Ensuring Equal Justice

Ensuring Equal Justice

The New Mexico Public Defender Department is New Mexico’s largest law firm. The Department employs over 200 lawyers and 200 support staff in the form of legal assistants, secretaries, social workers and full-time investigators. In addition, the Department contracts with over 130 private lawyers, who serve as contract public defenders.

New Mexico Public Defender Department attorneys are ethically and constitutionally required to maintain a confidential relationship with clients, and zealously defend clients. It is the responsibility of New Mexico Public Defender attorneys to assert and protect the constitutional rights of each client.

All lawyers at the New Mexico Public Defender have graduated from accredited law schools and are fully licensed to practice law. In addition to being fully licensed attorneys, the lawyers at the New Mexico Public Defender undergo extensive in-service training and a mandatory annual training focused on the practice of criminal law in New Mexico.

The New Mexico Public Defender Department is whole-heartedly dedicated to serving the people of New Mexico in the important mission of ensuring equal justice under the law.