Per Rule 17-202 NMRA, attorney information must be updated in the Supreme Court of New Mexico’s Official Roll of Attorneys. Please provide updated information through your attorney portal, located on the State Bar of New Mexico website: https://www.sbnm.org/.
NOTE: If you have already provided updated attorney information with the State Bar of New Mexico, please allow five business days for the changes to be processed and the new information to be updated in Odyssey. The State Bar and Supreme Court of New Mexico are currently working on automating attorney information changes so that new information will be updated in Odyssey within 24 hours and hope to have this system in place by Summer of 2024. We appreciate your patience during this process.

If you are requesting a change of name please provide BOTH your former and new name.

*Please do not include your social security card

A licensed attorney in good standing (active or inactive status) may request a Certificate of Good Standing from the New Mexico Supreme Court. To request a Certificate of Good Standing, please use the form below. Unless otherwise specifically requested, we will mail the certificate to the latest address of record shown on the Roll of Attorneys.

The cost of each certificate is $1.00, which is due prior to receipt of the certificate.

• The fee can be paid online at: finesandfees.nmcourt.gov
• For a disciplinary history, please contact the New Mexico Disciplinary Board

PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST FIFTEEN BUSINESS DAYS FOR ISSUANCE OF THE CERTIFICATE

Important Notice Regarding Signing the Official Roll of Attorneys.

The New Mexico Supreme Court requires that applicants recommended for admission to the State Bar of New Mexico be sworn in prior to obtaining licensure. Rule 15-207 NMRA. The New Mexico Supreme Court has the inherent authority to regulate the admission of attorneys to practice law before the courts of the State of New Mexico and requires that swearing in by administration of the Attorney’s Oath be made within the six months after an applicant is recommended for admission. See N.M. Const. art. VI, § 3; Rule 15-207 NMRA. The Oath may only be administered by the New Mexico Supreme Court or the New Mexico Supreme Court Clerk. See N.M. Const. art. VI, § 3.

There are no exceptions to the requirement that applicants recommended for admission be sworn in prior to obtaining their law license in New Mexico.

In order to be licensed, all applicants must 1) take the Attorney’s Oath, and 2) sign the Roll of Attorneys.  The Roll of Attorneys must be signed in-person by the applicant.  Normally, these two requirements are satisfied at the swearing-in ceremony. Please visit the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners webpage for information on the next scheduled swearing-in ceremony: www.nmexam.org.

As an alternative, the Court will allow an applicant to sign the Oath on paper and schedule an in-person Roll signing on a specific, predetermined date and time.  Please contact the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners for the next available Roll signing date by emailing info@nmexam.org. The Roll signing date is not a swearing-in ceremony but merely an appointment to sign the Roll of Attorneys after the Court has received a notarized, signed written Oath.  If an applicant opts for this alternative process, the applicant will not be eligible to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

As a reminder, an applicant is not licensed or eligible to practice law in New Mexico until the applicant has taken the Attorney’s Oath and signed the Roll of Attorneys.

Attorneys authorized to practice law before the highest court of record in any state or country (non-admitted lawyer) wishing to perform legal services on behalf of a client or party in New Mexico should determine whether they must obtain a pro hac vice authorization before engaging in the practice of law in New Mexico. For more information about the rules and procedures for pro hac vice appearances, please visit the State Bar of New Mexico’s website.

Public Employee and Public Defender Limited License
Applications for a public employee and public defender limited license are submitted through the Board of Bar Examiners  pursuant to Rule 15-304 NMRA..

After submission of a completed application to the Board of Bar Examiners (Board), the Board will provide the application information to the New Mexico Supreme Court (Court), whereupon the Court will issue a temporary limited license to the applicant pending the Board’s charter and fitness investigation. Upon the Board’s determination that the applicant is qualified and has met the requirements for a limited license under Rule 15-304, the Board will recommend to the Court that the applicant be issued a limited license. The Court may then issue an order granting a limited license of indefinite duration in accordance with Rule 15-207 NMRA.

Qualified Legal Services Provider Limited License
Applications for a qualified legal services provider limited license are submitted through the Board of Bar Examiners pursuant to Rule 15-305 NMRA.

After submission of a completed application to the Board of Bar Examiners (Board), the Board will provide the application information to the New Mexico Supreme Court (Court), whereupon the Court will issue a temporary limited license to the applicant pending the Board’s charter and fitness investigation. Upon the Board’s determination that the applicant is qualified and has met the requirements for a limited license under Rule 15-305, the Board will recommend to the Court that the applicant be issued a limited license. The Court may then issue an order granting a limited license of indefinite duration in accordance with Rule 15-207 NMRA.

Emeritus Status Limited License
Upon compliance with the requirements for an emeritus status limited law license under Rule 24-111 NMRA, the New Mexico Supreme Court will issue a limited law license of indefinite duration to an emeritus attorney to participate in an emeritus pro bono program in association with an approved legal aid organization. Emeritus applications are submitted via motion to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Download application packet here. Download the Commission on Access to Justice’s list of approved legal aid organizations under Rule 24-111(A)(2)(c) NMRA here.

Military Spouse Limited License
Applications for a military spouse limited license are submitted through the Board of Bar Examiners pursuant to Rule 15-306 NMRA.

After submission of a completed application to the Board of Bar Examiners (Board), the Board will provide the application information to the New Mexico Supreme Court (Court), whereupon the Court will issue a temporary limited license to the applicant pending the Board’s charter and fitness investigation. Upon the Board’s determination that the applicant is qualified and has met the requirements for a limited license under Rule 15-306, the Board will recommend to the Court that the applicant be issued a limited license. The Court may then issue an order granting a limited license of indefinite duration in accordance with Rule 15-207 NMRA.

Law Professor Limited License
Applications for a law professor limited license are submitted through the Board of Bar Examiners pursuant to Rule 15-307 NMRA.

After submission of a completed application to the Board of Bar Examiners (Board), the Board will provide the application information to the New Mexico Supreme Court (Court), whereupon the Court will issue a temporary limited license to the applicant. A limited license issued under this rule is not of indefinite duration and is subject to the terms and limitations set forth in Rule 15-307.

In-House Counsel Limited License
Applications for an in-house counsel limited license are submitted through the Board of Bar Examiners pursuant to Rule 15-308 NMRA.

Following the submission of a completed application and character and fitness investigation, and on the board’s determination that the application is qualified, the Board will recommend to the Court that the applicant be issued an in-house counsel limited license. Following the applicant’s demonstrated compliance with Rule 15-207(B) NMRA, the Court may issue an order granting a limited license of indefinite duration in accordance with Rule 15-207(A) NMRA.

 

Upon admission to the New Mexico Bar, the State Bar of New Mexico will assign a bar number, issue a bar card, and send a dues invoice prorated for the amount of time remaining in the calendar year. All attorneys on active or on inactive status shall pay annual bar dues before the first day of January. See Rule 17-202 NMRA and  Rule 24-102 NMRA. Failure to do so may result in late fees and the attorney’s administrative suspension.

The New Mexico Supreme Court believes it is of primary importance to the members of the New Mexico State Bar and to the public that attorneys continue their legal education throughout the period of their active practice of law. Accordingly, every active licensed member of the State Bar must complete twelve hours of continuing legal education during each calendar year; 10 hours of general credits and two hours of ethics or professionalism credit. Failure to do so may result in late fees and the attorney’s administrative suspension. See Rule 18-301 ​NMRA.

New Mexico state statutes and New Mexico Supreme Court rules prohibit the unauthorized practice of law by persons who have not been granted a law license by the New Mexico Supreme Court. Complaints regarding the unauthorized practice of law may be referred to the Disciplinary Board for investigation. Concerns about the unauthorized practice of law may also be referred to the State Bar of New Mexico or the Office of the Attorney General. Please visit the Disciplinary Board website here for more information.

The New Mexico Supreme Court may, in its discretion, issue a certificate of registration to practice as a foreign legal consultant to applicants meeting the requirements set forth in Rule 26-101 to 26-106 NMRA. A registered foreign legal consultant may render legal services and give professional legal advice on the law of the foreign country where the legal consultant is admitted to practice, subject to certain limitations. Download an application packet here.

The Supreme Court issues unique Court Authorized Identification (CAID) Numbers to all attorneys authorized to practice law in New Mexico for identification and registration purposes.

A CAID Number is different than a bar number issued by the State Bar of New Mexico. Attorney CAID Numbers are located on the Attorney Bar Card and can be located by logging into the Attorney Portal on the State Bar of New Mexico website:  https://www.sbnm.org/Login.

Bar numbers and Bar cards are issued by the New Mexico State Bar. Applicants can expect to receive them via mail a few weeks after being sworn in and admitted to practice.

Having met all other admission requirements under Rules 15-101 – 406 NMRA, once the applicant is sworn in and has signed the Roll of Attorneys, they are fully admitted to practice law; they can appear in court and otherwise act as an attorney. The issuance of the bar card/number is a formality following admission to the bar. See Rule 15-302 NMRA.

If you are admitted to practice under a limited license, you are not eligible to sign the Roll of Attorneys.

Yes. There are no distance or electronic options available for being sworn in or signing the Roll of Attorneys.

All wall licenses are hand-printed by an offsite calligrapher. Applicants can expect to receive them via mail six to eight months after being sworn-in and admitted to practice.

Please use the Changes to Contact Information request form located on this page.

Please use the Certificates of Good Standing request form located on this page. After submitting your request, please pay the $1.00 fee online or via check/cash. As indicated, we will process your request once payment is received.

All of this information is included in a Certificate of Good Standing. The certificates can be requested via the Certificates of Good Standing request form located on this page.