Latest News
Caren Friedman and Philip Kovnat win in the New Mexico Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to Santa Fe attorneys Caren Friedman and Philip Kovnat who successfully convinced the New Mexico Court of Appeals to affirm the judgment in its entirety in this consolidation of two domestic relations appeals in which DP&S represented the Father as Appellee. The Appellant had argued that the district court abused its discretion in refusing to modify child support and concluding that Father could claim Child on his tax returns. DP&S argued that the appeals were untimely, depriving the Court of Appeals of jurisdiction. In the alternative, DP&S argued that the district court did not err. The Court of Appeals agreed with DP&S that one of the appeals was untimely. The Court also agreed that the district court correctly decided the issues in the remaining appeal. You can read the memorandum opinion in Burke v. McCargar, A-1-CA-40947 (N.M. App. October 10, 2024), here.
Caren Friedman to become a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers!
Congratulations to Santa Fe partner Caren I. Friedman, who has accepted an invitation to become a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. AAAL was founded to recognize outstanding appellate lawyers and promote the improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the appellate courts. Membership in the Academy is by invitation only. Fellows face stringent membership criteria, undergo rigorous screening, and must be approved by the Academy’s Board.
Caren Friedman named a 2024 Southwest “Super Lawyer”!
Congratulations to Santa Fe partner, Caren Friedman, who was named a 2024 Southwest “Super Lawyer” in the appellate practice category. Southwest Super Lawyers magazine covers New Mexico and Arizona. Caren is one of only seven New Mexico appellate practitioners, and the only one from Santa Fe, to be recognized. This is Caren’s 18th consecutive year to be included on this list.
Santa Fe office wins in the New Mexico Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to Santa Fe partners, Caren Friedman, Justin Kaufman, and Roz Bienvenu, who successfully convinced the New Mexico Court of Appeals to affirm the judgment in this probate case involving a dispute over the decedent’s property. At the heart of the dispute was the Estate’s claim of a valid contract that allegedly distributed valuable water rights appurtenant to land near Truchas in Northern New Mexico.
Caren Friedman and Phil Kovnat win big in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas!
Congratulations to Santa Fe attorneys, Caren Friedman and Phil Kovnat, who, along with Dallas trial counsel C. Kyle Pugh and appellate counsel Jeffrey Levinger, successfully convinced U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas to deny a Motion for New Trial, for Remittitur, or to Alter or Amend the Judgment filed by the United States of America in a Federal Tort Claims Act case. Following a bench trial involving a collision between a United States Postal Service truck and a motor vehicle operated by Michael Le, which rendered Mr. Le a quadriplegic, Judge O’Connor awarded Plaintiffs over $26 million in damages, including damages for past and future physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, and loss of consortium.
Caren Friedman speaks at NM Appellate Bench & Bar Conference
Santa Fe attorney Caren Friedman was one of four New Mexico appellate practitioners asked to participate in panel discussions at the Appellate Bench and Bar Conference, held in the supreme court courtroom on Friday, October 20, 2023. Caren joined a distinguished panel of supreme court justices, court of appeals judges, and court staff to discuss topics of interest and concern to the appellate bench and bar.
Caren Friedman & Justin Kaufman help protect $11M verdict on appeal!
Congratulations to Jeffrey Pitman and Benjamin Reyes of Pitman, Kalkhoff, Sicula & Dentice on their victory in the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Mr. Pitman and Mr. Reyes, along with Feliz Rael of The Law Offices of Feliz A. Rael, and Keller & Keller, successfully defended an $11 million jury verdict on appeal in a nursing home wrongful death case. In a published opinion, the Court of Appeals rejected the defendants’ bid to overturn the verdict and procure a new trial and, on cross-appeal, reinstated a jury finding that the various defendant-entities operated as a joint venture, making them all responsible for the nursing home’s conduct. DP&S partners Justin Kaufman and Caren Friedman assisted with the appellate strategy and briefing.
Congratulations to our 2022 New Mexico “Super Lawyers”!
DP&S is proud to announce that Santa Fe-based partners Caren Friedman and Justin Kaufman have been named Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona) “Super Lawyers” for 2022, an honor based on professional achievement and peer recognition.
DP&S named to “Best Lawyers” 2022 “Best Law Firms” List!
DP&S is proud to announce that it has been named to the “Best Lawyers” 2022 “Best Law Firms” list as a “Tier 1” firm–the highest ranking available–in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Appellate Practice! According to U.S. News–Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms,” “[a]chieving a tiered ranking . . . signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. Ranked firms, presented in three tiers, are recognized on a national and regional-based scale. Firms that received a tier designation reflect the highest level of respect a firm can earn among other leading lawyers and clients from the same communities and practice areas.”
Caren Friedman wins in the New Mexico Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to DP&S Santa Fe partner, Caren Friedman, who, along with trial counsel Kristina Martinez, successfully convinced the New Mexico Court of Appeals to reverse the final decree in a domestic relations case. Representing the Mother in this custody dispute, DP&S argued that the district court violated the Rules of Civil Procedure by failing to conduct a hearing on her objections to a domestic relations hearing officer’s recommendations. In a formal published Opinion, the Court of Appeals stated that “Mother’s interpretation [of the rule] is the most plausible expression of the drafter’s intent, and we adopt it here.”
Congratulations to our 2021 New Mexico “Super Lawyers”!
DP&S is proud to announce that every lawyer in our Santa Fe office has been named Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico) “Super Lawyers” for 2021, an honor based on professional achievement and peer recognition.
Caren Friedman wins family law appeal in the New Mexico Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to DP&S’s Santa Fe partner, Caren Friedman, on her victory in the New Mexico Court of Appeals in a domestic relations appeal arising under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. The appeal raised six issues, and the Court unanimously affirmed the judgment, including an attorney fee award.
Caren Friedman returns to the New Mexico Supreme Court!
Congratulations to DP&S’s Santa Fe partner, Caren Friedman, who presented argument on behalf of the Appellant in the New Mexico Supreme Court on January 15, 2021. The case is a direct appeal to the Supreme Court under the New Mexico Constitution because the Appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment. Caren argued for the reversal of a first-degree murder conviction on constitutional and evidentiary grounds.
Caren Friedman wins in the New Mexico Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to DP&S’s New Mexico partner, Caren Friedman, on her victory in the New Mexico Court of Appeals in a domestic relations appeal. The Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the district court’s method of calculating the community’s interest in Husband’s retirement benefits and valuing Wife’s share. The Court of Appeals also affirmed the district court’s refusal to allow Wife’s late-disclosed expert to testify, where Wife offered her expert report months after the evidentiary hearing.
Congratulations to our 2020 Texas and New Mexico “Super Lawyers”!
DP&S is pleased to announce that partners Kirk Pittard, Leighton Durham, Thad Spalding, Caren Friedman and Rick Thompson have been named “Super Lawyers” in the Appellate category by Super Lawyers Magazine.
Caren Friedman argues in the New Mexico Supreme Court!
Congratulations to Santa Fe Partner, Caren Friedman, who presented argument on behalf of the Petitioners in the New Mexico Supreme Court on September 16, 2020. The case involved the death of the Petitioners’ 20-year-old daughter when the airbag system in her Ford Ranger truck failed to deploy.