New Mexico Legal Aid is a civil legal advocacy organization dedicated to opening the door to equal access to justice for all disenfranchised and low-income people and communities throughout New Mexico by providing outreach, training, education, and quality representation.
The mission of New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc. (NMLA) is to be the voice, defender, and advocate for poor people who are seeking justice in all forums, particularly in the communities in which they live. NMLA is committed to helping poor people in their struggle to access food, shelter, security, and to preserve their unique cultural heritages.
Legal aid programs help people who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Clients represent every ethnic and age group and live in rural, suburban, and urban areas. They are the working poor, veterans, families with children, farmers and migrant workers, people with disabilities, homeowners, renters, and the elderly. Legal assistance is necessary for addressing many issues that affect low-income individuals and families, including:
Access to Benefits
Consumer Rights
Employment and Income Maintenance
Family Law and Domestic Violence
Housing, Foreclosure, and Landlord/ Tenant issues
NMLA has several projects focusing on outreach and services to historically ignored communities, including our Native American Program, serving members of all nineteen pueblos, the Navajo Nation and Mescalero Apache; our Migrant Worker program, serving primarily Spanish-speaking immigrant workers; and our Safe to Be You program, serving rural and urban LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
NMLA strives to empower community members to challenge injustice and to be led by the communities we serve.