UNM launches pre-law mentorship initiative

On Sept. 3, The University of New Mexico, UNM Law, and the State Bar of New Mexico's Young Lawyers Division (SBNM-YLD) celebrated the launch of a brand new initiative for UNM pre-law students to pair with both young professional lawyers and UNM law students for mentoring opportunities on the road to the legal profession. The program, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, was initially announced in April.

"This sensational event at UNM Law School officially launches this unique collegiate program from an idea into a powerful reality, thereby inventing something very novel, valuable and special to the already great resources available for the benefit of UNM pre-law students who plan to apply to law school and to pursue career paths as attorneys," UNM Pre-Law advisor Lawrence Jones said.

Jami Nelson-Nunez, chair of UNM's political science department and the UNM Law Advisory council, said the program came about from discussions on how to make the path to law school easier to navigate for students who don't have a familiarity with the process.

"Many of our students are the first in their families to consider this path. What they often lack isn't ability - it's knowing someone who has done it and can tell them what the next step looks like," Nelson-Nunez said. "That's what this is about. Not a brochure with information, but people."

The evening festivities were primarily organized by State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers immediate past chair Lauren Riley and present chair Taylor Duffney.

"We were thrilled to see young lawyers, law students, and pre-law undergraduate students come together for the kickoff of the State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers Division's 2026 mentorship program," Riley said. "In past years this program offered mentorship by young lawyers to law students, and we are excited to have expanded this to include mentorship of undergraduate students who are interested attending law school. Mentorship has long been a cornerstone of the legal profession, and we are hopeful that expanding these relationships to undergraduate students will help cultivate and inspire the next generation of lawyers in New Mexico."

"The inclusion of pre-law students into YLD's mentorship program was positively received and makes a lot of sense. If we truly want to create a pipeline into the legal profession, we must start earlier than law school. I am excited about this partnership, because the pre-law students will receive the perspective of not just lawyers, but also law students," SBNM past president Aja Brooks said. "I think the next steps are to encourage more students to take advantage of this unique, three-way mentorship opportunity, so that we can identify those interested students and support them in their journey."

Jones said the organization plans to share information about the mentorship program nationally, with the hope that this can become a model for other organizations across the country looking to find ways to support pre-law students.