Three alumni receive awards at New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association Luncheon
October 24, 2017 - Anna Baecker, Class of ‘19
Three UNM School of Law alumni were honored at the New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association (NMDLA) Annual Awards Luncheon, CLE and Annual Meeting on September 29, 2017.
Mark Mowery (’81) received the Outstanding Civil Defense Lawyer of the Year Award, Justin Goodman (’11), received the Young Defense Lawyer of the Year Award and Patrick Coronel (’17) was recognized for his service to NMDLA by founding the student chapter and solidifying NMDLA’s presence at the law school.
Mowery is a director in the Santa Fe office of the Rodey Law Firm and practices in the Litigation Department, with a special emphasis in personal injury, property damage, product liability, medical malpractice claims and general insurance defense. Mowery also has an active mediation practice.
“I have been an active member of the NMDLA since its early days in the mid-1980’s,” said Mowery. “For anyone who practices primarily on the defense side of civil cases, it is a great resource and provides easy access to a network of similarly focused litigators.” Mowery credited his success to the solid foundation he gained while attending UNM School of Law.
Goodman is an associate at Stiff, Keith, & Garcia, LLC, where he maintains a civil litigation practice in the areas of insurance law, bad faith, personal injury, fraud investigation, and construction defect. He serves on the Alumni Association Board and is an adjunct faculty at the law school.
“I am deeply honored to receive the New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association Young Lawyer of the Year Award,” said Goodman. “It is truly awesome to practice law in New Mexico where the attorneys and community are supported by such incredible organizations and a first-rate law school. I am very thankful to my family, friends, colleagues, and mentors.”
Coronel is an associate at the Rodey Law Firm. His practice involves civil defense litigation in health law and products, and general liability.
He served as the Founding President of the NMDLA Student Chapter. “During law school, my closest mentors were NMDLA members, and they helped me realize that civil defense attorneys face many misconceptions about their practice,” said Coronel. “The civil defense bar in New Mexico is friendly, professional, and willing to provide mentorship and guidance to law students who are considering civil litigation.” Coronel encouraged UNM School of Law students to get involved with the NMDLA Student Chapter so that they can learn about the many benefits of civil defense work in New Mexico.
UNM School of Law students from the NMDLA student chapter were among those who attended the luncheon. “It’s exciting to see defense attorneys get together to celebrate good lawyering and share how the defense bar is so essential to our system of fairness,” said Deian McBryde, Co-president for the NMDLA Student Chapter. “There is no ‘dark side!’ Anyone interested in becoming an excellent civil litigator should get to know the NMDLA and our UNMSOL Student Chapter!”
“It has been such a pleasure working closely with the NMDLA,” said Sara Klemundt, Co-president for the NMDLA Student Chapter. “The relationship between the NMDLA and UNMSOL through the NMDLA Student Chapter has been a great addition to my law school experience, and I hope that it will be a great thing for many other students looking to go into civil litigation. The luncheon on September 29, 2017 was a great way to celebrate such important people in the law school community like Professor Goodman and recent UNMSOL graduate Patrick Coronel who made the relationship between NMDLA and UNMSOL possible.”
