National attorneys organization weighs in on lawyer reciprocity

Among the issues that we have been monitoring regularly in this space is reciprocity for lawyers. Good news has come in the form of the Association of Corporate Counsel which recently sent a letter to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

The letter urged a relaxation of rules for out-of-state attorneys and stated in part, “Requiring experienced lawyers from other states to take the bar exam in order to practice in New Mexico privileges the parochial interests of local lawyers, rather than those of the clients they ostensibly serve,” ACC vice president and chief legal strategist Amar D. Sarwal said in a news release about the filing.

Simply put, this is a “free trade” issue. As the ACC letter states, “client . . . demand national, regional, and other transboundary access to legal services.” In other words, there is a need for attorneys from other states to practice in New Mexico that is not being filled. New Mexico’s Supreme Court, influenced by attorneys who enjoy protectionist policies, are keeping jobs and economic development out of our state for their own selfish purposes. In other words, “business as usual” for New Mexico’s political elites.