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The State Bar of New Mexico announces its 2022 leadership: President Carolyn A. Wolf (Santa Fe), President-Elect Benjamin I. Sherman (Albuquerque), and Secretary-Treasurer Erinna M. Atkins (Alamogordo). The State Bar is governed by a 23-member Board of Bar Commissioners (BBC), elected by the membership.

President Wolf and Secretary-Treasurer Atkins were sworn in during a ceremony on Dec. 8, 2021, by New Mexico Supreme Court Justice C. Shannon Bacon. President-Elect Sherman will be formally sworn in later this year.

Carolyn A. Wolf is an attorney in Santa Fe. She is a graduate of Rice University (B.A., 1973) and the University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D., 1976). In more than 20 years in state government, she was in-house counsel for the Human Services Department, Health and Environment Department, and Taxation and Revenue Department, and was counsel for other agencies, boards and commissions as an attorney in the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s office. Carolyn served as general counsel for the Department of Finance and Administration and Taxation and Revenue Department. She was named Public Lawyer of the Year in 2017. Carolyn was also a shareholder and of counsel with Montgomery & Andrews, P.A. She is a past-chair of the Public Law Section, is the Board of Bar Commissioners representative on the Appellate Rules Committee and is a member of the Compilation Commission Advisory Committee. Carolyn represents the Third Bar Commissioner District which includes Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties.

Benjamin “Ben” I. Sherman is the founder of Ben Sherman Law LLC, located in Albuquerque. His practice is focused on representing injured workers in workers’ compensation cases. Prior to opening his own law firm, he enjoyed serving the public as a prosecutor with the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and as an assistant city attorney with the City of Albuquerque’s litigation department. Sherman is a proud graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D., 2008) and has been fortunate to practice law in New Mexico for the past eleven years. A fluent Spanish-speaker, he enjoys representing people from all communities and appreciates New Mexico’s unique diversity and rich traditions. Sherman is a past chair and board member of the State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers Division and currently sits on the University of New Mexico School of Law Alumni Board. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering, playing soccer, kayaking, hiking, music, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Ben represents the Second Judicial District (Bernalillo County).

Erinna “Erin” M. Atkins is an attorney in Alamogordo, where she practices law with her father, S. Bert Atkins. Specializing in criminal defense and children’s law, she works in and lives in the Twelfth Judicial District. She proudly serves as the Guardian ad Litem in abuse and neglect cases and mental health guardianships. Atkins is active in her local community and currently serves as a commissioner for the NM Commission for Community Volunteerism, the Children’s Law Section, the Twelfth Judicial District Pro Bono Committee, and a state-wide non-profit service organization, as well as the substitute Adult Drug Court judge. Atkins was awarded the 2016 Young Lawyer of the Year Award for the Twelfth Judicial District and is a 2009 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D., 2009). Atkins received the 2018 Outstanding Service Award from the Young Lawyer’s Division of the State Bar for her years of service. Erin represents the Twelfth Judicial District (Lincoln and Otero counties).

The State Bar of New Mexico was organized in 1886 and is composed of more than 9,000 members. Its purposes are to aid the courts in administering justice and preserving the rule of law, and to foster a high standard of integrity and competence within the legal profession.

Secretary-Treasurer Erin Atkins and President Carolyn Wolf

Justice Briana H. Zamora, Justice David K. Thomson, Erin Atkins, Justice C. Shannon Bacon, and Justice Julie J. Vargas

Justice Briana H. Zamora, Justice David K. Thomson, Carolyn Wolf, Justice C. Shannon Bacon, and Justice Julie J. Vargas

President Carolyn Wolf is sworn in by New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Shannon Bacon