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Editorial Policy


Publications
The State Bar of New Mexico Bar Bulletin shall be the official publication of the State Bar of New Mexico ("State Bar"). The Bar Bulletin shall be published and distributed in accordance with the editorial policy developed by the Board of Editors and approved by the Board of Bar Commissioners.

Purpose
The purpose of the Bar Bulletin shall be to provide an educational resource for all members of the State Bar on matters related to the justice system, the regulation of the legal profession, and the improvement of the quality of legal services. The Board of Editors shall have editorial content responsibility for the Bar Bulletin. The Board of Editors is a committee of the State Bar and is subject to the State Bar bylaws and policies pertaining to committees, and shall exercise its editorial responsibility in accordance with this section. As the communications vehicle for the members of the State Bar, the Bar Bulletin shall, among other things:

  • present practical and informative articles on law, legal history, and people;
  • advise members of recent court decisions, rule changes, and legislation;
  • apprise of matters relating to the State Bar; and
  • provide a forum for the exchange of opinions and discussion of views directly related to the administration of justice.

The publication shall not be used as a vehicle for the advocacy of political or politically ideological matters.

Board of Editors

  1. There is established a Board of Editors.
  2. The Board of Editors shall be composed of ten (10) members, nine of whom shall be attorneys and members in good standing of the State Bar, of which one shall be a member of the Board of Bar Commissioners; and one of whom shall be a non-attorney. The Board of Editors shall be comprised of persons who present a broad diversity of backgrounds, ages, geographic regions of the state, ethnicity, gender, and areas of legal practice and, preferably, who have some experience in the field of journalism or legal publications. The President of the State Bar, with the approval of the Board of Bar Commissioners, shall appoint the members of the Board of Editors.
  3. Initial appointments to the Board of Editors shall be made as follows: five (5) members of the Board shall be appointed to serve two-year terms and five (5) members of the Board shall be appointed to serve one-year terms. Thereafter, all members of the Board of Editors shall serve terms of two years, and shall hold office until the end of the calendar year occurring at the expiration of their terms. No member of the Board of Editors shall serve more than two (2) full, consecutive terms.
  4. The Board of Editors shall select a chair from among its members.
  5. The Board of Editors shall meet or confer together at least quarterly. Special meetings of the Board may be scheduled at the request of the Editor.
  6. A quorum at all meetings of the Board of Editors shall consist of a majority of all Board members. Except as specifically provided in this Section, the act of a majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Editors.
  7. The president of the State Bar shall make an appointment to fill any member’s unexpired term. A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of that member's predecessor and until that person's successor is duly appointed.
  8. Any member of the Board of Editors may be removed for cause by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Bar Commissioners at a meeting at which a quorum is present.

Editor
The Editor of the Bar Bulletin, an employee of the State Bar, is responsible for the production of the Bar Bulletin and shall supervise the work of the Bar Bulletin staff and independent contractors. The Editor shall serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Editors, and shall call meetings of the Board of Editors as needed.

The Bar Bulletin

A. Content - The Bar Bulletin shall publish, space permitting:

  1. The text of all opinions, orders, and notices issued by the New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, including head notes (except that space considerations may preclude publication of some dissenting opinions), and notices and certificates issued by the Clerk of the Supreme Court; significant opinions on matters of New Mexico law issued by the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico and the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; notices of changes in the local rules of those courts, the United States Bankruptcy Court or the United States Magistrate Court; and announcements of state and federal courts;
  2. Notices, rules and opinions issued by certain courts and regulatory arms of the State Bar, such as the Disciplinary Board, Legal Specialization Board, MCLE Board, and others;
  3. Announcements, agendas and summaries of minutes of the Board of Bar Commissioners;
  4. Reports and announcements issued by State Bar committees, sections, divisions, and programs, including State Bar convention schedules and announcements;
  5. Notices pertaining to the activities of national, local, or specialty bar associations;
  6. Activities of the Bar and its members, profiles, and stories of general interest; and
  7. Memorials to recently deceased members of the State Bar.

B. Content - The Bar Bulletin may publish, space permitting:
Articles, letters to the editor and other such material shall be referred to the Board of Editors for consideration for inclusion in the Bar’s publication or on the Web Site Readers’ Forum.

C. Guidelines concerning letters to the editor:
Letters to the Editor must address State Bar policies and practices or issues directly affecting the practice of law in the state. Letters also must be relevant to a broad segment of the legal community. The State Bar of New Mexico Editor will determine the relevancy of submissions, and all letters will be edited for appropriateness, tone, clarity, timeliness and length. Authors will be notified via electronic mail when a letter has been rejected. Rejected submissions meeting subject-matter criteria may be reworked and resubmitted. However, the State Bar of New Mexico reserves the right not to publish a submission. Decisions regarding editing and publication are within the discretion of the Editor, who shall consult with the Board of Editors in that discretion.

Web Site Readers' Forum

  1. The Readers' Forum on the SBNM's Web site shall include a Letters to the Editor section designed to encourage constructive dialogue among members of the legal community in New Mexico. It is a mechanism for conducting reasonable discourse based on fact or informed opinion. It is not a forum for personal attacks. Letters deemed to be mean-spirited, libelous, inappropriate, or contrary to stated policy will not be accepted.
  2. Letters to the Editor must address State Bar policies and practices or issues directly affecting the practice of law in the state. Letters also must be relevant to a broad segment of the legal community. The State Bar of New Mexico Editor will determine the relevancy of submissions, and all letters will be edited for appropriateness, tone, clarity, timeliness and length. Authors will be notified via electronic mail when a letter has been rejected. Rejected submissions meeting subject-matter criteria may be reworked and resubmitted. However, the State Bar of New Mexico reserves the right not to publish a submission. Decisions regarding editing and publication are within the discretion of the Editor, who may consult with the Board of Editors in that discretion.
  3. Letters should be submitted to the State Bar of New Mexico Editor by e-mail at notices@nmbar.org.  Letters must include the author's full name and telephone number. Letters should not exceed 250 words. Authors' names will be published with letters. The Editor will determine exceptions to the policy of publishing names.

Grievance Procedure
The following procedure shall control the means for addressing grievances by persons whose articles, letters or other submissions are rejected for publication, or by persons who object to inclusion of material for publication.

  1. The grievance must be submitted in writing to the Editor within either seven (7) days of receipt of notice that a submission has been rejected for publication or seven (7) days before the material objected to is to be published.
  2. The Editor shall submit the grievance to the Executive Committee of the Board of Bar Commissioners along with the summary of comments and recommendations of the Board of Editors. The Executive Committee of the Board of Bar Commissioners shall then consider the grievance, with the exception that any member of the Executive Committee who had any involvement in either the writing of the submission or the initial decision by the Board of Editors or Editor to which the grievance is taken may not participate in the consideration of the grievance. A majority vote of the disinterested members of the Executive Committee shall be required to resolve the grievance.
  3. If the requisite number of the Executive Committee of the Board of Bar Commissioners cannot be obtained, then the grievance shall be submitted by the Editor for resolution by the majority of an independent ad hoc committee composed of not less than three (3) members of the State Bar appointed by the Board of Bar Commissioners.
  4. The grievance shall be acted upon no later than thirty (30) days after its submission by the aggrieved party. The decision shall be in writing and shall be final.

Refunds
There will be no refunds for subscriptions.

Advertising

  1. Display and classified advertising will be accepted for publication in accordance with standards set by the Editor and Board of Editors, and at rates set by the Editor, and subject to the availability of space. No guarantees can be given as to advertising publication dates, although every effort will be made to comply with publication requests. The Editor reserves the right to review and edit all classified ads, to request that an ad be revised before publication, or to reject an ad.
  2. The State Bar of New Mexico reserves the right to insert the word "Advertisement" above or below any copy.
  3. All advertisements are accepted and published upon the representation that the advertiser or advertising agency is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser will indemnify and hold harmless the State Bar of New Mexico and its employees, agents, and representatives from and against any loss or expense arising out of publication of such advertisements, including, without limitation, those resulting from claims or suits for libel, violation of rights or privacy, plagiarism, or copyright infringement.

Paid Advertising Notices

  1. Paid Advertising: Soliciting applications for all positions that are paid or compensated shall be considered advertising, excluding Judge positions. Soliciting support in the electoral process for any position shall be considered advertising, including Judge positions.
  2. Notices: Soliciting for nominations of potential judges, lists or reports regarding potential judges, and soliciting for volunteer positions will be considered "Notices" at the Editor's discretion.

Brochures
All information brochures shall include a disclaimer indicating that the material is intended as a public service and does not constitute legal advice. The State Bar of New Mexico shall not endorse individual attorneys or law firms in its publications.

(Revised 9/22/05)