Melanie Stambaugh

Donald F. Kochersberger is a Member of the firm and has been with BLSW since 2005. His practice emphasizes complex litigation matters, including shareholder, member and partner disputes, contracts, business tort, unfair practices, restrictive covenant and non-compete agreements, employee theft and misconduct cases, and customer and vendor disputes. Mr. Kochersberger has served as counsel for a number of local, regional and national companies, as well as individuals engaged in business dispute...

Jill K. Sweeney is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Public Finance Law. Jill K., who practices law in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been recognized since 2003. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jill K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Carey Bhalla is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Civil Rights Law and Criminal Defense: General Practice. Carey, who practices law in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Carey is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tomas Garcia is a shareholder in Modrall Sperling’s Litigation group, and serves on the Executive Committee. He is also chair of the firm’s Recruiting Committee. His practice includes a variety of commercial, healthcare, torts/personal injury, and transportation litigation. He has experience representing business professionals in corporate disputes, health care facilities and medical professionals in negligence and regulatory matters, manufacturers and distributors in product defe...

Lisa K. Curtis is the founding partner of Curtis & Co. Law Firm. She was named the Best Lawyers 2024 Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year in New Mexico, was inducted into the Roehl Circle of Honor as the Plaintiff’s Trial Lawyer for New Mexico in 2021, and has received numerous honors over the years, but her $40 Million Jury Verdict in an Albuquerque courtroom for a child in the summer of 2025 is the reason Lisa went to law school over 30 years ago. There is a la...

Spencer Edelman’s practice is focused in the areas of creditors’ rights and commercial litigation. In his creditors’ rights practice, Spencer assists banks and other creditors in foreclosures, collections actions, and bankruptcies. This spans a variety of industries including manufacturers, dairies, hotels, multi-family housing, and commercial real estate. In 2013-14 he served as a law clerk for United States Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma. Spencer has assisted large financial...

Vickie is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, and earned her Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Taxation from New York University. Vickie grew up in Deming, New Mexico, and has been a trust and estate planning attorney in Albuquerque for almost thirty years. She is an ACTEC (American College of Trust and Estate Counsel) Fellow and is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She was honored in the past to have been appointed by the Supreme Court of New Mexico to serve on the ...

Maria Montoya Chavez is an attorney with Sutin, Thayer & Browne APC in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2018 for her work in Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law, Family Law Arbitration, and Family Law Mediation. This recognition is based on peer review by attorneys practicing in the same geographic and practice areas. Maria Montoya Chavez has practiced law since 2000 and focuses exclusively on family law matters, including divorce, child custody...

Alicia M. LaPado is a Senior Litigation Associate of the firm, with a practice that includes business litigation, general civil litigation, and criminal defense. Prior to becoming an associate, Ms. LaPado was employed by the firm as a law clerk where she provided support for complex civil and criminal matters, primarily in federal court. She also researched, drafted, and prepared briefs for submission in both state and federal court, as well as the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. LaPado o...

Richard L. Alvidrez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental. Richard L., who practices law in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Richard L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.