State Bar of New Mexico (“the State Bar”) members have for decades embraced access-to-justice efforts to benefit New Mexicans in need; these efforts have taken many forms over the years. Today, the New Mexico State Bar Foundation (“the Bar Foundation”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization separate from, yet closely affiliated with, the State Bar, houses various charitable civil legal services programs for New Mexicans in need. The Bar Foundation also provides New Mexico-tailored continuing legal education (“CLEs”) for attorneys.

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In 1991, an organization named State Bar of New Mexico Special Projects, Inc. (Special Projects, Inc.) was incorporated and granted 501(c)(3) status, with purposes including “to sponsor, promote and assist social welfare projects and programs for the benefit and wellbeing of persons in the State of New Mexico…” Later amendments to the articles of incorporation added to and adjusted the language describing the purposes of Special Projects, Inc. In 1996, Continuing Legal Education of New Mexico, Inc. merged into Special Projects, Inc., retaining the name State Bar of New Mexico Special Projects, Inc., with an added purpose “to conduct a continuing legal education program and to publish educational materials.”

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In 1999, a separate organization called the State Bar of New Mexico Foundation was incorporated but never obtained 501(c) (3) status and was dissolved in 2003. Later that same year, the name of Special Projects, Inc. was changed to the New Mexico State Bar Foundation, and the organization retained its 501(c)(3) status. Other organizations, such as the Center for Civic Values and Equal Access to Justice, have histories intertwined with that of the Bar Foundation at several points. For many years prior to 1991, access-to-justice efforts were also undertaken that would later evolve into Special Projects, Inc. and subsequently the Bar Foundation.

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Bar Foundation to serve New Mexicans in need. LREP began serving older New Mexicans in the early 1980s as part of the State Bar. After Special Projects, Inc. was established in 1991, LREP moved into that organization and continues its successful work within the Bar Foundation today. While LREP changed its name from Legal Referral for the Elderly Program to Legal Resources for the Elderly Program to better reflect the evolution of its work, its primary purpose of serving older New Mexicans in need of legal services has remained constant for decades.

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The Bar Foundation does not rest on its early achievements; it instead continues to create new and successful offerings. For example, in 2022, the Modest Means Helpline (“MMH”) was created to serve the thousands of New Mexicans in need of civil legal services who cannot afford private attorneys and, for a variety of reasons, do not qualify for other existing sources of civil legal services. Although much newer than LREP, MMH has already proved to be an indispensable part of New Mexico’s civil legal services landscape.

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The Bar Foundation not only houses legal helplines, with attorneys providing legal advice to thousands of callers annually, it also hosts free public-facing educational offerings on common legal issues such as small business matters, divorce, bankruptcy, debt and elder law. Over the years, these workshops have evolved from being entirely in-person offerings to being hosted on advanced virtual platforms.

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In keeping with the merger of Continuing Legal Education of New Mexico, Inc. into the Bar Foundation’s predecessor, Special Projects, Inc., the Bar Foundation continues to offer continuing legal education courses tailored for New Mexico attorneys. These CLE courses are financially self-sustaining, and to the extent they generate revenue beyond expenses; that revenue supports the Bar Foundation’s civil legal services efforts.

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The Bar Foundation relies heavily on donations, grant funding and other forms of financial support, as well as the volunteer efforts of many people, and is grateful for all the The Legal Resources for the Elderly Program (“LREP”) provides an excellent example of the longstanding efforts of the support it has received over the years and throughout its many forms of existence. Every person who has contributed to the Bar Foundation’s efforts is honored and appreciated.

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As of the writing of this article, a nine-member Board of Directors leads the Bar Foundation. The Bar Foundation Board is separate from the State Bar’s Board of Bar Commissioners (“BBC”). Bar Foundation board members are appointed by the BBC, reflecting the continuing close connection between the two organizations: the Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and the State Bar, a 501(c)(6) organization. As further examples of that close relationship, the two organizations share ownership of the State Bar Center and have shared one executive director for many years.

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The Bar Foundation continues to adapt to the ever-changing legal landscape by using the increasing availability of technological solutions for legal services and CLE course delivery. Building on the long history of New Mexico attorneys’ dedication to access-to-justice work, we expect to see continued innovation to ensure that outstanding civil legal services and first-rate CLE courses remain available to serve all New Mexicans for decades to come.