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The Juris Education Interview Team
Erin M. Marshall is an attorney and owner of Erin Marshall Law, LLC. She previously served as the President of the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association.
The legal profession in New Mexico has made significant strides in supporting and advancing women—but progress remains incomplete. A pivotal moment in New Mexico history came in 1991, when the State Bar’s Task Force on Women and the Legal Profession highlighted that gender bias still pervaded both the legal system and women’s professional experiences, despite legislative and societal gains. In response, the New Mexico Board of Bar Commissioners established the Committee on Women and the Legal Profession to address these persistent inequities—an institution that has since been a catalyst for real change.
Since its founding, the Committee has attacked gender bias from multiple angles. It has drafted and championed gender-neutral laws, ensuring the legal framework is inclusive. Through CLEs on women-centric issues, financial literacy seminars, and the #LawMom speaker series, the Committee has created vital platforms for empowerment. The clothing closet for UNM law students and domestic violence assistance cards provide tangible help for women at critical junctures. Golf clinics and other networking events have fostered mentorship, camaraderie, and visibility.
The Role of New Mexico Women’s Bar Association
The Committee’s achievements did not emerge in isolation. In 1991, Judge Elizabeth E. Whitefield, alongside Carol Conner and Margaret Moses Branch, co-founded the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association to address the dearth of women judges and lawyers in leadership and as lead counsel. Today, the NMWBA continues the mission by offering annual scholarships for recent law school graduates to sit for the bar exam, mentoring opportunities, and high-profile awards like the Pettijohn Award, honoring trailblazers such as Henrietta Pettijohn—the first female attorney in New Mexico. The association exemplifies how professional organizations achieve success through volunteers and collaboration: they elevate visibility, foster community, and support successive generations of female legal professionals.
Progress and Continued Challenges
Thanks to these efforts, women now occupy prominent roles in the New Mexico legal community. The first female president of the State Bar was Amanda Ashford in 1990, followed by trailblazers like Mary Torres (first Latina, 2002) and Aja N. Brooks (first Black woman, 2025). Similarly, the judiciary has seen firsts including Mary Walters (first female Supreme Court justice, 1984) and Pamela Minzner (first female Chief Justice, 1999). Still, obstacles persist in pay equity, promotion into senior roles, and balancing family responsibilities. The ongoing initiatives of both the Committee and the NMWBA—with their mix of advocacy, mentorship, and practical support—suggest a profession deeply committed to both representing and empowering women.
The New Mexico Women’s Bar Association (NMWBA) has championed a range of initiatives aimed at promoting gender equity and supporting women lawyers at every stage of their careers. One of their key efforts is the provision of scholarships for bar exam preparation, which helps ease the financial burden on recent graduates and supports a smoother transition into the profession.
Beyond financial assistance, the NMWBA places a strong emphasis on networking and mentorship. They regularly host professional events and mixers to foster connections among women in the legal community, creating opportunities for mentorship and collaboration. These efforts help build a support network that is crucial for retention and advancement, particularly for women in the early to middle stages of their careers.
The organization also plays an active role in education and advocacy. Through continuing legal education (CLE) programs and other initiatives, they work to identify and address the systemic barriers that women face in the legal field.
Additionally, the NMWBA promotes visibility and recognition of women leaders through events like the Pettijohn Award, which honors trailblazers in the profession and helps elevate the profile of women’s contributions to the legal community. The annual Pettijohn Awards event not only recognizes lawyers and judges making contributions to the position of women in the legal profession, it is the event at which to be and is a major fundraiser for the NMWBA annual Bar Exam Scholarships.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate the NMWBA’s comprehensive approach to supporting women—from law school through leadership positions—by addressing both practical needs and structural challenges within the profession.
Law schools and admissions processes can better identify and support women who aspire to leadership by broadening their definition of leadership and merit during admissions. This means valuing not only academic achievement but also life experiences—such as caregiving, community organizing, and advocacy work—that reflect resilience, initiative, and service. Institutions like the University of New Mexico School of Law demonstrate how this can be done effectively through scholarships that support incoming women students and awards that recognize leadership and mentorship.
Once women are admitted, law schools need to create environments where leadership potential is nurtured early and consistently. At UNM Law, student organizations such as the Women’s Law Caucus and Moms of Law provide women with leadership opportunities, peer networks, and mentorship. These groups, along with experiential learning through clinics and programs like the Border Justice Initiative, offer women hands-on opportunities to lead, advocate, and make decisions in real legal settings—experiences that are essential to building professional confidence.
Law schools also play a key role in fostering leadership through representation and outreach. A diverse faculty provides visible role models, and initiatives like UNM’s Summer Law Camp—designed for middle school girls—help build a pipeline of future women leaders in law. By investing in inclusive programming, real-world leadership training, and intentional mentorship, law schools can create a comprehensive support structure that enables women to thrive in and ultimately shape the legal profession.
Mentorship and sponsorship are absolutely essential to advancing women in the legal profession, and organizations like the NMWBA really highlight how impactful these relationships can be. Mentorship provides guidance and connection—it’s where young or newer lawyers can ask honest questions, get career advice, and learn how to navigate both the written and unwritten rules of the profession. NMWBA fosters these relationships through networking events and mixers that make it easier for newer attorneys to meet and learn from more experienced professionals.
Sponsorship, on the other hand, is about advocacy. While a mentor advises you, a sponsor actively opens doors—nominating you for leadership roles and professional recognition, referring you for key cases, or recommending you for speaking engagements. While NMWBA may not use the term “sponsorship” explicitly, its awards, recognition events, and leadership initiatives serve that purpose by elevating women’s profiles and helping them gain credibility and influence within the profession. Our membership also actively refer cases to and consult with one another.
For aspiring women lawyers, I’d encourage getting involved early. Attend events, introduce yourself to people whose work you admire, and don’t be afraid to ask for guidance or express your interest in learning. At the same time, look for opportunities to contribute—mentorship is a two-way street, and being engaged and proactive helps build meaningful relationships. The earlier you can tap into a supportive professional network like NMWBA, the more equipped you’ll be to grow and lead in your career.
If you're entering law school with a passion for advocacy, leadership, and changing the culture of the legal profession, my advice is to get involved early and be intentional about building community. Organizations like the NMWBA offer incredible opportunities to connect with mentors, attend events focused on gender equity, and step into leadership roles. Programs like the State Bar CWLP's #LawMom speaker series and their advocacy around gender-neutral legislation show how much impact is possible when women come together to support and elevate each other in the profession.
Mentorship is also key. Don’t wait to be invited—seek out people whose work inspires you and ask thoughtful questions. At Erin Marshall Law, we strongly believe in building relationships and lifting up the next generation of women in law, and I’ve seen firsthand how transformative mentorship can be. Those early conversations often turn into opportunities for collaboration, guidance, and even sponsorship down the line.
Finally, use law school as a launchpad to lead. Whether that’s through student organizations, public interest clinics, or community engagement, lean into the things you care about and be willing to start something if it doesn’t exist yet. When you combine purpose with action, you don’t just grow as a leader—you also start reshaping the profession in real, lasting ways.
Absolutely. One example that stands out is Henrietta Pettijohn, New Mexico’s first female lawyer. She was admitted to the bar in 1892—at a time when women weren’t just underrepresented, they were actively discouraged from joining the profession. Her legacy is so impactful that the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association named its signature award after her. The Henrietta Pettijohn Award honors women lawyers in New Mexico who have broken barriers and paved the way for others, and it continues to inspire generations of attorneys by spotlighting those who embody that same trailblazing spirit.
I went to law school late in life, only recently graduating in 2021. I had worked in legislative policy in New Mexico and nationally for over 20 years prior to becoming a lawyer. My inspiration to go to law school was the amazing team of women lawyers, including Laura Ives, working on the New Mexico end-of-life care lawsuit from 2013 through 2016. Laura continues to be a mentor for me and always welcomes a call for support or to talk about a case. I met Randi McGinn while in law school and continue to be inspired and encouraged by her pioneering work as a personal injury attorney. In my own turn, I meet with colleagues and newer lawyers, employ senior law students as clerks, and volunteer to support young and new attorneys. Recently, I joined a colleague of mine to establish a weekly coffee meet-up for solo and very small firm attorneys to talk about firm management issues and support one another with cases. Our coffee group now numbers about sixteen, with a typical meet-up of five or six of us on any given week.
These stories aren’t just history—they’re still happening every day in New Mexico. And they serve as a powerful reminder that while progress has been made, continuing to break down barriers and create space for women in law remains essential.
Juris Education is proud to interview leaders like Erin M. Marshall to exemplify the power of mentorship, advocacy, and community and to inspire future law students to create a more inclusive future in law.
