Felissa Garcia (`97)

Felissa Garcia (`97), a respected family law practitioner in Albuquerque, died on Dec. 16, 2010. She was 44.

Garcia owned and operated the Family Law Firm in Albuquerque and was a member of the family law sections of the American Bar Association and State Bar of New Mexico. She served as chair of the State Bar's section from 2006-2007.

It was after wading through her own child custody battle that Garcia decided to pursue a legal education.

"I was so fascinated to see how everything worked," she said in a UNM Law interview in 1995. "I'd always wanted to go to law school, but this jelled it."

She had earned a bachelor's degree at the University of New Mexico, majoring in political science and psychology.

When she arrived at the UNM School of Law, Garcia was interested in a career in entertainment law, wanting to build on her experience in the industry since she was a teenager, including eight years as a disc jockey at two Albuquerque stations.

But, after graduation, she headed into family law.