Legal Services
The Aging and Long-Term Services Department helps fund some organizations that provide advocacy and legal representation to assist older adults with greatest economic or social needs in securing and maintaining government benefits, housing, health care, basic human rights, consumer protection and domestic relation protection. Services range from brief telephone consultation to legal representation.
If you need legal assistance, one of the organizations listed below may be able to help:
- Pegasus Legal Services for Children is a non-profit agency that provides civil legal services to children, youth, and their care givers. They can help you seek guardianship of a child who is in your care (kinship guardianship). Visit their website or call their office in Albuquerque - (505) 244-1101.
- The Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Program of the New Mexico State Bar Association provides negotiated-fee or free legal assistance to New Mexicans ages 55 and older. (Services are not available for criminal defense.) You can access their web page by clicking here www.nmbar.org, or call toll free at (800) 876-6657.
- The New Mexico State Bar Association also publishes the Senior Legal Handbook, which informs seniors of their legal rights in a variety of situations and of resources available to enforce those rights. www.nmbar.org
- The Senior Citizens Law Office provides free legal advice and representation to Bernalillo County seniors age 60 and over on healthcare, public benefits, advance directives, consumer rights and other issues such as estate planning, wills, transfer on death, POA’s, affidavits and simple probate’s. sclonm.org, or call their office in Albuquerque at (505) 265-2300.
- 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. www.nmlegalaid.org or call Central Administration at (505) 243-7871.
- Law Access New Mexico is a non-profit organization that provides respectful, efficient, high quality legal advice, brief service and referrals to eligible low-income New Mexicans over the telephone and help remove barriers to the justice system. www.lawhelp.org or call toll free at (800) 340-9771.
- The New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council’s Office of Guardianship provides a statewide publicly-funded guardianship services program for “guardians of last resort” to incapacitated income- and resource-eligible adults. They also provide Mental Health Treatment Guardians for appointment by the courts. They can petition for appointment of a guardian and pay for a “corporate guardian” for people who are eligible. Their website includes forms you can use for powers of attorney and advance health-care directives. www.nmddpc.com or call toll free (888) 779-6183
- The New Mexico Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for the recognition, respect and enforcement of the civil and human rights of residents of long-term care facilities in New Mexico. (505) 476-4790.
Information on services such as health care, transportation, assisted and independent living centers, legal assistance and home delivered meals can be accessed by linking to the Social Services Resource Directory www.nmresourcedirectory.org or call toll free in New Mexico at (800) 432-2080.