Tom English, right, is joined by Michael Carruthers and Anne Maxfield
Thomas English (`88) served as a director of the Legal Operations Directorate, overseeing the military boards for all detainees in Afghanistan in 2010. He was delighted when he discovered two UNM School of Law alumni on his staff: Michael Carruthers (`04) and Anne Maxfield (`06). They are stationed at Camp Sabalu-Harrison Bagram Airfield.
In his civilian life, English is a U.S. administrative law judge in Michigan. Following graduation, Carruthers joined the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps and Maxfield joined the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office. They have enjoyed reminiscing about their years at the UNM School of Law.
Bidtah Becker, an assistant attorney general for the Navajo Nation, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the Institute of American Indian Arts’ board of trustees. She will serve a term expiring on May 19, 2018. On the 12-member board, Becker will assist in formulating policies and bylaws for IAIA, as well as direct strategic planning. Before becoming assistant attorney general for the Natural Resources Unit of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Becker served in the Water Rights Unit from 2004-12, and in the Human Services and Government Unit from 2002-04.
Susan Bisong became a shareholder on Jan 1, 2011 at Modrall Sperling, where her primary areas of interest are in water and natural resources law, nursing home and healthcare law, insurance law, tort and personal injury litigation.
Matthew Bruff was inducted into the UNM Anderson School of Management's Hall of Fame in March 2011. He is the chief development officer and general legal counsel for Altela, an Albuquerque-based clean tech startup that he co-founded. He received his BBA and MBA from the Anderson School in 1994.
Raul Burciaga was named director of Legislative Council Service in 2010. He joined the state agency in 2000 and had served as assistant director for drafting services since 2004.
Patricia M. Cofty (formerly Michelsohn) has been elected a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Selection is restricted to one-third of 1percent of State Bar members, and fellows are chosen for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas. Cofty is with the Fowler Law Firm in Austin, Texas, where she focuses her practice on mediation and arbitration, family law, business and consumer litigation, small business incorporations and transactions and entertainment law.
Christa Hazlett has joined the Albuquerque firm of Conklin, Woodcock & Ziegler, where she represents clients in health care and employment matters. She joined the firm in 2010.
Paul Spruhan, an attorney with the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, published a chapter in the book, The Indian Civil Rights Act at Forty (UCLA 2012), a collection of essays that provides for the first time a summary and critical analysis of how Indian tribes interpret and apply these important civil rights provisions in our contemporary world.
Jayme Beaber Sullivan was appointed magistrate judge for Canyon County, Idaho in 2012. For the previous five years, she focused on the intersection of family, criminal and immigration law with Coffel & Beaber in Nampa, Idaho. She was a core team member on Canyon County’s first problem-solving court – the felony drug court – and she served on the committee that drafted the guidelines and regulations for the Canyon County Mental Health Court. Prior to that, she was with the Idaho firm of Wiebe & Fouser, where she focused on divorce, adoption, immigration and administrative law, along with taking criminal defense cases as a public defender.
Pilar Vaile has opened a solo practice that focuses on mediation, arbitration and serving as a contract administrative law judge in labor and employment matters. Previously, she was deputy director and hearing examiner of the Public Employee Labor Relations Board. She opened the firm in 2010.
The Albuquerque firm of Robles, Rael & Anaya has been ranked 20th in the New Mexico Business Weekly's 2009 list of Hispanic-owned Businesses, ranked according to gross New Mexico revenue. The firm's name partners are Luis Robles (`90), Marcus Rael (`01) and Christina Anaya (`94). The firm has a broad practice with an emphasis on civil rights work and representing city governments.
Erika Anderson was elected vice president of the 2013 New Mexico Board of Bar Commissioners. She is a civil litigation lawyer at French & Associates where she focuses on governmental liability, civil rights, personal injury, general tort liability and employment litigation. She is chair-elect for the American Bar Association Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section Trial Techniques Committee and is a past president of the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association.
Hector Balderas received the 2010 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, becoming the first New Mexican to receive the annual award. Balderas is state auditor of New Mexico. The New Frontier Awards were created by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. They are presented annually to exceptional young Americans under the age of 40 whose contributions in elective office, community service or advocacy demonstrate the impact and value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.
Jason Bousliman became a partner with Lewis & Roca in 2011. He focuses his litigation practice on commercial contract disputes, creditors’ rights in bankruptcy, collections and construction law. He is past president of the Albuquerque Bar Association.
Roxanna Chacon was appointed to the board of directors of New Mexico Legal Aid in 2010. She is a staff attorney with the Third Judicial Court and is a member of the UNM School of Law Alumni/ae Association’s board of directors.
Lauren Keefe was promoted to shareholder with Peifer, Hanson & Mullins in 2010. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, she clerked for both the New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Before law school, she was a reporter based in Boston.
Elizabeth Medina in 2012 opened Medina Law Firm in Rio Rancho. She focuses her practice on estate planning, probate, guardianships and conservatorships, corporate and  non-profit corporation work.
Allison Pieroni has been elected president of the Adoption and Foster Care Alliance of New Mexico for 2012-2014. She practices with Atkinson & Kelsey, where she is a certified mediator and focuses on adoption, child and spousal support, collaborative divorce, grandparents' rights and guardianship. She is chair of the State Bar of New Mexico's Family Law Section for 2011 and is board president of both St. Pius X High School Foundation and La Familia, Inc. in Albuquerque.
Shanon Riley became a judge for the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration in August 2011. She had been an assistant district attorney in the First Judicial District and prior to that spent three years as the general counsel for the Department of Military Affairs.
Donna Trujillo Dodd (`93) has joined with Matthew Torres (`01), Cody O’Brien (`07) and Matthew Sanchez (`09) to form Trujillo Dodd, Torres, O’Brien & Sanchez, an Albuquerque law firm in 2011. Doing business as The Family Law Firm, the partners focus their practice on family law, criminal defense and personal injury.
Janeen Vilven-Doggett has been elected a shareholder in Peacock Myers, an Albuquerque intellectual property law firm. She is a registered patent attorney with a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and has served as president of and is on the board of the New Mexico Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. She is also on the board of A Child’s Garden, as well as chair of the CNM Biotechnology Advisory Board. She was selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for 2010.
Sandra Beerle was elected to the board of directors of the Rodey Law Firm in 2010. She practices in the litigation department’s health law section.
Kasey Daniel joined the State Bar of New Mexico as managing attorney for the Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Program in 2011. She previously was the State Bar's director of public and legal services and worked in private practice.
April White was promoted to shareholder in the Albuquerque firm of Yenson, Lynn, Allen & Wosick, where she focuses her practice on insurance coverage/bad faith and civil rights/constitutional law.
Samantha Adams, a shareholder at Modrall Sperling, has been selected for the inaugural edition of the Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation. The 2012 guide honors about 250 female litigators nationwide for their achievements in litigation. She also was chosen by New Mexico Business Weekly as a 2012 Women of Influence honoree. She practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation for business, government and non-profit organizations.
Wade Jackson was appointed to the New Mexico State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2010. He practices in the products/general liability practice group at the Rodey Law Firm, where he also is involved in insurance coverage opinions and insurance litigation.
Vashti Lowe joined William F. Davis & Associates in 2012 as a senior associate attorney. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy, commercial litigation and DWI defense. She previously worked as an assistant district attorney.
Sarita Nair was recognized for her work in water law in the 2013 Best Lawyers in America directory. She was promoted to shareholder at Sutin, Thayer & Browne, where she practices primarily in the areas of business, water, environmental and Indian law.
Lorena Olmos became a shareholder on Jan. 1, 2011 at Modrall Sperling, where her areas of interest are commercial litigation, employment and labor, healthcare, and torts/personal injury litigation.
Willow Misty Parks was elected probate judge for Bernalillo County in the 2010 election.
Valerie Reighard was elected to the board of directors of the Rodey Law Firm in January 2011. She focuses her practice on professional liability, medical malpractice defense, personal injury, wrongful death and insurance defense litigation.
Brenda Saiz was elected to the board of directors of the Rodey Law Firm in January 2011. She emphasizes product liability in her practice and also focuses on professional liability, wrongful death and insurance defense litigation. Also in 2011, she was elected to the board of directors of the New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association.
Quentin Smith has been promoted by the Albuquerque law firm of Sheehan & Sheehan to shareholder and director. He focuses his practice on counseling and defending employers in employment litigation and administration proceedings.
Tatiana Engelmann-Corp has become an associate at the family law firm of Raines & Associates. She is a member of the New Mexico Collaborative Practice Group and a board member of the Children’s Grief Center of New Mexico.
Tiffany Oliver Leigh received the CLE Crest Award, presented annually for the top young lawyer presentation, for her presentation at the 2011 Collaborative Law Symposium. She is an associate at the Albuquerque firm of Little, Gilman-Tepper & Batley.
Elena Moreno opened La Morena Law in Albuquerque in January 2011. She focuses her practice on probate, family, business, criminal and civil law. She also is a certified mediator. Previously, she worked with the Santa Fe Public Defender's Office and with the New Mexico Office of Guardianship.
Lynn Mostoller has joined Sutin Thayer & Browne, where she practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, employment law and appeals. She has experience with shareholder and partner disputes, federal and state appeals and both plaintiffs’ and defense work in the employment law arena. She joined the firm in 2010.
Christina Vigil, president of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, was named Regional President of the Year for 2010 by the Hispanic National Bar Association. She also received the 2010 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the State Bar of New Mexico.
Aimee Martuccio Whitsell joined Miller Stratvert in 2010. She focuses her practice in the areas of civil litigation, construction law, health law, premises liability, product liability law and professional liability law.
Suzanne Wood Bruckner received the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating in 2012. She is head of the Sutin, Thayer & Browne tax law division. Her practice focuses on New Mexico taxes, including planning and audit defense, and business law. She also assists with Sutin's bond practice.
Nicole Moss (`05) was named Legal Impact Prosecutor of the Year for 2010 by the Prosecutors Section of the State Bar of New Mexico.
Hilary Noskin was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Albuquerque Community Foundation in 2011. She practice intellectual property law with the Peacock Myers law firm in Albuquerque.
Amanda Sanchez was elected to the board of directors of the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Albuquerque in 2010. She is an associate at the Rodey Law Firm, where she practices in the business department. The Domestic Violence Resource Center provides a variety of services, including legal services, to adults and children who are victims of domestic violence.
Aletheia Allen joined Arland & Associates in the firm’s Albuquerque office in 2012. She focuses her practice in the areas of lender liability defense, commercial litigation and bankruptcy. Prior to joining the firm, Allen was a consultant for an Internet startup company in Chicago.
Jennifer Landau (`06) and Megan Martinez (`10) founded the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center in fall 2010. The center provides legal services to immigrants unable to afford an immigration lawyer, with an initial focus on immigrants in New Mexico who face deportation and those seeking humanitarian protection and family reunification.
The nonprofit's board of directors includes Javier Martinez (`10) and Kip Bobroff, a former member of the UNM law faculty.
Denise Chanez has been elected President of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association. Ms. Chanez is an associate at the Rodey Law Firm. She practices in the Litigation Department with an emphasis on health law and medical malpractice. Ms. Chanez also has experience in the areas of employment, civil rights, education, personal injury, and media law. She has defended government entities and private employers at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts, as well as before administrative tribunals.
Amber Creel has become an associate with Montgomery & Andrews, where she focuses on defending hospitals and their employed physicians, nurses and technicians in medical malpractice actions. She joined the firm in 2010.
Anita Kelley has become an associate in Civerolo, Gralow, Hill & Curtis, where she has a general civil litigation practice. She joined the firm in 2010.
Jennifer Landau received the 2009 Justice Pamela B. Minzner Outstanding Advocacy for Women Award from the State Bar’s Committee on Women and the Legal Profession. She works with the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services and designed a project to respond to a lack of pro bono legal services available to immigrants in removal proceedings in New Mexico. She also is an adjunct professor at the UNM School of Law.
Kristina Martinez became an associate with Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Shoenburg & Bienvenu in 2011. She focuses her practice on civil litigation. Previously, she was a litigator in Holland & Hart’s Santa Fe office, where she represented clients in a variety of complex civil matters.
Josh Skarsgard is one of 15 young commercial real estate professionals to receive the 2010 Developing Leaders Award from NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Nasha Y. Torrez (formerly Spall-Martinez) has joined the Albuquerque office of Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Gallegos & Green. She represents school districts across New Mexico. Her practice focuses on general school law, employment and labor law, public meetings and records, contracts and procurement. Torrez previously served as the associate counsel to Gov. Bill Richardson and was the general counsel of the New Mexico State Fair.
Barry Berenberg has joined Modrall Sperling as an associate. He concentrates his practice on insurance defense, commercial litigation, real estate, intellectual property and general torts. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, he was a sole practitioner in Albuquerque. Before that, he clerked for Justice Edward Chavez (`81) of the New Mexico Supreme Court.
Amara (Bustos) and Scott Aaron have opened Aaron & Aaron in Albuquerque, where the couple focus their practice on immigration, criminal and estate planning/probate law. Their 2-year-old son, Isaac Immanuel, loves to sing, dance and eat Challah bread with chocolate chips. They opened their firm in 2010.
Gina Constant has been named one of New Mexico’s Women in Technology for 2010 by the New Mexico Technology Council. She is with the Rodey Law Firm, where she focuses her practice in the areas of intellectual property and entertainment law. She is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In 2011, she was elected to serve on the Board of the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of New Mexico. In 2011, she was elected to serve on the Board of the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of New Mexico.
Jennifer deGraauw joined the Albuquerque firm of Little, Gilman-Tepper & Batley in 2011 as an associate. She focuses her practice on complex family law matters
Jake Garrison became an associate with the Turner Law Firm in Albuquerque in 2011. The firm’s primary areas of focus include litigation and transaction work in the areas of real estate, business, commercial, contracts and entity formation and maintenance.
Richard Hatch became an associate in the Rodey Law Firm in early 2012. He focuses his practice on medical malpractice defense litigation, health law, wrongful death, product liability and general insurance defense. Prior to joining Rodey, he practiced in the areas of medical malpractice and general insurance defense litigation.
Rebecca (Shreve) Kitson has become a shareholder at the Albuquerque firm of John W. Lawit, where she practices in all areas of immigration law. The firm has changed its name to Lawit & Kitson. She joined the firm in 2010.
Kimberly Padilla has become an associate with Wolf & Fox, where she focuses her practice on family law. She joined the firm in 2010.
Antonia Roybal-Mack opened Roybal-Mack Law in October 2011. She focuses her practice on employment law and general civil litigation. In 2010, she received the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association's Outstanding Young Attorney Award. She also has also been included in "Best of the Bar" by the New Mexico Business Weekly.
Jason Wexler has become an associate with the Albuquerque firm of Aldridge, Grammer & Hammar. He focuses his practice on business transactions, commercial litigation and creditor's rights, real estate law, guardianships and conservatorships and all phases of estate planning.
Mark Bolton joined the government relations group of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in early 2011. He focuses his practice in the areas of taxation, energy, business regulation and regulation of the legal profession, as well as covering a variety of general legislative issues. He works in the firm's Phoenix office, which opened in December 2010.
Isaac Estrada joined Peacock Myers as an associate patent attorney in 2010, handling patent, trademark, copyright, and other intellectual property matters, particularly in the field of biotechnology. Estrada is also enrolled in the Johns Hopkins University Advance Academic Program pursuing a master of science degree in biotechnology.
Kristina Fisher was selected as the 2011 Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year by the New Mexico Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Central New Mexico. The award recognizes young leaders who make a deep impact in the community and in their organization through their nonprofit work. Fisher is associate director of Think New Mexico, a results-oriented think tank dedicated to improving the quality of life for all New Mexicans, and she serves on the boards of the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation and the Santa Fe Watershed Association.
Jeremy Harrison joined the Albuquerque office of Modrall Sperling in 2011. He focuses his practice on civil litigation for local and national businesses, governmental entities and local public schools. Previously, he clerked for two years for Judge Cynthia Fry (`81) of the New Mexico Court of Appeals and one year for U.S. District Judge James Parker.
Stephen Lane became an associate in the firm of Keleher & McLeod in 2012. He focuses his practice on civil and commercial litigation. Previously, he worked as a public defender.
Robert Lucero was elected to the Board of Directors of the University of New Mexico School of Law Alumni Association in 2011. Earlier that year, he graduated from the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce Leadership Albuquerque program. Lucero is a member of the Rodey Law Firm's Business Department, where he practices in the areas of real estate, land use and finance law.
Robert Matteucci, Jr., has become an associate with Raines & Associates, an Albuquerque law firm, in 2010. He focuses his practice on family law cases with business assets and large financial portfolios. His family has owned shoe stores in Albuquerque since the 1900s and he owned Shoes on a Shoestring for 13 years before enrolling in law school.
Timothy Murphy in 2011 joined the trial group at Sutin, Thayer & Browne. He focuses his practice on creditors' rights, commercial litigation, land use and title and bankruptcy. Previously, he worked in the UNM School of Law's Business and Tax Clinic.
Edmund Perea joined ITT-Technical Institute in 2011 as chair of the School of Criminal Justice. Prior to law school, he spent 23 years with the Albuquerque Police Department. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Robert Sanchez became an associate with the Rodey Law Firm in 2011. He focuses his practice on professional liability and insurance defense.
Daniel Alsup has become an associate in Modrall Sperling, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation, corporate, real estate and banking transactions. He joined the firm in 2009.
Steven Armstrong has become an associate with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in the law firm's Washington, D.C., office. He joined the firm's aviation practice group in 2011. Armstrong is a U.S. Naval Aviator. After earning his J.D. from the UNM School of Law, he went on to receive an LL.M. in litigation and dispute resolution from George Washington University Law School, graduating with highest honors in 2010. Prior to joining the Schnader firm, he worked in the general crimes section of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.
Neil Bell joined Keleher & McLeod as an associate in 2010. He focuses his practice on civil litigation. Prior to joining the Albuquerque firm, Bell clerked for Justice Richard Bosson of the New Mexico Supreme Court.
Esteli Juarez Boyd joined the Lynn Perls law firm in 2012. She focuses her practice on family law matters. Previously, she worked for Enlace Communitario, where she provided family law and domestic violence legal aid services.
Dahlia Dorman has become an associate in Modrall Sperling, where she practices employment litigation. She joined the firm in 2009.
Monica Ewing has joined Sutin, Thayer & Browne, where she focuses her practice on commercial litigation, creditors’ rights and intellectual property. She joined the firm in 2009.
Chris Gatton has joined the Law Office of George Giddens, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation, bankruptcy, bank collections, foreclosures and real estate. He joined the firm in 2009.
David Gordon has joined Sutin, Thayer & Browne, where he focuses his practice on business law, commercial real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions and commercial contracts. He joined the firm in 2009.
Heather S. Jaramillo established The Jaramillo Firm in August 2012. She focuses her practice in the areas of criminal defense, foreclosure defense and general civil litigation. She is the 2013 vice president of the New Mexico Women's Bar Association.
Joseph Montaño has been promoted to assistant district attorney with the Felony Community Crimes Division in the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office. He has been involved in more than 61 trials since June 2010.
Stormy Ralstin has become an associate in the firm of Pregenzer Baysinger Wideman & Sale. She focuses her practice on fiduciary litigation, estate planning, guardianships, conservatorships and elder law.
Jennifer Rodgers joined the Walther Family Law Firm in 2010.
Ryan Sanders joined the firm of Allen, Shepherd, Lewis, Syra & Chapman in 2011. He practices in the areas of insurance defense, general litigation and worker's compensation.
Christina Sheehan has become an associate in Modrall Sperling, where she focuses her practice on class action/tort litigation. She joined the firm in 2009.
Michael Smith has become an associate with Keleher & McLeod where he focuses his practice on civil and commercial litigation.
Kyle Wackenheim became a death penalty law clerk for the U.S. District Court's Western District of Oklahoma in 2010. He processes habeas corpus petitions to the federal court from state death row inmates. Previously, he was a clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
Geoffrey White became an associate in Butt Thornton & Baehr, where he focuses his practice on general litigation, medical negligence, workers’ compensation and commercial litigation. He joined the firm in 2009.
Shona Zimmerman joined the Albuquerque firm of Silva & Gonzales in 2011. She focuses her practice on employment law, business and commercial litigation.
UNM School of Law
1117 Stanford NE MSC11 6070, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
© The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (505) 277-0111
New Mexico's Flagship University
