The Supreme Court is responsible for the admission, regulation, and discipline of all attorneys practicing law in New Mexico.
The Board of Bar Examiners assists the Court with the admission of new attorneys to the New Mexico Bar. The MCLE Board assists the Court with the implementation and enforcement of minimum continuing legal education requirements for New Mexico attorneys. The Disciplinary Board assists the Court with the disciplining of attorneys who violate the Rules of Professional Conduct adopted by the New Mexico Supreme Court.
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.
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.
This is an important notice to all attorneys admitted to the State Bar of New Mexico under Order No. 20-8500-011, who have not yet signed the Roll of Attorneys that signing the Roll is mandatory for all attorneys licensed in New Mexico. For those attorneys admitted between April 21, 2020, and June 17, 2022, you must sign the Roll by June 16, 2023, pursuant to New Mexico Order No. 22-8500-029. This will be the final notice provided. Please note this requirement does not apply to those attorneys who hold a limited license under Rules 15-301.1, 15-301.2, or 15-301.3 NMRA.
The Roll is available for signing in the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office. The Clerk’s Office is located at 237 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays.
The Roll will also be available for signing in Albuquerque on the following dates at the locations indicated below:
- Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
State Bar of New Mexico, 5121 Masthead St. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 - Monday, May 15, 2023, 1 to 3:30 p.m.
University of New Mexico School of Law, 1117 Stanford Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
The Roll will be available for signing in the forum following the spring swearing-in ceremony at the UNM School of Law.
Please come in and sign the Roll at the Clerk’s Office, or at one of the events in Albuquerque. No appointments are necessary.
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 Limited License
Upon compliance with the requirements for a limited law license under Rule 15-301.1 NMRA, the New Mexico Supreme Court will issue a limited law license of indefinite duration to an out-of-state attorney hired by a New Mexico governmental agency. Download an application packet here.
Legal Services Provider Limited License
Upon compliance with the requirements for a limited law license under Rule 15-301.2 NMRA, the New Mexico Supreme Court will issue a limited law license of indefinite duration to an out-of-state attorney hired by a New Mexico civil legal services organization. Download an application packet here.
Emeritus Status Limited License
Upon compliance with the requirements for a 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. Download an application packet here.
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. To obtain your Attorney CAID number, contact the Clerk’s office.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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.