resources and Environmental Law.