Court-Appointed Attorneys
Welcome
Court Appointed Attorney Program (CAAP)
The New Mexico Judiciary, through the Court Appointed Attorney Program (CAAP) is committed to providing quality legal representation for indigent parties in civil proceedings when the law requires the court appoint an attorney. This may include cases on: kinship guardianship; parentage; mental health and disabilities; some adoption matters; guardianship cases; and domestic relations as well as other qualifying cases.
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) provides fiscal oversight, recruits eligible attorneys to provide representation in court-appointed matters, ensures compliance with contractual obligations by attorneys.
AOC also works collaboratively with the Children’s Court Improvement Commission, the New Mexico Family Advocacy Program, the Southwest Region National Child Protection Training Center (NMSU-SWRTC), and the Corinne Wolfe Center for Child and Family Justice (UNM-CWC) to offer attorneys, judges, and other professionals opportunites to attend free or reduced cost trainings.
Resources for the Public
The below and other providers can be located on the Access to Justice list of Civil Legal Service Providers
New Mexico ABA Free Legal Answers
New Mexico State Library Access to Justice
Legal Resource for the Elderly
Court Appointed Attorney Assignment Process
The Administrative Office of the Courts Court Appointed Attorney Program (CAAP) does not assign attorneys to a case or individual. If you need civil legal assistance you may find resources at the following link Legal Services and Programs The Administrative Office of the Courts, via the Court Appointed Attorney Program (CAAP), contracts with attorneys around the state in order to provide each judicial district with a list of attorneys who can be appointed to provide legal representation to indigent clients, children, and youth in Mental Health proceedings. Attorneys are sought to fulfill this role through a Request For Proposal process (RFP) which will be published on the New Mexico Courts webpage. CAAP does not assign attorneys to a case or individual. If you need civil legal assistance you may find resources at the following link Legal Services and Programs
Each district court has an internal procedure for collecting financial qualification information for an indigency determination and for handling the appointment of attorneys in their district. Where the court finds cause to appoint counsel, the court may appoint non-contract counsel who can apply for payment utilizing forms located on the non-contract attorney’s page.
If you have questions about the Court Appointed Attorney Program (CAAP) or if you are interested in a contract please contact Twila at aoccaaff@nmcourts.gov .
For Information regarding the representation of parents or children in Abuse and Neglect cases or Fostering Connections cases please go to the Office of Family Representation and Advocacy Please follow this link OFRA Web Page :
As of July 1, 2023, the Office of Family Representation and Advocacy (“OFRA”) has commenced operations and all representation matters for fostering connections and abuse and neglect cases will be handled through their organization.
Court Appointed Attorney Fund (CAAF)
The Administrative Office of the Courts receives a limited amount of state general fund monies to pay attorneys the court may appoint to certain civil law matters. This court-appointed legal representation includes Mental Health proceedings as well as non-contract attorneys appointed by the district courts in civil law cases on a case-by-case basis. Please note that CAAP does not appoint attorneys but instead works with those lawyers who are court appointed when the case qualifies for payment under the program. This fund does not provide pro bono attorneys or attorneys for any matters where the court has not appointed an attorney to the case. If you have questions about the Court Appointed Attorney Fee Fund (CAAFF), please contact Twila Hoon at aoccaaff@nmcourts.gov .