 | LAWYER ADVERTISEMENT 
LITIGATION The majority of the firm's practice involves the handling of commercial, banking, general liability, employment, product liability, health, foreclosure, professional liability and civil rights litigation. The firm's clients include major insurance carriers, large multi-national corporations and medium to large New Mexico companies. We are equipped to provide clients with litigation plans and budgets, as well as monthly invoices, which use the ABA/ACCA litigation codes. We recognize that runaway legal matters benefit no one. Because we are known as a firm that is not afraid to go to trial, we press for the best result we can obtain for our clients in order to posture the case for mediation, settlement or trial.
Return to Top BUSINESS LAW & COUNSELING We provide general and specialized business legal and consulting services to a broad range of businesses ranging from small, sole proprietorships to New Mexico's largest companies. Our lawyers help clients assess opportunities and obstacles, and formulate and execute a course of action that makes good business sense and that achieves the client's desired result. Among the areas in which our business lawyers provide services are planning and forming new businesses, structuring relationships among owners and management and among employers and employees, documenting commercial and real estate transactions, buying and selling business assets or stock, and advising and assisting management on day-to-day operational and business matters.
Return to Top FECA The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) provides workers’ compensation coverage to over three million Federal and Postal workers, including wage replacement, medical and vocational rehabilitation benefits for work-related injury and occupational disease. Although its mission is not always achieved, the chief purpose of the FECA is to protect Federal Workers from economic hardship due to work injury and illness. Disputes under the FECA are resolved through informal conferences or formal reconsideration requests at the district office level through administrative hearings or review by the independent Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board whose decision is final. The FECA does not provide retirement benefits. Employees who fully or partially recover from their injury are expected to return to work. The Act provides vocational rehabilitation services to partly disabled employees for this purpose. All civilian employees of the United States, except those paid from non-appropriated funds, are covered. Special legislation provides coverage to Peace Corp and Vista volunteers, Federal petit or grand jurors, volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol, reserve office or training corp cadets, job corp, neighborhood youth corps, and youth conservation corps enrollees, and non-Federal law enforcement officers under certain circumstances, involving crimes against the United States.
Return to Top HEALTH LAW The firm provides consultation regarding the business aspects of healthcare, including managed care contracting, as well as the regulation of healthcare providers and organizations. We also represent hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers regarding staff privileges, licensing and general and professional liability issues and in commercial litigation. Firm attorneys are long time members of the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys and the National Health Lawyers Associations (now merged as the American Health Lawyers Association) and are frequent speakers on a variety of health law and bioethics topics. Our experience enables us to handle almost any aspect of health law or healthcare litigation.
Return to Top EMPLOYMENT LAW In addition to employment litigation, the firm provides clients with day-to-day advice regarding a vast array of employment matters. We will assist with or handle the investigation of Title VII, ADA or New Mexico Human Rights Act charges. We provide counsel and advice with regard to employment manuals, employment contracts, payroll matters, unemployment hearings and appeals, union arbitration, termination (including Older Worker Benefit Protection Act issues), substance abuse testing and many other areas of employment law.
Return to Top CATASTROPHIC GENERAL LIABILITY CLAIMS The firm's principals have been involved in representation related to the 1980 New Mexico Penitentiary Riot, the second largest multi-million botulism outbreak in U.S. History, oil field blow outs, construction defects, product liability claims involving death or destruction of millions of dollars of property and million dollar natural gas take-or-pay lawsuits.
Return to Top GENERAL LIABILITY The firm handles practically every conceivable claim asserted under general liability policies or self-insured programs.
Return to Top PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY The firm has represented doctors, hospitals, accountants, architects, engineers, dentists and lawyers in professional liability claims and professional licensure and credentialing. The firm has defended malpractice claims asserted by the Resolution Trust Corporation.
Return to Top COVERAGE QUESTIONS The firm has years of experience in analyzing coverage issues under every type of insurance policy or bond. The firm represents national and international insurers and reinsurers. The firm routinely provides coverage opinions regarding claims of every kind. We handle declaratory judgment and intervenor actions.
Return to Top PRODUCTS LIABILITY Our shareholders and associates have handled products cases ranging from simple failures to claims involving tens of millions of dollars. Many of these claims involve multiple parties or multi-district litigation. We have handled claims involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, toxic materials, pipeline and oil field equipment, light and heavy duty vehicles, radiation equipment, drug products, chemical products, construction equipment, electrical products and sporting goods.
Return to Top LIQUOR LICENSING We advise clients regarding the acquisition and transfer of New Mexico liquor licenses, citations by state agencies for violations of licensing regulations, and application for approval of individual or corporate ownership of liquor licenses.
Return to Top WORKOUTS Often businesses require assistance in non-litigation/bankruptcy situations to workout temporary setbacks in loan repayments, contract fulfillment and other issues with creditors or others. We assist with negotiations aimed at avoiding litigation, bankruptcy, and other crippling disputes, to restore our client’s position, maintain profitability, and renew confidence in the ability to go forward.
Return to Top MEDIATION We offer our services as mediators and arbitrators. Our attorneys are members of various panels of the American Arbitration Association and some have completed formal education with regard to mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Barry Williams offers his services in general business and commercial litigation matters; John Bannerman in employment, health, environmental and construction disputes; and, Rikki Quintana in any type of legal matter in which ADR will benefit the client's interests.
Return to Top
|  | 
|
