The State Bar of New Mexico
Arturo J. Jaramillo Summer Law Clerk Program
for First-Year UNM Law Students
2012 Program Description and Application
I. Description
The State Bar of New Mexico created the Summer Law Clerk Program (Program) in 1992 in recognition of its responsibility to promote equal employment opportunities for persons who have historically been underrepresented in the legal profession and in many New Mexico medium and large law firms. The Program creates employment opportunities in medium and large law firms, state and local public agencies, and corporate law departments by providing a summer law clerk experience for motivated and deserving law students who meet the Program’s eligibility criteria.
This year the Program has changed its name to the Arturo J. Jaramillo Summer Law Clerk Program in recognition of Art Jaramillo, who has administered the Program since its inception on behalf of the University of New Mexico School of Law and the State Bar of New Mexico.
II. Eligibility
Students meeting the following criteria shall be eligible to apply for participation in the Program:
A. The applicant must be a first-year law student at the UNM School of Law.
B. The applicant must be in academic good standing with the UNM School of Law.
C. The applicant must possess and demonstrate capable research and writing skills.
III. Selection Committee
In conjunction with the UNM School of Law, the State Bar of New Mexico will establish a Summer Law Clerk Program Selection Committee made up of the various employers participating in the Program. This committee will break into smaller groups in order to effectuate timely interviews with all applicants.
IV. Selection Procedure
Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements set forth for the Program will be selected for summer law clerk positions by the Selection Committee on an individual case-by–case basis, taking into consideration the following:
• the applicant’s cover letter/personal statement;
• the applicant’s legal research and writing skills;
• the applicant’s résumé (education, community and professional involvement, and achievement);
• the applicant’s letter of reference; and
• the applicant’s interview.
V. Assignments
The applicants selected to participate in the Program will be assigned to a participating law firm, agency or corporate legal department at the sole discretion of the Selection Committee. The participating firms, agencies and legal departments are located both in and around the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. The employers will be informed of the selections and will initiate contact with the summer law clerks.
VI. Job Specifics
A. Participating Employers: Any private law firm, public agency or corporate legal department that regularly employs at least three lawyers may participate in the Program.
B. Salary and Schedule: The terms and conditions of employment for student law clerks, including salary and work schedule, shall be determined individually by each of the employers and student law clerks.
C. Evaluation: Student law clerks will be evaluated by their law firm or agency in the same manner as other law clerks at the firm or agency.
D. Second-Year Clerking: Employers are not required to extend an offer to clerk for a second summer but may do so if they wish. Participants in the Program should not expect such an offer.
VII. Application
Applicants for the 2012 Arturo J. Jaramillo Summer Law Clerk Program are required to submit the following items for consideration:
A. Cover Letter/Personal Statement: The personal statement should include general autobiographical information (family, academic, employment, or financial history; important community or work experience; and extracurricular activities). The statement should set forth the reasons why the applicant wants to participate in the Program and why the applicant should be selected as one of the summer law clerks. Emphasis should be placed on personal characteristics, communication skills, goals, motivation, and legal research and writing proficiency. The cover letter/statement should be limited to three pages.
B. Professional Résumé
C. One Letter of Reference
D. One Writing Sample: One legal research writing sample should represent the applicant’s research and writing skills. The document must not exceed five pages double-spaced in length and may be an excerpt from a larger document.
VIII. Timeline
A. Applications: Due March 21, 2012. Materials are to be submitted electronically to Nancy Huffstutler at huffstutler@law.unm.edu. Recommendation letters may be submitted directly to her by the recommender independent of the application.
B. Interviews: Saturday, April 14, 2012, UNM School of Law. All applicants will be granted an interview and will be expected to be present. Details about the time of each interview will be made available as soon as possible after the application deadline.
C. Notifications: Applicants will be notified as to whether or not they have been selected by Tuesday, April 17, 2012. It is expected that any applicant who is selected will accept the offer of employment.