Michelle Rigual

Associate Dean for Operations and Information Services

Professor

(505) 277-0678
Office 3329A
rigual [at] law.unm.edu

Education

B.A. 1988, University of Texas at Austin
J.D. 1997, University of Illinois
M.S. 2001, University of Illinois

Profile

Assoc. Dean Rigual, a recognized leader in the areas of assessment and library innovation, is a member of the Law School’s faculty and senior administrative team. She has served in various law library management roles at law schools across the country, including Texas A&M University School of Law, Arizona State University College of Law, and Capital University Law School. In her role as Associate Dean for Information Services she oversees legal research instruction; the library's strategic planning, outreach, budgeting, personnel, and policy; and the student-edited journals' budgets. In her role as Associate Dean for Operations she oversees Student and Career Services, Admissions and Financial Aid, Faculty Contracts and Services, and the Utton Center staff units.

Rigual regularly teaches Introduction to Legal Research and Applied Legal Research, both required courses in the UNMSOL curriculum; research seminars, most recently International Law of Art and Cultural Property in the law school’s Madrid Summer Law Institute; and courses focusing on professionalism such as Lab and Practicum. She is an active member of both the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) and the Southwestern Association of Law Libraries (SWALL) and has served as President of both SWALL and the AALL Latino Caucus.

Presentations

LAW Talk 2023: Winning! The POWER of Slow and Steady… plus some discussion of instruction and faculty status, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Tucson, AZ (March 30-April 1, 2023). The LAW Talk is an annual TED-style inspirational talk presented at the SWALL annual meeting by some of today’s leading law librarians.

Focus on What Matters: Integrating Legal Research throughout the Curriculum, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, San Antonio, TX (March 26-28, 2020).

Do Librarians Dream of Substantive Teaching? Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, San Antonio, TX (co-presented with Sherri Thomas) (March 26-28, 2020).

Using Collective Action to Integrate the Law School Curriculum, Legal Writing Institute, Penn State Dickinson Law (co-presented with Sherri Thomas) (December 3, 2019).

Addressing Diversity and Implicit Bias in Your Classroom and Your Law School, American Association of Law Libraries, Webinar (co-presented with Mike Martinez Jr and Sherri Thomas) (Nov 14, 2019).

Legal Research & Social Justice, Social Justice Lunchbox Series, University of New Mexico School of Law (co-presented with Sherri Thomas) (September 3, 2019).

Diverse Interactions: Addressing Race and Implicit Bias in Legal Research Instruction, Teaching the Teachers Conference, Atlanta, GA (co-presented with Shamika Dalton, Raquel Gabriel, Clanitra Njedl) (May 31, 2019).

Addressing Race and Implicit Bias in Legal Research Instruction Deep Dive, Parts 1 & 2, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Little Rock, AR (co-presented with Mike Martinez, Jr, Sherri Thomas, Ronald E. Wheeler) (April 15, 2019).

Diverse Interactions: Addressing Race and Implicit Bias in Legal Research Instruction, American Association of Law Libraries, Baltimore, MD (co-presented with Shamika Dalton, Raquel Gabriel, Clanitra Njedl) (July 24, 2018).

Step Inside the Collaborative Zone, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Houston, TX (April 7, 2018).

Sources of the Law, Municipal Court Staff Conference, Judicial Education Center, Albuquerque, NM (July 20, 2017).

Legal Resources, New Municipal Judges Orientation, Judicial Education Center, Albuquerque, NM (March 14, 2016).

What is the Law?, Probate Court Conference, Judicial Education Center, Albuquerque, NM (February 25, 2016).   

The UNM Law Library—An Information Partner for You and Your Community, Administration for Native Americans Grant Workshop for pueblo community library staffs, Albuquerque, NM (July 17, 2015).

Security Issues in 21st Centuries Law Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries/State, Court and County Law Libraries Special Interest Section, webinar (April 23, 2015).

Legal Research Learning Outcomes: Meeting the ABA Standards on Setting and Assessing Learning Outcomes, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Boulder, CO (April 9-11, 2015).

Security Issues in 21st Century Law Libraries, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Boulder, CO (April 9-11, 2015).

Legal Reference and Literature Searching, Texas Library Association Annual Conference, Fort Worth TX (co-presented with Kris Helge, University of North Texas Libraries) (April 26, 2013)

Mission Critical: Collection Development, speaker and coordinator, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Phoenix, AZ (co-presented with Sherri Thomas, University of New Mexico Law Library) (April 4, 2013)

Meeting the Legal Research Needs of the Solo Practitioner, Dallas Association of Law Librarians (November 2012)

Leadership and Management from the Perspective of Newer Librarians, panel moderator and coordinator, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, San Antonio, TX (March 2012).

Quick Response (QR) Codes, Dallas Association of Law Librarians (November 2011).

Managing Multiple Generations, Mid-America Association of Law Libraries-Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Joint Conference, Lawrence, KS (November 2011).

Introduction to Library Technology, panelist/guest speaker, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, TX (September 2011).

QR Codes and Library Applications, Houston Association of Law Librarians-Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Joint Meeting, Houston, TX (March 2011).

Research Skills for New Associates: A Dialogue between Town and Gown, Panelist, Houston Association of Law Librarians-Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Joint Meeting, Houston, TX (March 2011).

The Challenges of Creating Information Literate Lawyers, Dallas Association of Law Librarians (February 2011).

Adapting to the Presence of Mexican Law in the U.S. Legal System, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference, Waco, TX (April 2010).

Book Talk, Facilitator, Southwestern Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM (March 2009).

Find it Free and Fast on the Net: Advanced Internet Strategies for the New Mexico Legal Professional, Continuing Legal Education for Attorneys, Albuquerque, NM (December 2008).