New Mexico Legal Aid

What New Mexico Legal Aid does

New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA), founded in 1953 and headquartered in Albuquerque, is New Mexico's largest civil legal aid organization and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. NMLA provides free civil legal representation, advice, brief services, and self-help information to low-income individuals and families (at or below 125% of federal poverty guidelines), seniors (regardless of income), victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, Native Americans living on or near the 19 Pueblos or Mescalero Apache Nation, veterans, low-income taxpayers in IRS disputes, and survivors of natural disasters across the state. The organization is structured into practice groups covering housing, victim services and family law, consumer law, economic security, veterans law, the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and disaster legal services, with a Native American Program office in Santa Ana Pueblo and a recently launched Mobile Intake and Outreach Vehicle.

NMLA's service delivery runs through multiple channels: a statewide phone helpline (1-833-LGL-HELP), an online intake application on the LegalServer platform, dedicated helplines for domestic violence and disaster survivors, a Volunteer Attorney Program coordinated with the NM State Bar and Judicial District Pro Bono Committees, statewide teleclinics and legal fairs, and the mobile outreach vehicle. The core technology stack is a third-party case management system (LegalServer); no proprietary technology products, AI capabilities, or consumer-facing applications are disclosed.

Revenue is derived from a mix of Legal Services Corporation (LSC) federal grants, disaster supplemental grants, state agency partnerships, and tax-deductible public donations. Because NMLA is an LSC grantee, it is subject to statutory restrictions on certain advocacy activities. Leadership is led by Executive Director Sonya Bellafant; other named leaders include Nathaniel Puffer (Clinic Director, LITC), Grace Allison (Staff Attorney, LITC and IRS Advisory Council member), Anne Rothrock (LITC Attorney), Thomas Prettyman (Veterans Legal Services Attorney), and Samuel Hitchcock (Disaster Relief Project Manager). NMLA partners with FEMA, HUD, SBA, NM DHSEM, the State Bar of New Mexico, the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Goodwill, the Veterans Integration Center, and the New Mexico Black Leadership Council.

Name

New Mexico Legal Aid

Legal name

New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc.

Website

https://newmexicolegalaid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

New Mexico Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1953 that provides free civil legal representation across housing, family law, consumer, veterans, tax, and disaster matters to low-income individuals, seniors, Native Americans, veterans, and violence survivors throughout New Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Other Legal Services (54119), Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Free legal services
• Nonprofit law firm
• Legal advocacy
• Pro bono representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, New Mexico Legal Aid relies on public donations to fund operations and provide free legal services to low-income New Mexicans. Donations are tax-deductible.
2. Legal Services Corporation Funding: NMLA is funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a federally funded nonprofit that supports civil legal aid organizations. Due to LSC funding restrictions, NMLA is prohibited from engaging in certain activities as outlined in the Legal Services Corporation Act.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals, seniors, victims of domestic violence, veterans, Native Americans, and disaster survivors across New Mexico. Services span practice areas including housing law, family law, consumer protection, economic security, veterans legal services, disaster recovery, and tax disputes, delivered through staff attorneys, a volunteer attorney program, teleclinics, and a mobile intake vehicle.

Product overview

New Mexico Legal Aid is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization that provides free legal services to low-income individuals, seniors, and victims of violence. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of legal aid programs organized into practice groups: Housing Law, Victim Services & Family Law, Consumer Law, Economic Security, Veterans Legal Services, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and Disaster Legal Services. Supporting these core legal services are specialized programs including the Volunteer Attorney Program (VAP) that recruits and manages volunteer attorneys for pro bono services, the VAP CLE ECHO Program for attorney training, the Native American Program serving tribal communities, and a Disaster Legal Services Mobile Intake Vehicle. Access to services is provided through multiple channels including a statewide helpline (1-833-LGL-HELP), an online intake application system, the Domestic Violence Helpline, and in-person legal fairs and teleclinics statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Legal Aid Services

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Mexico Black Leadership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Mapping the Gaps: Housing & Legal Access Forums' community listening sessions to strengthen housing partnerships and address New Mexico's housing crisis. The Council's Executive Director Cathryn McGill facilitates the structured conversations.
• Veterans Integration Center (VIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to extend reach and support veterans across New Mexico, providing a continuum of support including housing, employment, health resources, and legal assistance.
• GoodwillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting veterans across New Mexico, helping veterans find housing, employment, and health resources in addition to legal assistance.
• Law Help New MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative website providing free legal information resources for New Mexicans to learn about their legal issues and access legal aid services.
• State Bar of New MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the State Bar and Judicial District Pro Bono Committees to coordinate Volunteer Attorney Program, legal fairs, and access to justice initiatives.
• New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic ViolencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency providing support and resources for domestic violence survivors accessing legal services.
• NM State Bar Foundation's Modest Means HelplinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing statewide teleclinics offering phone consultations for civil legal matters on a quarterly basis.
• NM Regulation and Licensing DepartmentminorOthersGovernment agency that handles contractor licensing verification and fraud reporting for disaster-related contractor scams.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)coreOthersFederal agency providing disaster assistance and funding for disaster legal services in declared disaster areas of New Mexico.
• New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM)coreOthersState agency managing and distributing federal disaster recovery funds to affected residents and businesses, working closely with FEMA and HUD.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)coreOthersFederal agency providing low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, and businesses for disaster recovery.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreOthersFederal agency providing housing assistance programs and Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) for long-term disaster recovery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: LSC-funded civil legal aid organization serving low-income individuals across a large rural/semi-rural geography. Directly comparable in mission, funding model, and statewide coverage scope to NMLA's New Mexico footprint.
• Lone Star Legal Aid: Major Texas-based LSC grantee providing free civil legal services in housing, family, consumer, and disaster matters. Closely comparable funding mix, practice area breadth, and rural outreach challenge profile.
• Michigan Legal Aid: Statewide civil legal aid network serving low-income Michigan residents, with self-help resources and direct representation comparable to NMLA's Law Help NM portal and practice group model.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Georgia's largest nonprofit civil legal aid organization, providing free services in housing, family, public benefits, and consumer law. Closely comparable in mission, practice mix, and donor/LSC funding structure.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Society of New York: One of the largest and oldest civil legal aid organizations in the U.S., providing comprehensive free civil legal services. While much larger and urban-focused, it shares NMLA's LSC-funded nonprofit model and core practice areas (housing, family, benefits, immigration).
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: Large LSC-funded civil legal aid provider with broad practice area coverage, including housing, family, consumer, and immigration. Comparable in mission and LSC funding structure though it operates in a much larger and denser market.

Others

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: National membership and advocacy organization for civil legal aid and public defender providers. Not a direct service competitor, but a peer in the sense of sharing NMLA's LSC-funded ecosystem, federal funding advocacy role, and policy-influence function.
• State Bar of New Mexico: NM's professional bar association, a core partner of NMLA's Volunteer Attorney Program and pro bono infrastructure. Comparable in legal-services mission scope for low-income populations, though not a direct legal aid provider.

Regional players

• New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Statewide nonprofit coalition addressing domestic violence, listed as a core NMLA partner agency. Comparable in serving DV survivors, with overlapping client base in NMLA's Victim Services & Family Law practice group.

Emerging players

• Public Counsel: Largest pro bono public interest law firm in the U.S., with a comparable civil legal aid and access-to-justice orientation. While California-based, it competes for federal LSC-aligned funding and offers a benchmark for nonprofit legal aid operating scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nmlegalaid
• Facebookfacebook.com/newmexicolegalaid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-mexico-legal-aid
• Instagraminstagram.com/nmlegalaid
• Xx.com/nmlegalaid1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Mexico Legal Aid