Lawyers in New Mexico

The state of New Mexico lags behind the national average when it comes to the concentration of active resident lawyers per capita in the state. While the national average for the parameter is more than 40 lawyers per 10,000 people, the number for New Mexico hovers around 26, according to the latest available data. In absolute numbers, there are more than 5,400 active resident lawyers in the state. 

Despite low numbers, the State Bar of New Mexico, established in 1886, does its best to reach out to the public with its wide network of state-based lawyers. It not only helps the citizen of the state to locate attorneys but also makes people aware of their rights and the legal recourses available and helps the needy by providing them with the required legal assistance. In the last five years, the State Bar of New Mexico assisted more than 10,000 citizens in the state to find an attorney. It provided legal assistance to 22,500 seniors and distributed more than 1.7 million US dollars through various civil legal service programs throughout the state. The lawyers’ network also served pro bono hours with more than 10,000 referrals. 

The state bar also helps people with a host of other lawyer-related issues. For instance, under the legal resources for the elderly program, anyone above the age of 55 can contact the state bar’s legal helpline for free and obtain the necessary assistance regarding any civil legal problem they have been facing. In the cases of disputes between clients and their attorneys, there are the provisions of a client protection fund and a state bar fee arbitration fund which helps to settle disputes and compensates the client, in case, the client had to incur expenses due to unfair practices adopted by the attorney. 

Overall, the judicial system in the state of New Mexico is multilayered, focused, and well-distributed. Apart from the Supreme Court of New Mexico, the state has a court of appeals, a total of thirteen judicial district courts, magistrate courts, municipal courts, and a metropolitan and a probate court in the Bernalillo county.

Both the magistrate courts and the municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. The municipal courts are not eligible to conduct any jury trials. These courts hear cases relating to petty misdemeanors, violation of traffic and other municipal rules, etc. The magistrate courts, on the other hand, can hear cases relating to contracts, torts, landlord-tenant rights (valued under $10,000), felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, etc. The probate courts look into uncontested estate cases or cases relating to informal probate. Only district courts are eligible to hear the contested cases. 

The district courts have the eligibility to hold jury trials. It also has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal appeals and juvenile justice cases. Additionally, it also hears cases relating to property rights, domestic relations, mental health, etc. The court of appeals, on the other hand, has mandatory jurisdiction in non-capital criminal cases, and civil and juvenile cases. It also looks into cases relating to interlocutory decisions and administrative agency appeals, on a discretionary basis. 

Your email address

The state of New Mexico lags behind the national average when it comes to the concentration of active resident lawyers per capita in the state. While the national average for the parameter is more than 40 lawyers per 10,000 people, the number for New Mexico hovers around 26, according to the latest available data. In absolute numbers, there are more than 5,400 active resident lawyers in the state. 

Despite low numbers, the State Bar of New Mexico, established in 1886, does its best to reach out to the public with its wide network of state-based lawyers. It not only helps the citizen of the state to locate attorneys but also makes people aware of their rights and the legal recourses available and helps the needy by providing them with the required legal assistance. In the last five years, the State Bar of New Mexico assisted more than 10,000 citizens in the state to find an attorney. It provided legal assistance to 22,500 seniors and distributed more than 1.7 million US dollars through various civil legal service programs throughout the state. The lawyers’ network also served pro bono hours with more than 10,000 referrals. 

The state bar also helps people with a host of other lawyer-related issues. For instance, under the legal resources for the elderly program, anyone above the age of 55 can contact the state bar’s legal helpline for free and obtain the necessary assistance regarding any civil legal problem they have been facing. In the cases of disputes between clients and their attorneys, there are the provisions of a client protection fund and a state bar fee arbitration fund which helps to settle disputes and compensates the client, in case, the client had to incur expenses due to unfair practices adopted by the attorney. 

Overall, the judicial system in the state of New Mexico is multilayered, focused, and well-distributed. Apart from the Supreme Court of New Mexico, the state has a court of appeals, a total of thirteen judicial district courts, magistrate courts, municipal courts, and a metropolitan and a probate court in the Bernalillo county.

Both the magistrate courts and the municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. The municipal courts are not eligible to conduct any jury trials. These courts hear cases relating to petty misdemeanors, violation of traffic and other municipal rules, etc. The magistrate courts, on the other hand, can hear cases relating to contracts, torts, landlord-tenant rights (valued under $10,000), felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, etc. The probate courts look into uncontested estate cases or cases relating to informal probate. Only district courts are eligible to hear the contested cases. 

The district courts have the eligibility to hold jury trials. It also has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal appeals and juvenile justice cases. Additionally, it also hears cases relating to property rights, domestic relations, mental health, etc. The court of appeals, on the other hand, has mandatory jurisdiction in non-capital criminal cases, and civil and juvenile cases. It also looks into cases relating to interlocutory decisions and administrative agency appeals, on a discretionary basis. 

Your email address