Indigenous Law Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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 U.S. Federal Indian Law and other related courses. Both experienced and entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply. The Association of American Law Schools provides resources about the legal academic hiring process that may be useful, particularly to entry-level applicants: https://teach.aals.org/.

The successful candidate will teach a range of courses in the Indian Law curriculum. These may include foundational and advanced courses in U.S. Federal Indian Law, the legal systems of sovereign Tribal nations, international and comparative Indigenous law, and courses at the intersection of Indian Law and other substantive areas of legal practice. The faculty member may also contribute to the broader curriculum of the School of Law, depending on interest, expertise, and curricular need.

This position is a core part of UNM's Law and Indigenous Peoples Program (https://lawschool.unm.edu/indian/index.html), one of the most prominent and comprehensive Indian Law programs in the country. The successful candidate will actively participate in the Program, which includes: The Indian Law Certificate Program, which offers students a structured opportunity to specialize in Indian Law, preparing them for legal careers serving Native communities; The Southwest Indian Law Clinic, in which students provide legal representation to Native clients, Tribal governments, and organizations that serve Indigenous populations; and The Tribal Law Journal, a student-edited, online legal journal  that advances scholarship on Indigenous law and governance in Tribal, national, and international contexts.

Depending on experience and interest, the successful candidate may also have the opportunity to assume leadership roles within the Program. These may include serving as Director of the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program, faculty advisor to the Tribal Law Journal, or faculty advisor to the UNM Chapter of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA).

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 New Mexico's 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. (https://www.ailc-inc.org/), the School of Law hosts a nationally recognized annual Pre-Law Summer Institute for Native American students entering 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.

For more information about the law school, please visit https://lawschool.unm.edu/about/index.html. 

About UNM and Albuquerque:

Founded in 1889, The University of New Mexico, New Mexico's flagship university, occupies 600 acres along old Route 66 in the heart of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of nearly 1,000,000 people. From the magnificent mesas to the west, past the banks of the historic Rio Grande to the Sandia Mountains to the east, Albuquerque is a blend of culture, people, and panoramas.

For more information about the University of New Mexico, please visit: https://www.unm.edu/welcome/index.html

For the University's adopted Land, Labor, and Immigrant Acknowledgements, please visit https://dei-dev.unm.edu/about-dice-at-unm/land-labor-acknowledgement.html.

For more information about Albuquerque, please visit: https://www.cabq.gov/

For more information about New Mexico, please visit: https://www.newmexico.org/