Legal Community

New Mexico Black Lawyers Association - Lunch and Learn CLE: "Coding Justice: Addressing Bias in Artificial Intelligence"

The New Mexico Black Lawyers Association invites you to attend our 2023 Virtual Lunch and Learn CLE, "Coding Justice: Addressing Bias in Artificial Intelligence," presented by Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin, Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law.  The virtual CLE will take place from noon until 1 p.m. (MT) on Friday, Dec. 15 (1.0 Ethics Credit Pending) via Zoom.

Registration is $50 for attorneys seeking CLE credit. There is a discounted registration of $30 for NMBLA members, government attorneys, and paralegals. Community members can join for free but must RSVP using the community member registration link.  Please register via our website: https://newmexicoblacklawyersassociation.org/.  The deadline to request a refund is Dec. 11, 2023. 

RSVP Here

University of New Mexico School of Law - Law Library Hours

Law Library Hours

Monday - Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (MT)

Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (MT)

The Law Library is happy to assist attorneys via chat, email, or in person by appointment. Though the Library no longer has community computers for visitors to use, if you bring your own device when you visit, you will be able to access many of our online resources. For more information, please see lawlibrary.unm.edu.

New Mexico Secretary of State Notice: Important Information for New Mexico Notary Publics and Notarial Officers

In 2021, the State of New Mexico enacted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, aka RULONA (Sections 14-14-A1 to 14-14A-32 NMSA 1978) which is effective January 1, 2022.

This change in law impacts every current and future commissioned notary public. RULONA makes a distinction between a notary public and a notarial officer. A notarial officer is not commissioned to perform a notarial act, but is authorized to perform a notarial act by certain authority, including individuals who are authorized to practice law in New Mexico, a New Mexico Judge, or New Mexico county clerk or deputy county clerk. 

A notarial officer authorized to practice law in New Mexico is authorized to practice notarial acts with no expiration but shall maintain an active license to practice law. The commission expiration date is December 31, 2021, for a notarial officer authorized to practice law in this state who was commissioned under the previous Uniform Law on Notarial Acts.  

All notarial officers will be required to get new official stamps to meet new legal requirements, keep a mandatory journal of notarial acts, and pass a training examination before being recommissioned. The new law also provides for notarial officers to apply with the Secretary of State to become authorized to perform remote online notarizations. 

Notarial officers are required to have an official stamp that follows statutory requirements that is on file with the Secretary of State before the notarial officer performs a notarial act. 

RULONA also provides that a judge of a court of this state, a court clerk or deputy court clerk of this state while performing a notarial act within the scope of the clerk’s duties, and an individual licensed to practices law in this state are “notarial officers” and may perform notarial acts without applying to become a commissioned notary public. 

The Secretary of State’s Office has additional information about the changes and new requirements on their website that all current or prospective notaries should review. That information can be found by going to https://www.sos.state.nm.us/ or by calling the Secretary of State’s Office Business Services Division at 505-827-3600.

Please direct any questions regarding this notice to the Secretary of State’s Office Business Services Division by calling 505-827-3600.

Defenders in Recovery!

NEW MEETING!  Defenders in Recovery meets every Wednesday night at 5:30 PM.  Our meeting schedule is as follows:

• Ist Wednesday of the month: AA meeting—discussion
• 2^nd Wednesday of the month: NA Meeting—discussion
• 3^rd Wednesday of the month—Book study.  We will start on the AA Big Book and work our way through different AA and NA literature, including the Big Book, the Blue Book, Living Clean, 12x12, etc.
• 4^th Wednesday of the month—Recovery Speaker and Monthly Birthday Celebration

These meetings are open to all who seek recovery.  We are a group of defenders supporting each other, sharing in each other’s recovery.  We are an anonymous group and not affiliated with any agency or business.

Anonymity is the foundation of all of our traditions. Who we see in this meeting, what we say in this meeting, stays in this meeting. For the meeting link, we can be reached at defendersinrecovey@gmail.com or Jen at 575-288-7958, Jaime at 505-225-9330, JJ at 307-321-4752