Wendy Ellen York


Of Counsel

Wendy E. York, Of Counsel to the firm, maintains a full-time arbitration and mediation practice and also serves as a Special Master by court appointment. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. York served as a trial court judge in the Civil Division of the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico for eight years, where she presided over more than 1,200 civil cases, including tort cases, employment cases, class actions, commercial litigation and complex litigation. Since leaving the bench she has conducted over 900 mediations. As a result of her judicial experience, she has a unique ability to help disputants appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of their positions and the vagaries that make going to trial so risky and unpredictable. Ms. York has received advanced training in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University, and holds an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.

She has been named Judge of the Year and is recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolutions.

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

Education

  • University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    • J.D., Magna Cum Laude – 1982
    • 
Law Review: Natural Resources Journal, 1981 – 1982
  • University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    • B.A., Economics
    • Magna Cum Laude – 1978
  • McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Honors and Awards

  • Southwest Super Lawyers, Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2009-Present
  • Distinguished Alumna, University of New Mexico, Department of Economics, 2006
  • Outstanding Judge of the Year, Albuquerque Bar Association, 2002
  • Recipient of the Power and Caring Award, New Mexico Women’s Bar Association, 2002
  • Albuquerque Bar Association Survey of Judicial Performance: Highest Rated Judge, 2002
  • Order of the Coif, 1982
  • Dean’s Award, 1982
  • Bondurant Scholar, 1981
  • Am Jur Book Award for Civil Procedure II, 1981
  • Am Jur Book Award for Ethics, 1981

Areas of Practice

  • Arbitration
  • Mediation
  • Mini-trials
  • Private Judging
  • Special Master

Bar Admissions

  • New Mexico, 1982
  • U.S. District Court District of New Mexico, 1985
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1985
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1988

Published Works

  • Gallegos v. Pueblo of Tesuque, 2002-NMSC-012, 132 N.M. 207, 46 P. 3d. 668

Classes/Seminars

  • Adjunct Professor, University of New Mexico School of Law, Evidence-Trial Practice
  • Instructor, National Institute of Trial Advocacy(NITA), Trial Practice and Depositions, Regional NITA Program, 1991 – 2006
  • “Winning Techniques with Modern Evidence”
  • Civil Procedure for New Mexico Paralegals, Seminar
  • Speech: “Cultural Diversity”
  • “Daubert”, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
  • “Dealing With Administrative Appeals”, State Bar of New Mexico
  • “Improving the Efficiency of the Courts”, Bench and Bar
  • “Dealing With Administrative Appeals”, State Bar of New Mexico
  • Bridge the Gap: “Motions Practice”
  • Panel Discussion: “Dealing With the Difficult Lawyer”
  • Speech: “Cross Examination of Expert Witness”
  • “My Cross-Exam Was Brilliant – So Why Did I Lose ?”
  • Legal Assistant Lecture: “Ethics”, State Bar of New Mexico
  • “Guardianship and Conservatorship Cases: A View from the Bench”
  • Mediation Advocacy, Albuquerque Bar Association
  • Annual “May it Peeve the Court”, Albuquerque Bar Association, 2005 – Present
  • “Women As Managing Partners”, New Mexico Defense Lawyers
  • Judge’s Panel Discussion: “The Do’s and Don’ts of Expert Qualification”, 2006
  • “The New Jury Instructions”

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • New Mexico District Judges Association, 1998 – 2005
  • New Mexico District Judges Association, Board of Directors, 1998 – 2005
  • Mid-State Women’s Bar Association, Member, 1995 – Present
  • Albuquerque Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2005 – 2007

Pro Bono Activities

  • Co-Chair, UNM School of Law Legal Writing Competition, 1994 – 1995
  • UNM School of Law Mentor/Mentee Program, 1995 – 1997
  • Albuquerque Academy, Senior Project Mentor, 1998 – 2005
  • Co-Chair, Equal Access to Justice Campaign, 1996 – 1997
  • Today’s Law School, The Judiciary, “Ask-a-Judge”, 1998
  • Member, New Mexico Team, The National Symposium on the Future of the Judicial Branch Education, St. Louis, MO, 1999
  • Statewide Bench and Bar Conference, Taos, NM, Panel Member with State and Federal Judges on Improving the Efficiency of the Courts, 2000
  • Defense Lawyers Association for New Lawyers, Panel Discussion on What the New Lawyers Need to Know about Judges, 2000
  • Santa Fe Inns of Court, Panel Discussion on Summary Judgment, 2000
  • Keynote Speaker, Swearing in Ceremony for Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia Fry, 2001
  • Keynote Speaker, Driscoll Award Ceremony Honoring Elizabeth Simpson, 2001
  • YWCA Goals for Girls, Alameda Community Center and Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center, “Being a Judge”, 2002
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Lawyers’ Leadership Training Institute, “Judicial Education and Training”, 2001 – 2004
  • Supreme Court Nominee, Continuing Judicial Education Committee, 1998 – 2004
  • Chair, Judicial Conclave Planning Committee, 2002 – 2004
  • Supreme Court Nominee, Civil Uniform Jury Instruction Committee, 2004 – Present
  • Chief Judge Appointee, Performance Measures Committee, 2001 – 2003
  • TVI Legal Asst. Program: “Overview of New Mexico Courts”, 2002 – 2004