Placitas Lawyers

Nephi Hardman has represented clients in hundreds of bankruptcy cases, including as debtor’s counsel in chapter 7s, chapter 13s, and a number of major chapter 11 reorganizations.

He has also represented appellants in several foreclosure cases before the New Mexico Court of Appeals and the New Mexico Supreme Court.

While in law school, Nephi convinced the BYU Law Review to publish his musings on arbitration awards in an environment of compulsory unionism. He used lots of footnotes and semicolons and other arcane devices, and to this day, doctors regularly prescribe his paper as a sleep-aid.

In 2019, SuperLawyers identified Mr. Hardman as a...

L. Darlene Weed has a well-deserved reputation of excellence in providing smart, sensible, and aggressive legal solutions for clients.

A former Prosecutor for Sandoval and Valencia counties, Ms. Weed opened Weed Law Firm as a General Practice offering Civil Dispute representation, Criminal Defense and Mediation. She is well-versed in all aspects of criminal law and is currently on the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel representing defendants charged with federal criminal violations.

Additionally, Ms. Weed works closely with families in contact with Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD), and lends her expertise to Family Law, Employment Law, Contract Law, Administrative Law, Kinship/Guardianship,...

Daisy Chaparro was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from El Dorado High School in 2008 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from St. Mary’s University in 2012. During the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012 Ms. Chaparro was a legal intern for Lerma Law in El Paso, Texas. Ms. Chaparro then obtained her Juris Doctorate (magna cum laude) from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2015. She was admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of Texas in November of 2015 and in the State...

Melwani Law makes your life better by eliminating your debt; your stress, and your anxiety so that you may enjoy life again. Our knowledge of the bankruptcy laws combined with exceptional customer service allows you to stop foreclosure; repossessions; garnishments; and creditor harassment among other things. Call us for a free and no obligation consultation at 505-323-5800.

Arun Melwani is the founder of Melwani Law, P.C. He decided to devote his practice to serving the needs of individuals and families in debt crisis after learning early on that these individuals lacked competent and affordable representation.

While in law school, he...

After 30 years, my reputation is about caring for my clients and providing realistic expectations.

Only lawyer in the State of New Mexico who is a certified specialist in both consumer and business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.

Former Board Member, Family Law Section of New Mexico State Bar.

Selected by New Mexico State Bar to sit on several judicial selection panels.

I grew up in central Mexico and am fluent in both the Spanish Language and Culture. I clerked under John W. Lawit before graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Upon graduation, I was contracted as the Managing Attorney for an Immigration law firm in Albuquerque and have practiced as a Managing Attorney since being barred in New Mexico. I found that many immigrants were disenfranchised in more than just legalization of their immigration status but also in access to justice in general. Seeing this lack of access to justice confirmed in my mind and heart that...

Amber L. Weeks is a partner at Noble Vrapi and the manager of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office. Ms. Weeks represents families and individuals in cases involving family petitions, green card applications, waivers, naturalization and citizenship, U Visas for victims of crimes, and other immigration matters. Ms. Weeks is proficient in Spanish.

Ms. Weeks is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and a highly sought-after speaker at national and regional conferences. Ms. Weeks has presented and written practice advisories regarding marriage-based immigration cases, naturalization, waivers, removal proceedings, and other topics. Ms. Weeks is the co-chair of the...

Mark Caruso and Caruso Law Offices only handle personal injury and wrongful death claims. This lets us focus our entire practice just on personal injury and wrongful death, and explains why we are so good at what we do. The majority of our new clients are referred to our firm by former clients, other attorneys who don't handle personal injury claims and insurance agents. A former insurance company attorney, Mark Caruso now works for victims with personal injuries and families suffering the wrongful death of their loved one to get the maximum amount possible from the insurance company. Mark...

For almost thirty years, John Samore has emphasized professional competence and personal service. After ten years in a general law, Mr. Samore focused his practice almost entirely on two challenging areas: families in crisis and defending persons accused of criminal conduct. Mr. Samore acquired his appreciation for the law from his father, Edward, who practiced 57 years. Both gentlemen graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law. Admitted to practice in New Mexico in 1989, John Samore has effectively represented almost 1000 accused of criminal conduct and...

Barry G. Porter is a founding partner of the Albuquerque law firm, Burgess & Porter Law, LLC. Mr. Porter has over 22 years of experience as a criminal defense litigator. Mr. Porter has served as lead counsel for over 90 full jury trials and over 400 substantive motions. His success rate at trial is over 85 percent. From 2004 to 2010 Mr. Porter was a supervising attorney at the New Mexico Public Defender Department. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Porter was the Training Director for the Department and responsible for the criminal defense and trial...

Carlos N. Martinez is the Managing Partner and co-owner of Legal Solutions of New Mexico, LLC, a full-service Cannabis law firm assisting business owners and entrepreneurs navigate through New Mexico's medical and recreational cannabis industry. Carlos is also Managing Partner of Cannabis Law Solutions, a national cannabis law firm focused on the areas of risk management, licensing, mergers and acquisitions, cannabis consulting and overall general counsel. Carlos is also a trial litigator that assists clients in Family Law in the areas of divorce, child custody, kinship guardianship, grandparent visitation, domestic violence, prenuptial agreements and child support issues. Carlos founded the...

Jessica Eaves Mathews, founder of Leverage Legal Group®, is passionate about providing exceptional, flat-fee trademark registration services to clients in all 50 states. She has been doing trademark legal work for clients since 2008, and has been a business lawyer for over 27 years. She is licensed in Washington and New Mexico, and is admitted in front of the United States Patent and Trademark Office for her trademark work for clients nationwide and around the world. Jessica represents businesses and business owners, from solopreneurs, to mom and pop stores & restaurants, to professional service-providers, to Fortune 500 companies and some of...

The attorneys and staff at John W. Lawit are dedicated to providing the highest quality legal services to ensure the rights and benefits of the immigrant community. We are also dedicated to protecting the rights of employers, by assisting with immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications, I-9 compliance and worksite enforcement. As a team of legal professionals, we provide comprehensive, innovative and competent legal services to our clients to promote opportunities for a meaningful quality of life. Firm History John W. Lawit began practicing immigration law in 1980. Over the course of 42 years, John and his staff successfully assisted tens of thousands...

A born fighter, Robert was a collegiate wrestler in Michigan before moving to New Mexico to focus on academics. He found Aragon Moss George Jenkins, LLP (formally Moss George, LLP) because he wanted to pursue the academic practice of law in representing his client. His tax law background in major markets with one of the largest accounting firms in the United States allows him to provide clients with a novel perspective. Robert provides legal analysis on AMGJ Law's complex cases for all practice areas, but he heavily focuses on business litigation, contract law, entity formation, and civil litigation.

Originally from the Jersey Shore, migrated to Albuquerque in the 80's and pursued a law degree. Am now a licensed New Mexico attorney with a fledgling law practice. Accepting new clients in general law.

Amanda has been assisting clients alongside the Ron Bell Injury Lawyers team since 2016. Prior to her employment with Ron Bell, she did private insurance defense work, as well as working as in house counsel for one of the largest insurance companies in the nation. Having been on the “other side” of the personal injury industry, Amanda knows how to deal with and handle many of the arguments that the insurance companies use to avoid paying valid claims by injury victims. In addition to her defense work for the insurance companies, Amanda also worked as a prosecutor, which...

Rachel Berenson founded Berenson & Associates in Albuquerque in order to provide more personalized and high-quality representation to clients. As an experienced attorney, she has been practicing law for over 15 years, tackling complex cases involving personal injury accidents, employee harassment, and advocating for victims of sexual abuse. She is also certified in auto accident reconstruction, a unique skill that allows her to accurately investigate and assess injury claims. Ms. Berenson is dedicated to providing honest, effective, and effective counsel. She is fluent in Spanish and Bahasa Indonesian.

Olsi Vrapi is the managing partner of the firm and is based in the Albuquerque office. Mr. Vrapi represents individuals, families, and businesses in family and business visa petitions, green card applications, naturalization and citizenship, removal of conditions and green card renewals, H-1B visas, PERM applications, J-1 Conrad Physician Waivers, and other immigration matters. He also takes the government to federal court over delays and improper decisions. Mr. Vrapi is an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Mr. Vrapi is fluent in Spanish, Albanian, proficient in Italian, and has passable knowledge of French.

Mr. Vrapi graduated...

A native of Roswell, New Mexico, McKenzie St. Denis refuses to confess to her alien roots, but we know they exist.

Mrs. St. Denis, has an eclectic legal career ranging from being a prosecutor for the New Mexico Medical Board to representing parents in abuse and neglect cases. Include securing Medicaid benefits, water law, business litigation, and asylum law and you have a glimpse of what Mrs. St. Denis’ legal career has been, thus far.

Mrs. St. Denis, began her legal career in California, but returned to the Land of Enchantment to be closer to her family (and to be...

Shane graduated in the top 10% of his law school class and received many distinguished awards including membership in the prestigious Order of the Coif. Prior to graduation, Shane was a legal assistant and paralegal at multiple law firms with over 10 years of experience working in litigation and appellate work, including U.S. Supreme Court Cases. After graduation, Shane worked for the prestigious insurance defense and trial firm of O'Brien & Padilla, P.C. There he learned the ins and outs of insurance defense and how insurance companies financially evaluate cases. After a few years, Shane joined his law school classmate,...

Marshall Ray is an award-winning attorney who has experience in a variety of criminal and civil litigation matters. He represents the accused in state and federal court. His civil experience includes labor and employment, construction, business litigation, civil rights, and appeals. Marshall has extensive experience in government relations, and he advises and consults with private and governmental organizations regarding their employee policies and practices. Additionally, he has conducted large-scale internal investigations. In 2014 he was named New Mexico’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of New Mexico. In 2015, he...

A native New Mexican having been born and raised in Alamogordo. Currently serving as the Secretary of the Bankruptcy Section Board of Directors and the past chair of the Board in 2014. Former Bankruptcy trustee.

Active Realtor and Qualifying Broker for Stetson Realty and member of the Greater Albuquerque Area Board of Realtors. Serving as an instructor for continuing education classes for Realtors.

Husband and father of five children. Loves to work on olds cars and anything with a motor in it.

After several years of representing large Fortune 500 companies, making the switch to representing everyday people was a significant leap into the unknown that Ben was unsure he could make. A higher power, however, forced Ben to make a decision in late October, 2009: In early October, 2009, Ben learned that he and his wife were pregnant with their first child. Two weeks later, Ben was driving from Albuquerque to Farmington for a hearing. As he past Cuba, New Mexico on 550, the sunny skies turned to dark clouds. The dark clouds traded their grey lining for...

NM Workers' Compensation Attorneys LLC is a workers' compensation law firm serving all of New Mexico that is committed to representing people injured or hurt on the job. It takes only a few seconds for a work accident to happen, but it can take months or even years for the person injured in the work accident to recover from the physical and emotional harm suffered. NM Workers' Compensation Attorneys LLC fights for you. In 2006, Scott was admitted to practice law before all courts of the State of New Mexico and has been engaged in the practice...

HARASSMENT OR DISCRIMINATION AT WORK. WRONGFUL DISCHARGE. WORKERS COMPENSATION.
Workplace law is tricky and the consequences of not following the law are serious. I represent individuals who have been harmed, either due to wrongful employer practices or accidents. If you have suffered from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, or a workplace injury, you need a strong lawyer on your side.

CAR ACCIDENTS, WRONGFUL DEATH. PERSONAL INJURY.
The types of injuries I deal with can create a ripple effect that changes everything for a whole family in an instant. I understand and have over two decades of experience fighting these fights. ...

In need of an Albuquerque immigration attorney? Mary Ann Romero of Mary Ann Romero & Associates may be able to help. Ms. Romero has more than 14 years of legal experience. She provides services for those trying to obtain green cards, visas, asylum, or citizenship, as well as those who are in need of deportation defense. In 2006, the State Bar of New Mexico named Ms. Romero as one of their Most Distinguished Members, and Imagen Magazine selected her as one of the Top 100 Latinas in New Mexico. Attorney Romero is a graduate of the University Of New Mexico...

Attorney Alejandro Acosta III is a partner at the firm of Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro, P.C., in El Paso, Texas. An El Paso native, Mr. Acosta dedicates his practice to personal injury law, serving clients New Mexico and Texas. Mr. Acosta earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and attained his law degree from the Arizona State Law School/ Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Additionally, he holds an Indian Law Certificate and has worked with various tribal nations in the state of Arizona. Licensed to practice law since 2008, Mr. Acosta is admitted in Texas and...

Auto accident attorney Rob Baskerville is dedicated to helping those who have sustained injuries or suffered devastating losses due careless drivers. Rob founded Baskerville Law LLC - a personal injury and wrongful death law firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico - on the principle that victims of auto accidents should have access to the same legal representation as large insurance companies. Auto insurance companies have talented lawyers working for them, working to lower the liability of their company. Who is looking out for YOUR best interests? Rob is your advocate in recovering the financial compensation that you deserve and is here...

Tamara Couture is the Senior Attorney at Couture Law. She has a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from the University of New Mexico. She matriculated into Occidental College for her Bachelor’s degree and received her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Psychology and Professional Writing from the University of New Mexico, magna cum laude.

Tamara is a highly trained and experienced mediator. She is a recipient of the Judge Oliver Seth Award for Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Before becoming an attorney, her professional career...

Dominguez Law is a respected and powerful resource in the legal community. Our managing partner, attorney Paul M. Dominguez, has multifaceted legal experience and a mastery of advanced technology. He is 100 percent devoted to litigation and never wavers in the face of corporate or government power.

In addition to his exceptional results in a multitude of personal injury and mass tort cases, attorney Dominguez is active in the legal community, belonging to the State Bar of New Mexico, Albuquerque Bar Association, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association, American Association of Justice and State Bar of Texas.

Our practice is always about people....

Jake A. Garrison is an Albuquerque, New Mexico attorney with extensive experience representing clients in both litigation and transactional contexts in matters of real estate and land use law, business law, contract drafting or contract disputes, corporate entity formation, collections, and estate administration.

Whether negotiating a favorable resolution, prevailing at trial, or carefully structuring a business or real estate deal, Jake A. Garrison is committed to pursuing successful and cost-effective legal outcomes for his clients.

Thell Thomas is a New Mexico personal injury lawyer you can count on. He and his team will aggressively pursue personal injury claims on your behalf. He will quickly investigate your accident, hire the experts necessary to analyze and prove your case at trial, or position your personal injury case for the best possible settlement.
When you are injured, choosing your lawyer may be the most important decision you make. When someone else is negligent and they injure you in a car crash, that person basically owes you a debt. The person that injured you has a responsibility to...

James Tawney is a native of the Southwest dedicated to serving his community. He was born and raised in Arizona where he attended Northern Arizona University and graduated summa cum laude. He received his juris doctorate degree from Texas Tech University School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. As an attorney, his career is dedicated to serving people in his community who have been injured or killed, or wrongfully terminated.

Since graduating from law school in 2009, Mark has been advocating for the underprivileged and disenfranchised as an attorney. He has practiced in Washington State, California, and Utah. He has represented more than 15,000 clients across the country and the globe. As a fluent Spanish speaker, Mark is a passionate advocate for immigrants and their rights. As an active member of the Utah State Bar Association, Mark is eligible to practice immigration law in any jurisdiction and continues to represent clients across the globe.

Michael grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Michael was awarded his Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity University with an emphasis in teaching political science. Out of college he began teaching at a Montessori School in San Antonio. While teaching in San Antonio he attained his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. This background translates seamlessly into the legal world.

Michael met his wife Heather in San Antonio, who was from Albuquerque, and he followed her home. Once he moved to Albuquerque, Michael taught Humanities at Amy Biehl High School. While at Amy Biehl Michael was the first teacher from New Mexico selected for...