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2015COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT
Equal justice under law is notmerely a caption on the facade
of the Supreme Court building; itis perhaps the most inspiring
ideal of our society. It is one ofthe ends for which our entire
legal system exists...it isfundamental that justice shouldbe the same, in substance andavailability, without regard to
economic status.
Lewis Powell, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court Justice
F R O M T H EE X E C U T I V ED I R E C T O R
ContentsBoard of Directors & Our Service Areas
Who We Are & Our Projects
2015 Case Numbers
Client Success Stories
Volunteer Attorney Program & Justice
for Families Project
Financials
Donation & Volunteer Forms
The mission of New Mexico Legal Aid,
Inc. (NMLA) is to be the voice,
defender and advocate for poor
people who are seeking justice in all
forums, particularly in the
communities in which they live. NMLA
is committed to helping poor people
in their struggle to access food,
shelter, security, and to preserve their
unique cultural heritages.
New Mexico Legal Aid is a civil
legal advocacy organization
dedicated to opening the door to
equal access to justice for all
disenfranchised and low-income
people and communities
throughout New Mexico by
providing outreach, training,
education, and quality
representation.
Our MissionOur Vision
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Dear Friends,
The causes of poverty in New Mexico are many and complex. Our beautiful,diverse and culturally rich stateunfortunately continues to rank secondworst in the nation for overall poverty,and worst in the nation for povertyamong children age 18 and younger.
Legal aid cannot solve these problemsalone. But we are proud to be a keypartner in community projects andcoalitions throughout the state toaddress the root causes of poverty as well as win cases in court. New MexicoLegal Aid’s new Justice for FamiliesProject, for example, partners with theSouthwest Women’s Law Center and theNew Mexico Women’s Bar Association to train and support volunteer privateattorneys, paralegals and law students in Albuquerque and Santa Fe to makelegal assistance more available to low-income New Mexicans in isolated high-poverty rural communities. Our VeteransAdvocacy Project works with the NewMexico Veterans Integration Centers,
Goodwill, and other alliedorganizations to assist disabled andhomeless veterans. Our statewidenetwork of domestic violenceattorneys continue to work closelywith shelters, law enforcement andmedical providers throughout thestate to protect all who suffer abuseand threats of violence from spousesand other intimate partners. OurNative American Program based inSanta Ana works with tribal organizations throughout the state toincrease access to justice in Pueblosand other tribal communities.
These are but a few examples of thededicated and creative effortsdescribed in this Annual Report thatour staff and community partners makeeach and every day to ease the burdensof poverty on New Mexicans of all agesand backgrounds. We welcomeyour ideas and continued support tokeep New Mexico’s progress in thefight against poverty moving forward.
Ed Marks
Advancing Fairness
301 Gold Ave. SW
P.O. Box 25486
Albuquerque, NM
87125-5486
Office: 505.243.7871
Toll Free: 1.866.416.1922
Fax: 505.227.8712
211 West Mesa
Suites 5 & 6
P.O. Box 1475
Gallup, NM
87305
Office: 505.722.4417
Toll Free: 1.800.524.4417
Fax: 505.726.4539
200 East Fourth Street
Suite 200
P.O. Box 1087
Roswell, NM
88202-1087
Office: 575.623.9669
Toll Free: 1.866.416.1920
Fax: 575.208.1660
301 West College Avenue
Suite 17
Silver City, NM
88061
Office: 575.388.0091
Toll Free: 1.866.224.5097
Fax: 575.956.9144
1214 National Ave.
P.O. Box 1454
Las Vegas, NM
87701
Office: 505.425.3514
Toll Free: 1.866.416.1932
Fax: 505.718.3026
1012 West Grand
P.O. Box 864
Clovis, NM
88102
Office: 575.769.2326
Toll Free: 1.866.416.1921
Fax: 575.219.6363
600 East Montana Street
Las Cruces, NM
88001-4246
Office: 575.541.4800
Toll Free: 1.866.515.7667
Fax: 575.541.3218
51 Jemez Dam Road
Suite 102
P.O. Box 817
Bernalillo, NM
87001
Office: 505.867.3391
Toll Free: 1.866.505.2371
Fax: 505.552.3004
901 West Alameda
Suite 20B
P.O. Box 32197
Santa Fe, NM
87594-2197
Office: 505.982.9886
Toll Free: 1.866.416.1934
Fax: 505.216.2997
214 C Kit Carson Road
Taos, NM
87571
Office: 575.758.2218
Toll Free: 1.800.294.1823
Fax: 575.613.1368CL
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2015 Board of Directors
Maria Garcia Geer, Esq., Board Chair
Stuart Bluestone, Esq., Vice Chair
Paul Abrams, Esq., Treasurer
David Hernandez, Esq., Secretary
Joana Armann
Cathrynn Novich Brown, Esq.
Roxanna Chacón, Esq.
Samuel Cordova
Francesca Martinez-Estevez, Esq.
Fernando Garcia
Elizabeth J. Gutierrez, Esq.
Oma Jones
Naava Koenigsberg
Carlos Marentes
Kim McGinnis, Ph.D., Esq.
Bernard Metzgar, Esq.
Vernon Roanhorse, Esq.
Paul Spruhan, Esq.
Glenda Vick
Juliette White
newmexicolegalaid NMLegalAid1www.newmexicolegalaid.org www.lawhelpnewmexico.org
Albuquerque
Santa AnaSanta Fe
Taos
Las Vegas
Clovis
Roswell
Las Cruces
Silver City
Gallup
San Juan county is served by our partner organization,DNA People's Legal Services.
Office Coverage Areas
Justice for All&
As the need for civil legal aid continues to rise in the nation,
NMLA strives to maintain a high level of service to promote
family stability in a state where over half a million residents live
under the federal poverty line. For every 14,000 poor persons,
there is one legal aid attorney at NMLA. During 2015, we
focused on bettering the understanding of a wide range of civil
legal issues by providing education and training across the state.
We placed an emphasis on the use of technology to increase
impact and outreach, and we prioritized cases where individuals
and families had depleted resources for their basic human
needs, ultimately securing safe housing, food, income, and
personal safety. We are proud of and grateful for the
opportunities to work alongside our colleagues and partners to
help alleviate poverty in our communities.
New Mexico Legal Aid’s services range from education, advice, and
brief service to full representation. In order to supplement a
shortage of staff, we utilize technology in the form of informational
websites and the development of new initiatives such as
videoconferencing and a secure web portal to increase our range of
outreach across the state of New Mexico to connect clients with pro
bono attorneys.
No one is denied assistance on the basis of race, age, gender,
religion, political affiliation, beliefs, or disability.
New Mexico Legal Aid covers four main practice areas:
• Housing and Landlord/Tenant
• Family Law
• Consumer Rights
• Access to Public Benefits
New Mexico Legal Aid has dedicated our services to erasing
barriers to justice for low-income New Mexicans by providing
free and high-quality civil legal assistance and education. Our
mission is to be the voice, defender and advocate for poor
people who are seeking justice in all forums, particularly in the
communities in which they live. New Mexico Legal Aid is
committed to helping poor people in their struggle to access
food, shelter and security, while preserving their unique
cultural heritages.
For ov e r 60 y ears ,
6
While these practice areas cover many legal issues, we also
have twelve special projects:
Veterans Justice
Land and Water Rights
Migrant Farmworker/ Low-Wage Workers Advocacy
Access to Justice Supreme Court Consolidated Rural Advocacy
Office of the New Mexico Attorney General Foreclosure Legal
Defense
Legal Services for Victims of Domestic Violence
Crime Victims Reparation Commission Domestic Violence
HelpLine
Native American Program
Special Immigration Juvenile Status
Language Access
Bernalillo County Social Services Medical-Legal Partnership
G. Duane Vieth Leadership Development Program
Defense
HelpLine
55% of those women aresingle mothers.
of our clients are female.
110 pro bono attorneys handled
cases through the VolunteerAttorney Program and providedadvice through clinics to over
315 clients were able tomaintain or receive a form
of income in order toestablish economic
stability.
97 foreclosure processes werehalted and homes were saved,
bringing about a financialbenefit of
5,893A total of
children were positively affectedby legal assistance, ultimatelysecuring their safety, homes,
education and financial needs.
266 consumer cases resulted
in financial benefits totaling
people in migrantfarmworker families were able to get
the help they needed to maintaintheir income, individual rights,
housing, and benefits.
45% of cases are related to familylaw and domestic violence.
NMLA secures over 1,000protective orders against abusers
every year.
Almost 800 calls were handled by ourstatewide domestic violence hotline,
where victims were able to speak withan attorney and were directed to an
array of services.
4,636cases, ultimately affecting 14,161New Mexicans and their families.
In 2015, New Mexico Legal Aid handled 75%
2015 by the Numbers
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$110,926.
307
162
$10,019,501.
2,000 people.
Sarah-Jean first came to New MexicoLegal Aid in 2013 after being sued forthe foreclosure of her home followinga contentious divorce.
For the next three years, New MexicoLegal Aid attorneys worked withSarah-Jean and an HUD-CertifiedForeclosure Prevention counselor atTierra Del Sol Housing Corporationto apply for a loan modification,trying to get Sarah-Jean's mortgagepayments back on track.
Because her ex-husband was stillnamed on the loan, he was courtordered to provide mandatorypaperwork with his information.Sadly, he refused to help out, andSarah-Jean was denied a loanmodification. Eventually, she losther home.
Sarah-Jean's home was sold at auction,but because her family had nowhere togo, they continued to live in the house.Sarah-Jean was also tasked withpaying off a tax lien, brought about byincome tax owed by her ex-husband.
Once the title to the house wascleared, New Mexico Legal Aid workedwith the New Mexico AttorneyGeneral's Office to get the loancompany to review Sarah-Jean'sapplication once more. Finally, theyapproved Sarah-Jean for a modificationand her mortgage payments were setat an affordable rate.
Thanks to our Keep Your Home NewMexico Foreclosure Project team,Sarah-Jean and her family were able tostay in their home and they are nowable to make payments.
TheGomezFamilyThis was an incredibleteam effort by theKeep Your Home NewMexico partnership andall the hard work paidoff: this family's homewas saved!
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On front cover from left: NMLA Staff Attorney Mari Kempton, Adriana, Javi, Rick, family dog Xena, Sarah-Jean, TierraDel Sol Counselor Isabel Dominguez, and NMLA Staff Attorney Beatriz Ferreira. in front of the Gomez's home.
From left: Sarah-Jean's daughter Adriana, husband Rick, Sarah-Jean, and grandson Javier in their Las Cruces home.
After the devastating loss of her daughter,
Ayasha discovered her two young
grandchildren were being physically abused
by their father after he took over custody. She
came to New Mexico Legal Aid needing
assistance with obtaining a protection order
on behalf of the children as well as
guardianship through the Navajo Nation's
court system. Ayasha was granted a
temporary protection order against the father,
but he filed petitions in the Supreme Court
challenging the decision of the Family Court.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court upheld the
Family Court decision. After many hearings
and much hard work, the Family Court issued
a permanent protection order and gave
Ayasha custody of the children. They are now
able to receive the services they need to
begin the healing process as a family.
Damon sought assistance from New MexicoLegal Aid when he was denied coverage byMedicaid for a necessary treatment thatwould correct a serious orthodontic problemcausing him severe pain whenever he ate.
New Mexico Legal Aid represented Damonand appealed the denial. When he hadoriginally been screened for treatment,Damon's issue was scored on a system laterfound to be illegal in the case of a medicalnecessity.
The court found that Medicaid should fullycover Damon's treatment, and the decisionwas overturned. Damon was finally able toget the treatment he needed.
Damon
At New Mexico Legal Aid, we respect everyone who comes to us for help – and many are working toward a fresh start in life. So while their storiesare true, client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for understanding.
9
AyashaI am extremely grateful to New
Mexico Legal Aid for theirservices and professionalism
with caring hearts.
After many years together, Justinne finally decided she needed to
leave her abusive, drug-addicted, live-in boyfriend and father of
her youngest child. On one occasion, Desmond had strangled
Justinne, throwing her into walls and smashing her head in a
closet door until she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she
attempted to escape and ran outside her house. Desmond caught
up with her and dragged her back inside where he repeatedly
punched her in the face. The second time Justinne was able to
run outside, she caught the attention of her neighbors who then
called the police. After a stint in the hospital, Justinne came
home to realize Desmond had had her phone service cut off and
had taken her name off all their bank accounts. She was left with
the task of cleaning the inside of her house, which was covered
in her blood.
Justinne came to New Mexico Legal Aid needing to extend a
temporary protective order and work out a visitation schedule
between Desmond and their child. NMLA was able to secure a
25-year protection order along with supervised visitations.
Despite the protective order, Desmond relentlessly stalked and
harassed Justinne, her friends, and her family.
Desmond broke into Justinne's house and tool shed multiple
times and stole her and her family’s belongings. Months
before, Desmond had torn up her floors, intending to
renovate her house, but had not yet started. He now wanted
all the materials back, which would leave Justinne and her
children to live in a partially-deconstructed home. Since
Desmond's parents, not Desmond, had purchased the
materials, he pressured his parents into threatening to file a
lawsuit against Justinne for the cost of the materials.
New Mexico Legal Aid's Volunteer Attorney Program has
since been able to retain a volunteer attorney who will
represent Justinne through the upcoming lawsuit, pro bono.
Through all this, Justinne continues to show strength by
coping with her resulting PTSD, taking care of her children,
and bringing her house back to livable condition by
renovating it to eventually rent out. Justinne was able to
move from her rural area to a larger city where she obtained
a part-time job and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree.
Justinne10
729Volunteer attorneys donated
their time to assist clients through
legal clinics or cases in 2015.
Funded by LSC's Pro Bono Innovation Fund, New Mexico LegalAid’s new Justice for Families Project was created to help addressthe problem of the lack of access to civil legal assistance forfamilies in rural New Mexico.
The Justice for Families Project recruits private attorneys fromNew Mexico's three urban centers (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, andLas Cruces) to assist low-income families primarily in the tenmost poverty-stricken counties in New Mexico – which aremostly rural.
The project uses technology such as Skype and a secure webportal to respond to cases regardless of the geographic distanceseparating the client and the pro bono attorney.
The Justice for Families Project proudly partners with theSouthwest Women’s Law Center’s “One Woman, One Case, Once aYear” campaign and the Women’s Bar Association on this project.
11
Working in close collaboration with the State Bar of NewMexico and local Judicial District pro bono committees, NewMexico Legal Aid's Volunteer Attorney Program engages indirect case placement with pro bono attorneys, sponsors CLEevents, trainings, and provides support and coordination forlocal legal clinics and other pro bono committee activities.
In 2015, the VAP hosted 53 free community legal fairs andclinics with almost 2,000 people in attendance, as well asseven CLE's for attorneys.
REVENUE EXPENDITURES
Legal Services Corporation
New Mexico Civil Legal Services Commission
New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department
State of New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission
New Mexico Supreme Court's Access to Justice Fund
United Way of Central New Mexico
Equal Access to Justice Campaign
Native American Rights Fund
New Mexico Commission for the Blind
New Mexico Office of the Attorney General
Acequias Norteñas
New Mexico Acequia Association
New Mexico Land Grant Council
New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers
Sandia Foundation, a Hugh and Helen Woodward Charity
Bernalillo County Social Services
Freeport-McMoRan Foundation
U.S. Department of Labor Face Forward Program in
partnership with Pegasus Legal Services for Children and
YDI, Inc.
Notre Dame University
2015 Financials
TOTAL $6,441,958
Personnel $5,211,038
Non-Personnel $1,138,056
TOTAL $6,349,094
Audited financial statements available upon request.
12
With your help, NMLA canensure access to justice formore New Mexicans!
If you are accused of a crime, you have aconstitutional right to a lawyer. If you are avictim of domestic violence, unfair consumerpractices, wrongful eviction, foreclosure, or arebeing denied public benefits, you're on your ownunless you can afford a private attorney or canfind free legal assistance. Unfortunately, thereare not enough legal aid lawyers to go around.
For every 14,000 poor persons in New Mexicowho qualify for free legal assistance, there is oneattorney at New Mexico Legal Aid. Due tofunding constraints, our legal aid communityhere, as well as in other states, is extremelylimited.
As a nonprofit, we rely on and are extremelygrateful for every grant and personal donationwe receive. This can help us to provide the toolsnecessary to keep a family off the street, get veterans the benefits they need, and providephysical safety and quality education forunderprivileged children. Our clients are ourpriority, friends, neighbors, and our heroes. Ifyou would like to provide a gift to those in need,please visit our websiteat www.newmexicolegalaid.org or mail in acompleted donation form.
Thank You!
Civil Legal Services Commission $1,625,960
Grants, Contracts & IndividualDonations $1,412,054
Legal Services Corporation $3,403,944
As a nonprofit organization, New Mexico Legal Aid relieson a number of grants at the federal, state, and locallevels to provide much-needed services to New Mexico'smost vulnerable. We are extremely grateful to thefollowing funders for the calendar year 2015, along withour individual donors. None of what we do would bepossible without you!
New Mexico Legal Aid Donation Form
Please return and make checks payable to:New Mexico Legal Aid
301 Gold Ave. SW | P.O. Box 25486Albuquerque, NM 87125-5486
Name: __________________________________________________(Please write your name as you would want it to appear in recognitions.)
I/ We would like to remain anonymous.
Additional names: ______________________________________________________________________
Company/ Firm: _______________________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________ State: __________ Zip: _________________________
Phone: ______________________________ Email: ___________________________________________
I/ We want to donate a monthly gift of $__________ to be debited from my
savings account credit card
I would like my account to be debited on day _________ of the month.
Signature: __________________________________________________
Please return a voided check or fill out the credit card information below.
Please accept my onetime gift in the amount of $____________
I/ We plan to make this contribution in the form of (circle one): Cash Check Credit Card
Other: ________________________
Credit card type (circle one): Visa MasterCard Discover American Express Diner's Club
Credit card number: ______________________________________ Expiration: _____________________
Signature: ______________________________________________________ CVV: __________________
checking account
Make this donation: in memory of ____________________________________in honor of
Please include full address of the individual or family whom we should notify of your gift. Allmemorial and honorary gifts are acknowledged the amount will remain confidential.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Volunteer Attorney Program Justice for Families Project
Pro Bono Volunteer Form
Please send to Dina Afek at [email protected], by fax to 505-933-6033, or mail to P.O. Box 25486, Albuquerque, NM, 87125-5486. Dina can be contacted by telephone at 505-814-6719. Thank you for your participation!
Name Phone No.
Fax No. Email:
Address: City, State Zip:
Bar Number: Years of Practice: May we send you emails? Yes No
Areas of Practice:
Paralegal/Legal Secretary Name & Email: ____________________________________________________ ___
Check here if you are a fluent Spanish-speaker. In what other languages are you fluent? May we publicize your name in print or electronic form? Yes No
In which of the following areas of law are you willing to volunteer? Housing Law, including: Consumer Law, including: Family Law, including:
Foreclosure Bankruptcy Divorce Landlord/Tenant Contracts/Warranties Paternity Public Housing Debt Collection Child Custody Real Estate Contracts Predatory Lending Child Support
Repossessions Domestic Violence Employment Law, including: Unfair Trade Practices Guardian ad Litem
Benefits Kinship-Guardianship Discrimination Estate & Probate Law: Unemployment Adult Guardianship Gov’t/Health Benefits: Wage Payment Guardian ad Litem Medicare/Medicaid
Contested Probate SSI/SSDI Uncontested Probate Other benefits Estate Planning Healthcare appeals
Please check the counties in which you are willing to volunteer (including “virtually” via phone or Skype): Bernalillo Cibola Doña Ana Hidalgo Luna Sandoval McKinley Roosevelt San Miguel Torrance Valencia Santa Fe Taos Other (please list)
What kinds of services are you willing to provide to pro bono clients through our program? Advice/counsel at a legal clinic Representation at Administrative Hearings Advice/counsel by appointment Representation in District Court Advice/counsel virtually (by Skype or phone) Representation in Appellate Court Brief Service, such as drafting documents Representation in Metropolitan Court Systemic Impact Cases Mentoring other pro bono volunteers
Teach a free CLE for VAP/JFP volunteers
New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc. P.O. Box 25486Albuquerque, NM 87125-5486
1-866-416-1922 | newmexicolegalaid.org
