The State Bar of New Mexico (SBNM) is the integrated (mandatory)

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

History

The State Bar of New Mexico first met on January 19, 1886 in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a voluntary professional organization. There were 29 original members, and William A. Vincent was the first president. In 1925, state statute caused the State Bar to operate as an agency of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisi ...

. In 1978, the State Bar of New Mexico (State Bar) was incorporated under the laws of the State of New Mexico.

Structure

The SBNM is governed by a Board of Bar Commissioners, consisting of 19 members elected by district and one from each of the Senior Lawyer, Young Lawyer, and Paralegal Divisions. SBNM enforces the rule that New Mexico lawyers must complete 12 credits of

Continuing Legal Education Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...

each year. SBNM publishes the weekly ''New Mexico Bar Bulletin'' and the quarterly ''New Mexico Lawyer''. In 1995, SBNM's

Paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

Division was established to serve the needs of New Mexico legal assistants.

References

Government of New Mexico 1886 establishments in New Mexico Territory Organizations established in 1886 {{NewMexico-stub