Nominations are being accepted for the 2023 State Bar of New Mexico Annual Awards to recognize those who have distinguished themselves or who have made exemplary contributions to the State Bar or legal profession in the past year. The awards will be presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting on Thurs., July 27, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. For more information about the Annual Awards and nomination process, please contact Kris Becker at kris.becker@sbnm.org or 505-797-6038.

The New Mexico Women's Bar Association invites your nominations for the annual Henrietta Pettijohn Award and Rising Star Award. The Henrietta Petijohn Award is provided to honor an attorney who has made a significant impact in empowering women in the legal profession. The Rising Star Award recognizes a lawyer who has been out of law school five years or fewer and who has accomplished exemplary work in the community and made great efforts to try and make a difference in the legal profession. Please submit your nominations for both awards no later than April 28.

The Resource Deskbook & Membership Listing 2023-24 is now available! As a member benefit, each State Bar of New Mexico member will receive one free copy per their membership, however, you may purchase additional copies online or by mail. Click the button below for more information on how to order a physical copy of the Resource Deskbook & Membership Listing 2023-24, or download the Resource Deskbook PDF for free.

To align with Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Institute for Well-Being In Law is hosting Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL) during the first full week of May. Members are invited to coordinate or participate in local activities, regardless of how they are involved in the legal profession.

The Albuquerque Bar Association, in collaboration with the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association, will be celebrating Law Day 2023 by hosting a luncheon and CLE at the Clyde Hotel on April 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (MT). American Bar Association President Enix-Ross will be present for the event. Members of the Albuquerque Bar Association and the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association have a reduced rate of $40 per person. Non-members may register at $50 per person.

The UNM School of Law's New Mexico Law Review is calling for abstracts examining the impacts and implications of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act (NMCRA) passed in 2021. Topics may include communities protected by the NMCRA, how the NMCRA works with other New Mexico laws, its ramifications for rural areas and how it will pave the way for future legislative acts. The authors of selected papers will be featured in a special edition journal published in Spring 2024. Selected authors may also be invited to present their work at a potential symposium to be hosted by the New Mexico Law Review at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Further details about the event will be announced once confirmed. Please submit your abstract to Symposium Editor Shannel Daniels at nmlrarticles@gmail.com with "NCMCRA Abstract" in the email's subject line no later than April 30. You may also submit questions at the same email address.

Once a year, New Mexico residents can get their legal questions answered free or receive brief legal advice through the Ask-a-Lawyer Call-in Program sponsored by the YLD. The YLD is recruiting volunteer attorneys virtually and in-person to answer questions from across the state on a variety of topics including: employment law, divorce, child support, landlord/tenant issues, personal injury, estate planning, real estate and more. This year’s program will take place from 9 a.m.-noon (MT) on Saturday, April 29. For further questions, contact Member Services at memberservices@sbnm.org.

The Equity in Justice Book Club is hosting a discussion about famed author Ibrahim X. Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist." The session will be facilitated by the State Bar of New Mexico's Equity in Justice Director, Dr. Amanda Parker, and the Chair of the Commission on Equity and Justice, Torri Jacobus. There will be four sessions in total, taking place on May 2, May 16 and May 30. Each will take place noon-1:30 p.m. (MT). For more information, please contact Dr. Amanda Parker at amanda.parker@sbnm.org.

Join the Historical Committee of the State Bar on April 29, for a tour of the Glorieta Civil War Battlefield. The tour will begin at 9 a.m. and end between 3 and 4 p.m. The tour is limited to the first 30 persons to register. Registration will close on April 22 or when 30 people have registered. Register at memberservices@sbnm.org. The tour leader is Henry M. Rivera who has led this tour many times; has led tours of many other Civil War Battlefields; is a member of the Civil War Roundtable of the District of Columbia and has previously addressed the Historical Committee on Civil War subjects. Tour details, maps and other material will be provided to registrants closer to the event date.