Annual Meeting 2024 Session Information

Keynote Address (1.5 G)
Camille M. Vasquez, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Additional session information forthcoming.

Keynote speaker Camille M. Vasquez, Esq., partner in the Business Trial Practice Group at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, has over 10 years of experience as a trial lawyer in high-stakes disputes, as well as an impressive background in commercial litigation, entertainment law and defamation. Vasquez quickly became one of the nation’s most recognized attorneys in 2022, when she held a key role in the Depp v. Heard defamation case. Since then, Vasquez has joined NBC News as a legal analyst and has become an inspirational figure for aspiring attorneys.

Camille M. Vasquez, Esq. is a San Francisco-born and first-generation American of Hispanic heritage. Before Vasquez became an attorney and litigator, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California, where she studied communications and political science. Vasquez received her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in 2010.

Judicial Roundtables (1.0 G)
Speakers TBA

Several judges from different New Mexico courts will be interacting with Annual Meeting attendees, both in-person and virtually, on a variety of issues including content related to the 2024 Annual Meeting’s “Be Inspired” theme and interesting topics important to New Mexico’s judiciary. The judges will also answer questions pertaining to the interests of legal professionals in New Mexico. 

Representation Matters: Debunking New Mexico's Tri-Cultural Myth within the Legal Profession (1.0 EIJ)
Aja N. Brooks, President-Elect, State Bar of New Mexico and Nikki Berry, Vice-President, New Mexico Black Lawyers Association

This presentation will highlight the contributions of Black attorneys in New Mexico and will include information on why diversity is vital to the future of the legal profession.

Jennifer Nicole Berry, also known as "Nikki," is a native New Mexican raised in Tome, a small town south of Los Lunas. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012 and obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2021. Nikki serves as the Vice-President of the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association and is proud to be a criminal defense attorney. In her free time Nikki enjoys playing basketball, gardening, traveling and spending time with her husband Kahil and three children Amare, Justice, and Lilliana.  

Aja Nicole Brooks is a native New Mexican, born in Hobbs.  She graduated from Wake Forest University with her Bachelor of Arts in 2005 and received her Juris Doctorate in 2008 from the University of New Mexico School of Law.  Aja serves as the President-Elect of the State Bar of New Mexico and as a past President of the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association and State Bar of New Mexico Foundation.  She is a proud member of the Iota Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She enjoys exploring and traveling near and far with her husband, Johnn, and her son, Emerson. 

Raising the Bar for the Bar...and the Rest of Society! (1.5 EP)
Stuart I. Teicher

Is it enough to just follow the ethics rules? Well, you’d stay out of trouble, but isn’t there more to life than that? The CLE Performer thinks so. Join nationally recognized speaker Stuart Teicher as he explains how concepts of professionalism encourage lawyers to aspire higher. Stuart explains that, if we do so, we can elevate the profession's image and have a hugely positive impact on society. 

Stuart I. Teicher is a professional legal educator and author who focuses on ethics law and writing instruction.   A practicing lawyer for 30 years, Stuart’s career is now dedicated to helping fellow lawyers survive the practice of law and thrive in the profession.   Stuart teaches seminars, provides in-house training to law firms and legal departments, provides CLE instruction at law firm client events, and gives keynote speeches at conventions and association meetings.  

Stuart is a Supreme Court appointee to the New Jersey District Ethics Committee where he investigates and prosecutes grievances filed against attorneys.  Stuart also served on the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics Fee Arbitration Committee. Stuart is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law where he teaches Professional Responsibility. Stuart is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he teaches undergraduate writing courses. He also taught legal writing at St. John’s University School of Law in New York City.  

Stuart is the recipient of the Charles Fahy Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award from Georgetown Law, and the “Distinguished Contributions to the Writing Program” Award from Rutgers University.