Latest News
Roz Bienvenu has been appointed Chair of the New Mexico Civil Jury Instruction Committee
DP&S is proud to announce that Santa Fe attorney Rosalind Bienvenu has been designated to serve as chairperson of the Uniform Jury Instructions Civil Committee by the New Mexico Supreme Court. Roz has extensive experience assisting DP&S’s trial lawyer clients with jury instructions and has served on the Committee since January 2023. Congratulations, Roz!
Roz Bienvenu argues in the New Mexico Supreme Court!
Congratulations to Santa Fe partner, Roz Bienvenu, who presented argument in the New Mexico Supreme Court on October 4, 2024. Roz argued on behalf of the Plaintiffs-Real Parties in Interest in Shook, Hardy & Bacon v. Wilson, an extraordinary writ proceeding arising from two lawsuits filed by the Alvarez Law Firm. The Plaintiffs-Real Parties in Interest developed smoking-related illnesses as a result of the well-known tobacco conspiracy. When they sued a tobacco manufacturer and three law firms for their participation in the conspiracy, the law firms moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. Two district courts denied their motions, ruling that the conspiracy theory of jurisdiction permitted suit against them in New Mexico. The law firms then sought an extraordinary writ of prohibition, arguing that the conspiracy theory of jurisdiction is unconstitutional.
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.
Roz Bienvenu wins significant motion to remand in bus crash case in New Mexico!
Congratulations to Roz Bienvenu, Justin Kaufman, and trial counsel, Jim Hada, who successfully moved to remand a case from federal to state court in New Mexico for the family of a student killed in a bus crash returning from a college golf tournament. The district court held that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations do not create a private right of action for personal injury or wrongful death, and the plaintiffs’ complaint did not raise federal questions turning on the substantive construction of federal law.
Roz Bienvenu moderates NM Appellate Practice Institute!
On September 9, 2022, Santa Fe Partner Rosalind Bienvenu, current Chair of the Board of Directors of the New Mexico State Bar’s Appellate Practice Section, moderated the Section’s 33rd Annual Appellate Practice Institute, a daylong webinar featuring distinguished panel members from the appellate bench and bar.
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.”
Roz Bienvenu begins term as President of the New Mexico State Bar Appellate Section!
DP&S is pleased to announce that our Santa Fe partner, Rosalind B. Bienvenu, has taken the helm of the New Mexico State Bar Appellate Practice Section. Roz will serve as the President of the Board of Directors for a one-year term in 2022. She will bring to the Section her exceptional skills as an appellate practitioner, and we wish her well!
Roz Bienvenu wins jurisdictional challenge in the San Antonio Court of Appeals!
Congratulations to DP&S partner, Roz Bienvenu, who worked with trial counsel William Angelley, Craig Schllapprizzi, and Tom Crosley, to successfully defend a Bexar County trial court’s order denying a special appearance by an aircraft manufacturer, Cirrus Design Corp., in a wrongful death products liability case. The plaintiff’s husband, an Air Force major stationed in Texas, was killed when the Cirrus aircraft he was piloting crashed in Bexar County. Cirrus argued that it should not be subject to suit in Texas because the plaintiff’s claims did not arise from or relate to any purposeful activity it conducted in Texas.
DP&S promotes Roz Bienvenu to partner!
DP&S is proud to announce that it has elevated Roz Bienvenu to the position of partner! Roz, now a partner in DP&S’s Santa Fe office, has worked with Justin Kaufman since 2015 and has been an instrumental part of not just the Santa Fe office, but the firm’s entire practice since 2018. We are so appreciative of all of Roz’s hard work and dedication to our clients, and we look forward to her continued success in her new role.
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.