CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER
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John Feldman, Career & Student Services Director, The University of New Mexico Law School [6-28-04 by John J. Barnes] John Feldman talks with LawCrossing about his role in helping law students find jobs in a small market, in advocacy and in non-traditional legal fields.
Talk with John Feldman for any length of
through an atypical circuitous route, coming
New Mexico and what is both possible and
time and you get a strong sense of both his
to law as a second career, by attending the
not possible. We help them find summer jobs
passion and his dedication to what he does.
University of New Mexico Law School from
and whatever else we can to lessen their
Quite simply, he helps students at his law
which he graduated in 1989. He clerked for
financial burden.
school sort out the rest of their lives, which,
a justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court,
as it turns out, may not always involve a
worked a while in private practice, and then
“We are careful to ask about the student’s
‘traditional’ law career.
served as a mediator for the State in workers
interests and try to find out why they decided
compensation cases. He also managed a
to attend law school and what they seek
“New Mexico does not have an overabun-
stint as an assistant D.A., all the while teach-
from it. We find that sometimes their real
dance of jobs for newly-minted attorneys,” he
ing courses in alternative dispute resolution
focus lies outside the law and that this is a
offers. “So many do not go the classic route,
at the same law school from which he had
surprise to them. We are comfortable with
which is into large or medium-sized firms,
earlier graduated. When he assumed his
that. We’re here for the students. We’re not
where they may well spend the rest of their
current position as Career Services Director,
here to mold them into a specific product
lives working within the confines of a single
he became the first person with a law degree
for a specific market. For starters, we want
practice area.”
to do so.
them to be excellent attorneys. In addition to
So where do your students end up? we asked.
“I look for ways to allow more of our students
that makes them happy. If this includes the
to do public advocacy work. We provide a lot
traditional law career, fine. If it does not, we
“Many go with small firms or with a sole
of help to students as it is. UNM offers ex-
will help them chart a non-traditional path. I
practitioner, and many choose government
ternships which allow our law students to do
think flexibility and compassion are the most
service,” John told us. “Our typical first-
work off campus and get credit for it. We also
important messages we wish to convey.”
year class consists of about 100 students
require them to take a clinic in which they
and we’re the only law school in the state.
must function as lawyers before they are al-
that, we want them to follow a career path
This means that we’re well connected with
lowed to graduate. We have one graduate in
the judicial branch, with local bar groups in
the Class of ‘04 working in Washington D.C.
Albuquerque, Santa Fe and other New Mexico
as the director of an advocacy group, mean-
cities, and with a variety of small-size firms
ing she is not only serving as a legal officer
scattered throughout the state.
of her agency, but she also handles finances, lobbying, and whatever else is required. I like
“The significance of all of this is that when
to see graduates realize their dreams.”
job openings occur, we are likely to hear about them and can immediately link our
The lack of graduate public service em-
students to available opportunities. But along
ployment is every law school’s problem,
with this advantage is a disadvantage that is
we added, along with student debt. John
created by an overall lack of potential jobs. In
Feldman agreed. “Yes,” he said, “But I think
New Mexico, this can mean many of our stu-
we are especially sensitive to this in New
dents must take a less traditional route than
Mexico, because we and our students have
that of going directly to a private law firm.”
to be more flexible. We try to deal with a lot of this right at the onset. We help students
John Feldman got to his present position
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understand the particular environment of