Since its founding in 1978, the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association has flourished into the leading minority bar association in New Mexico. The NMHBA Board of Directors is comprised of twenty-four voting members and a student member from the Mexican American Law Student Association at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Well over two hundred attorneys and students are members of the NMHBA. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and areas of practice.

In 2004, the NMHBA was honored by the Hispanic National Bar Association as the Local Bar Association of the Year at the HNBA Convention in New York City. The NMHBA was recognized, in large part, because of its continued focus on educational programs and diversity in the legal profession. In 2009, the NMHBA hosted the Hispanic National Bar Association's 34th Annual Convention in Albuquerque. The theme of the convention is "Opening Doors…Abriendo Puertas." Many doors were opened for members and students alike and the work started then continues today.

Our mission is and has always been to be the leading voice for Hispanics throughout the state of New Mexico. This organization has opened doors for many Hispanics entering into the practice of law by providing scholarships for law students and through ongoing mentorship programs for high school, college and law school students. We look forward to opening many more doors as the future of our great state and nation changes and the needs of our community change as well.

Membership Photo at the Seeds of Justice CLE September 2010 National Hispanic Cultural Center, Plaza Mayor

In this photo: DeAnza Valencia Sapien, Antonia Roybal-Mack, David Chacon, Mariposa Padilla Sivage, Karlos Ulibarri, LaDonna Giron, Helen Laura Lopez, Philip Sapien, Henry Alaniz, Antonio Maestas , Vanessa Chavez , Mary Torres, Yvette Gonzales, Roxie De Santiago , Donna Trujillo-Dodd, Mike Gallegos