There was an unchanged number of active legal licenses in Otero County in August compared to the previous month, according to the State Bar of New Mexico.
Overall, 51 lawyers were working within the county at the time.
Data refers to all lawyers who were actively practicing during this time period.
As of March 1, 2025, average lawyer salaries in New Mexico ranged from $96,460 for an entry-level attorney handling routine legal work (Attorney I) to $202,032 for highly experienced attorneys managing complex cases with significant autonomy (Attorney V). Mid-level attorneys, such as those in Attorney III roles—who handle highly complex legal work with moderate supervision—earn on average $161,322 in New Mexico, compared to $174,969 nationwide.
Based on results from the February 2025 Bar Exam by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, New Mexico’s first-time pass rate was 63%, ranking it above the national average at the time. However, that also marked a notable drop from the 82% first-time pass rate in July 2024, when New Mexico was among the top 10 states for first-time passage.
For context, overall pass rates for the February 2025 bar exam were low, with only 14 states recording rates above 50%. The decline has been linked to historically low scores on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), which saw its lowest average since it began in 1972.
| Lawyer Name | Name of Firm | Admission Date |
|---|---|---|
| Albert R. Greene III | Otero County Magistrate Court | 10/12/2007 |
| Angela Ginn Waltman | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 10/09/2024 |
| Angie K. Schneider | 12th Judicial District Court | 12/07/2001 |
| Armand R. Velez | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 11/02/1993 |
| Brandi Colleen Red | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 05/31/2018 |
| Canon Stevens | Stevens Law Office | 09/21/1983 |
| Dana Michael Oviedo | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 04/05/2024 |
| Daniel A. Bryant | 12th Judicial District Court | 10/11/1978 |
| Daniel H. Sewell | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 09/30/2002 |
| Darrell Paul Mori | — | 05/30/2025 |
| David Matthew Overstreet | — | 05/04/1998 |
| Dayna Louise Jones | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 02/27/2020 |
| Elisabeth Marie Gutierrez | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 10/12/2023 |
| Elizabeth Katherine Watson | John D. Wheeler & Associates, P.C. | 04/29/2019 |
| Ellen Rattigan Jessen | — | 04/21/2008 |
| Erinna Marie Atkins | Law Office of S. Bert Atkins | 09/21/2009 |
| Haashir Ali Lakhani | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 10/13/2022 |
| Jacob Philip Ort | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 04/08/2019 |
| James Naylor Vancleave | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 04/24/2014 |
| James R. Walker | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 09/20/2004 |
| James Scott Newton | Law Office of James Scott Newton, P.C. | 09/27/2007 |
| Jane E. Granier | 12th Judicial District Court | 09/26/2005 |
| Jason W. Galbraith | NM Human Services Department Child Support Enforcement Division | 04/22/2008 |
| Jeffrey F. Van Keulen | The Van Keulen Law Firm | 09/27/2007 |
| Joel N. Lobo | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 11/16/2020 |
| John D. Wheeler | John D. Wheeler & Associates, P.C. | 11/02/1993 |
| Karl Mundt | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 06/26/2023 |
| Lindsey Marie Cerny | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 03/18/2024 |
| Lisa K. Durrett | Lisa K. Durrett Attorney at Law | 05/01/1982 |
| Lori Gibson Willard | 12th Judicial District Court | 09/20/2004 |
| Mark W. Whorton | Whorton Law Offices, P.C. | 04/21/1986 |
| Melissa Garcia | Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 10/12/2023 |
| Michael Antal Tighe | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 04/25/2016 |
| Michael H. Keedy | Center of Protective Environment | 04/27/2007 |
| Michael R. Heitz | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 08/20/2007 |
| Michael Ryan Suggs | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 10/13/2022 |
| Mikel T. Ward | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 11/16/2020 |
| Nelva Lena Cervantes | Mescalero Apache Tribe | 04/27/2007 |
| Pamela Jean Kushmaul | Serpe Andrews, PLLC | 09/20/2004 |
| R. B. Nichols | Otero County | 09/20/2010 |
| Randy J. Summers | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 09/26/2023 |
| Rebekah Anne Scott Courvoisier | Courvoisier Law, LLC | 04/20/2009 |
| Renee Erin Broberg | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 07/02/2019 |
| Roxeanne B. Esquibel | — | 10/09/1991 |
| Samuel Thomas Overstreet | Overstreet & Associates, P.C. | 04/01/1966 |
| Scot D. Key | — | 10/07/1986 |
| Spencer Bert Atkins | Law Office of S. Bert Atkins, P.C. | 05/18/1981 |
| Stephen Peter Ochoa | 12th Judicial District Court | 09/07/2012 |
| Taylor Donovan Weary | 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office | 04/21/2021 |
| Todd A. Holmes | The Holmes Law Firm | 04/27/1992 |
| Zoe Vasiliki Psiakis | Law Offices of the Public Defender | 10/13/2022 |
