Shareholder/Director

Kim A. Griffith began her association with Sheehan & Sheehan in 1986, and she attributes her long tenure to the fact that she works with wonderful, talented people who share her goal of providing high quality legal service and helping clients solve their problems. She has had the opportunity during her years of practice with the firm to work on a broad and interesting variety of matters for many different kinds of clients, including individuals, small business owners, corporations, state and local government bodies and agencies, and state universities. Her practice is concentrated in the areas of employment law, contract law, and general litigation. She also practices in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. Ms. Griffith holds an AV^® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell^®, and is certified by the New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in employment and labor law.

Employment law matters are a primary focus of Ms. Griffith’s practice. She has represented public and private employers, large and small, in connection with charges of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation for whistle blowing under federal and state laws. She has also defended a large federal contractor and a healthcare provider in lawsuits brought by former employees under the Federal False Claims Act. She has represented employees as well as employers in cases involving breach of contract claims, covenants not to compete, wage and hour disputes, and general allegations of wrongful discharge. She also provides advice and counsel to employers on how to identify, investigate and properly handle personnel problems as they arise and evolve, with the goal of avoiding costly litigation. In the same vein, she assists employers in reviewing and revising their personnel policies and procedures.

Ms. Griffith’s work in the area of contract law has included negotiation and drafting of a wide range of agreements, including shareholder agreements and other corporate documents, asset purchase and sale agreements, employment contracts, indemnity agreements, security agreements, lease agreements, professional services contracts, and equipment leases.

Ms. Griffith has represented a broad spectrum of clients in commercial and construction disputes in state and federal court, as well as in arbitration proceedings and administrative adjudications. Those disputes have included lender liability issues, insurance coverage, the Uniform Commercial Code, lien disputes, public procurement, licensing, performance and payment bond actions, and partnership and shareholder disputes. Her construction law experience and knowledge has been greatly enhanced by her role as co-editor of Timothy M. Sheehan’s two treatises on construction law, New Mexico Construction Law (published in 1987 by Butterworth Legal Publishers) and Construction Law in New Mexico (published by the New Mexico Law Institute in 1996).

After her graduation from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1983 and prior to joining the firm, Ms. Griffith served as a law clerk to the Honorable Juan G. Burciaga of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico from 1983 to 1985. Her decision to obtain her law degree was the culmination of many years of paralegal work. She worked as a program analyst for the Office of Field Services at the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C. from 1975 to 1978. In the summer of 1975, she was a paralegal assistant in the international law division of Rubens, Weil & Gampbell, a firm of solicitors in London, England, where she worked on commercial transactions. From 1968 to 1971, and again in 1974 and the summer of 1981, she worked as a paralegal for the law firm of Hillman, Baxter & Hammond in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phone: 505-247-0411
Fax: 505-842-8890
Email: kag@sheehansheehan.com

Areas of Practice

• 10% Contract Law, Construction Law and Commercial Law
• 70% Employment Law
• 20% General Litigation

Litigation Percentage

• 90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certified Legal Specialties

• Employment and Labor Law, New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization

Bar Admissions

• New Mexico, 1983
• U.S. District Court District of New Mexico, 1983
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1983

Education

• University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • J.D. – 1983
  • Honors: Order of the Coif, Bondurant Scholar, 1982-1983
  • Law Review: Natural Resources Journal, Lead Articles Editor, 1982 – 1983
• University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • B.A. – 1980
  • Major: English

Published Works

• Construction Law in New Mexico (Co-Editor), New Mexico Law Institute, 1996
• New Mexico Construction Law (Co-Editor), Butterworth Legal Publishing, 1987
• Ninth Circuit Upholds Nuclear Power Moratorium Provision, 22 Natural Resources Journal 689, July, 1982
• EPA Enjoined From Using Contractors to Inspect Emissions Sources, 22 Natural Resources Journal 247, January, 1982

Representative Cases

• Weise v. Washington Tru Solutions, L.L.C., 2008-NMCA-121, 144 N.M. 867, 192 P.3d 1244
• Davis & Assocs., Inc. v. Midcon, Inc., 1999-NMCA-47, 127 N.M. 134, 978 P.2d 341
• Cottrell v. Santillanes, 120 N.M. 367, 901 P.2d 785 (Ct. App. 1995)
• Tabet Lumber Co. v. Romero, 117 N.M. 429, 872 P.2d 847 (1994)
• Spaw-Glass Constr. Servs., Inc. v. Vista de Santa Fe, 114 N.M. 557, 844 P.2d 807 (1992)
• DeMatteo v. Simon, 112 N.M. 112, 812 P.2d 361 (Ct. App. 1991)

Representative Clients

• ARCA
• Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
• New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority
• URS Corporation

References

• Terri Cole, President, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
• Jay Czar, Executive Director, New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority
• Robert L. Berlin, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, URS Corporation

Classes/Seminars

• An Employment Law Primer, New Mexico CPA Society, 2006
• FairPay Overtime Regulations, New Mexico CPA Society, 2005
• Disability and Sex Discrimination, Co-Sponor with the EEOC, 2001
• Federal and State Wage & Hour Laws, Statewide Legal Services Conference, 2001
• What it Means to be a Good Employer, Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc., 1998

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Center for Civic Values, IOLTA Grant Committee, 2000 – Present
• Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque, Board of Directors 1992-1999, Vice-President, 1995-1999
• New Mexico Civil Legal Services Commission, Commissioner 2010-; Evaluation Committee 2003, 2005
• ARCA Management Services, Board of Directors 2000-2001
• Leadership Albuquerque Alumni Association, Board of Directors 2000-2003
• Leadership Albuquerque, Class of 2000
• Lawyers with Class, New Mexico Bar Foundation, 1995-1996, Partner with first graders at Alvarado Elementary School
• Mentor, University of New Mexico School of Law Mentor Program, 1995

Past Employment Positions

• Hon. Juan G. Burciaga, United States District Judge, District of New Mexico, Law Clerk, 1983 – 1985
• Legal Services Corporation, Washington, District of Columbia, Program Analyst, 1975 – 1978