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The Craig Othmer Scholarship was established in 2008 jointly by the Public Law Section and Craig's family to honor him. It is intended to provide summer funding for a UNM law student to pursue a project in public interest law. Craig was a proud 1974 graduate of UNM law and was very active in the Public Law Section and community service throughout his career. While on the Section Board, he was instrumental in establishing the Public Lawyer of the year award because he believed public lawyers deserve more recognition.
Over the summer, I had the privilege of serving as an intern at the Federal Defender Office for the District of New Mexico, where I drafted motions and conducted legal research to support ongoing cases. This experience built upon my prior work evaluating jail and prison conditions, diversion programs, and rehabilitation policies—work that first inspired my commitment to serving individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. My experience with the Federal Defender Office provided invaluable exposure to criminal defense practice and deepened my understanding of how advocacy can advance equity and justice. I am deeply grateful to the Othmer Award for making this opportunity possible and for enabling me to continue developing as a dedicated advocate for those most affected by the criminal legal system.
2024 - Matthew Mallary 2023 - Camilla Allison 2022 - Brittany Dutton-Leyda- With the support of the Othmer Fellowship, She will be worked at the Office of the Federal Defender, and as a law clerk for the Honorable Chief Judge Eichwald of the Thirteenth Judicial District Court in Sandoval county as part of the State Bar Diversity Judicial Clerkship Program. 2021- Carson Thornton González- With the support of the Othmer Fellowship, she worked as a legal intern with the New Mexico Prison & Jail Project (NMPJP) where she worked as a legal intern, writing, researching and communicating with clients around the state in various facilities. 2020- Anna Trillo- With the support of the Othmer Fellowship, she worked in a Human Trafficking summer internship at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (“NMILC”) where she was responsible for conducting outreach and training partners on how to screen and refer potential human-trafficking survivors to NMILC. 2019 - Denali Wilson - With the support of the Othmer Fellowship, she spent her summer working in Washington, D.C. with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth engaging in policy advocacy and litigation to challenge the use of excessive and extreme youth sentencing. 2018 - Verenice Peregrino Pompa - With the support of the Othmer Fellowship, she worked on obtaining equal access to education for all New Mexico children at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty 2017 - Janine Caller 2016 - Laura Johnson