Saturday, the free Las Cruces Legal Fair is taking place at at the Third Judicial District Court, 201 W. Picacho Ave. Katalina Hadfield stopped by the KRWG studios to talk about it. Here's a transcript of her conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Let me begin by asking you what type of legal services will be offered at the fair on Saturday.
Katalina Hadfield:
Sure, we offer a wide array of legal services at the fair, largely family law, so like divorce, custody, kinship, guardianship; we're also offering housing law help, so eviction defense, also any security deposit issues you might have. We also have a lot of folks versed in economic security, so social security, Medicaid, Medicare, stuff like that.
KC Counts:
Obviously lots of changes in those realms recently.
Katalina Hadfield:
Absolutely, and sometimes those benefits can take a little while to kick in or make decisions, so it's a great time if you have a question, just ask; it won't be hurting anyone to get some clarity and it'll maybe help you. The only thing we can't really help with at this fair is criminal law. If you need criminal law help, this is not a place where we can help out.
KC Counts:
All right, I see. What type of law do you specialize in?
Katalina Hadfield:
Oh man, I've done it all. I've done criminal law in my past. I've also done housing. I've done economic security. But now I do a lot of administrative stuff like helping plan these legal affairs. So I'm going to be mostly there just buzzing around helping pair people who show up with different attorneys.
KC Counts:
I see. About how many attorneys will be taking part?
Katalina Hadfield:
Oh, at least a dozen, maybe two dozen. We have quite a few signed up so far and we always have a few who show up too. But for any participants who show up, it's first come, first serve. So get there as early as you can and you have the best chance of getting paired.
KC Counts:
It starts at 10am, but is it like a garage sale? Where we should show up pre-dawn?
Katalina Hadfield:
I mean, pre-dawn would be pushing it. [laughter] You could if you want, but you'll be alone and cold. But I would recommend getting there a little early if you can. Another option is you could get there at about 2 and maybe the crowd will have fizzled out, but I also can't guarantee how many lawyers will be left.
KC Counts:
Yeah, early side is better, no doubt. You've done these before?
Katalina Hadfield:
Yes, absolutely.
KC Counts:
What are the common situations that you run across?
Katalina Hadfield:
Yeah, really common situation is folks get something in the mail that looks legal and they don't know how to deal with it. I mean, sometimes, I'm sure everyone out there, I know I have gotten something in the mail that looks really official and I don't know how to deal with it. Now, being a lawyer, I do generally know what's going on with those things, but if you get some kind of court summons or you get some kind of notice posted on your door by a landlord. That's a really common situation where people just don't know exactly what to do.
KC Counts:
Well, and there's a lot of scams out there too.
Katalina Hadfield:
Seriously, yeah. And the lawyers at these fairs and lawyers in general are very good at discerning what's a scam and what's not. We look at legal documents so often we have a good sense of what could be real or not. And if we're not sure, we can help you take the steps to figure out what's legit.
KC Counts:
So talking about steps, this is a first step, is coming to the fair and presenting your situation. that you have questions about, then what happens after that?
Katalina Hadfield:
Exactly. It's going to depend on your case, but this is all going to be a one-time, we call advice and counsel. So we'll help out to the degree that we can and give you some kind of next steps. But the next steps for folks is going to just largely depend on the type of legal issue that they have.
KC Counts:
Now, who qualifies for this free legal help?
Katalina Hadfield:
Anyone and everyone. We are trying to prioritize folks who are at or below 200% of the poverty line, but We have lawyers there ready to accept anyone at any income level who needs help.
KC Counts:
All right, so if folks have questions before Saturday to see if they
should come see you.
Katalina Hadfield:
Yes, if they have questions, then they can go ahead and contact New Mexico Legal Aid. You can go to nmlegalaidaid.org and there will be information about the phone number that you can call and about contact information.
KC Counts:
Immigration is not on the list. And you mentioned and other things that weren't on the list. And it's just something that seems kind of top of mind right now.
Katalina Hadfield:
Oh yeah, absolutely. I can't guarantee that we'll have immigration lawyers there because it is a very specialized field. But I would recommend if you do have a question, do come and the worst we could do is say no and give you some next steps of places to go. We won't leave you there completely empty-handed.
KC Counts:
All right, so tell us where to go and any other information that you need to get out that I haven't asked you about.
Katalina Hadfield:
Yeah, we'd love to see you at the 3rd Judicial District Courthouse that's on the corner of Alameda and Picacho, the old Las Cruces High School building. It's on Saturday, May 30th, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Can't wait to see you there.
KC Counts:
All right, Catalina Hatfield, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate the time.
Katalina Hadfield:
Thank you so much for having me.
Here is the news release from New Mexico Legal Aid:
Las Cruces, N.M., – The Third Judicial District Pro Bono Committee is excited to announce the
upcoming free Las Cruces Legal Fair, set to take place on Saturday, May 30, 2025 at the Third
Judicial District Court, 201 W. Picacho Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88005.
The Legal Fair will take place from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
This community event offers individuals the opportunity to receive free legal consultations with
experienced attorneys on a first-come, first-served basis. The fair will cover family law and civil
law issues such as divorce, custody, landlord-tenant disputes, civil disputes and more.
Bilingual staff will be on-site to assist Spanish-speaking attendees. The fair is organized by the
Volunteer Attorney Program in collaboration with the Third Judicial District Pro Bono
Committee. Please note that assistance is dependent on the availability of volunteer attorneys and
their areas of practice. Services will be subject to financial eligibility criteria. Applicants’
households must fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and meet additional criteria.
For more information about the event, please call 1-877-266-9861 or email
legalclinics@nmlegalaid.org.
All upcoming event information is also accessible by visiting vapnm.org.
