WHAT WE LEARNED from Kristina, an officer of the court—who specializes in civil rights, discrimination, and divorce and custody:
• How to become a Fiestas de Santa Fe Princess, and what the job entails.
• How to differentiate between a “local” and a “super-local.”
• How Zozobra lost its mojo.
• When she might advise someone not to hire her.
• How many immediate Martinez relatives show up at a Santa Fe family holiday gathering.
And much, much more.
On your firm’s site it reads that part of your mission is to represent people when they need lawyers the most.
Yeah, generally when you need us, something bad has happened; you’re getting divorced, you’ve been injured, you’ve been terminated, you’ve been arrested. Usually it’s nothing good.
I actually started off doing civil defense work for energy companies, like big oil and gas companies. The work itself was pretty interesting—a good way to learn to be a lawyer, and I had some excellent mentors—but it was just about, essentially, moving money, so in time I transitioned into plaintiffs work…moved to another firm where we sued people, for lack of a better phrase. It was focused on civil rights, and some injury. While I was there I started doing divorce and custody work, which was something I never wanted to do when I was in law school or in the first seven to eight years of my career. But there was a partner there who did family law, and I really liked her, and just started getting interested. People in the family realm really need help and guidance.
It’s an emotional time, an often overwhelming time to try and figure out the legal system. Now, about 30 to 40 percent of my practice is family.
Do you ever tell people not to get divorced?
It’s always the first question I ask: “Are you sure you want to get divorced, and have you explored other ways to fix these issues?” The second is, “Okay, can you do this mostly by yourself? Because generally, what’s best for your family is not to spend a lot of money on attorneys. Can you sit down with your soon-to-be ex-spouse and figure out what’s best for you and your kids and your money and whatever.” But sometimes you really do need a lawyer, and it goes much more smoothly with lawyers on both sides.
When, say, there’s a radically different view of what’s theirs?
That’s a good way to put it, and a view of fairness for some people is not always in line with what’s fair under the law in New Mexico, because we’re a community property state [in which all marital assets are jointly owned and must be jointly split]. Sometimes, people can just not wrap their heads around what that means.
What if someone needs you but doesn’t have enough money?
I do it for free or for an extremely reduced rate, or I cut my time. I do a lot of work that’s not at full rate, and a lot of pro bono work.
You might be categorized as a “super-local.” What was it like growing up in Santa Fe?
Yes, I’m a super-local; [Laughs] I’ve been here for most of my life. I haven’t really traced it far back, but all four of my grandparents were born here, their families were here, and all four of them spoke Spanish as a first language. My parents were born here, and they’ve stayed. My mom was an only child and my dad was the oldest of ten, so I have on his side a ton of cousins and aunts and uncles and other extended family, but she also has a bunch here. The only time I haven’t lived in Santa Fe was when I was in college for four years and when I was in law school in Albuquerque for three, so even then I was basically still here.
I don’t know how to explain it; I like the light, the air, the size. I love the beauty, the art, the food. That family history makes me feel protective of the city, and I feel like it’s getting too big at this point. The character of Santa Fe has really changed in the last 10 to 15 years.
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Photo Mary Moon
