Jennifer Laws
Scholarly Communications & E-Resources
Senior Lecturer
(505) 277-1020
Office 1360E
laws [at] law.unm.edu
Education
B.A. 1994, University of Kansas
M.L.I.S. 1996, University of Texas at Austin
Profile
Jennifer Laws is a senior lecturer at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She teaches courses about legal research, manages the UNM Law Library’s electronic resources, and takes the lead on scholarly communication services. She spends most of her time focused on student and faculty success.
Prior to coming to UNM, she worked for a decade managing all aspects of the San Antonio, Texas branch library of the Fifth Circuit Library System. While working in the judiciary she observed the outsized impact that legal research skills have on the functioning of the courts and the success of law clerks. She previously worked in a large law firm supporting the work of multiple practice groups with a well-managed law library, customized legal research services, and lots of training for newer and experienced lawyers alike. She is a former president of the Southwestern Association of Law Libraries and a true believer in the power of professional relationships and mentoring.
As a law librarian, her research focuses on New Mexico legislative history, legal research instruction, and the ways that technologies help or hinder access to and use of legal information.
Community Engagement
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
New Mexico Library Association, Digital Collections Special Interest Group
Southwestern Association of Law Libraries (SWALL)
SWALL Constitution & Bylaws Committee
UNM Innovative Scholarly Initiatives Committee
UNM Faculty Senate Information Technology Use Committee
UNMSOL Art Committee
UNMSOL Curriculum Committee
Publications & Contributions
Book Chapters
The Lawyer in Society: Popular Culture Images of Lawyers and Your Self-Image, in Lawyering From the Inside Out (Cambridge University Press, 2018). Co-authored with Nathalie Martin.
Academic & Professional Journals
Universal Citation and the American Association of Law Libraries: A White Paper 103 Law Libr. J. 331 (2011). Co-edited with Timothy L. Coggins and John Cannan.
Resourceful and Tough: The Fifth Circuit Libraries Pull Together to Weather Hurricanes, 10 AALL Spectrum 28 (2006). Co-authored with Amy Hale-Janeke.
Book Reviews
A Legal History of the Civil War and Reconstruction: A Nation of Rights by Laura F. Edwards, 108 Law Libr. J. 292 (2016).
All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals by David Sheffer. 105 Law Libr. J. 381 (2013).
An Introduction to Islamic Law by Wael B. Hallaq, 102 Law Libr. J. 294 (2010).
Presentations
More Bang for Your Buck: Essential Legal Research for the New (and Not So New) Attorney, State Bar of New Mexico Annual Meeting (2018).
How I Flipped The Switch: A Case Study About Online Course Development, Student Learning Outcomes, and ABA Standard 306 in a Skills-Based Law Course, The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning Summer Conference (2018).
Diversify With Video Content: Video Outreach for Law Librarians, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference/Houston Association of Law Libraries Joint Annual Meeting (2018).
Digitization on the Cheap: Using your Limited Resources to Do It Right, New Mexico Library Association Annual Conference (2017).
Legal Research Resources for Public Librarians, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Public Libraries (2017). Co-presented with Keeta Harnett.
The Politics of Food in the Southwest: The Complex Example of New Mexico, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference (2017). Panel moderator.
Open-Access Textbooks in Academia: A Case Study in Law, Digital Collections Special Interest Group (2016).
Legal Research Learning Outcomes: Meeting the ABA Standards on Setting and Assessing Learning Outcomes, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference (2015).
