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Family Law

Janet Clow is a New Mexico Board Certified Family Law Specialist practicing primarily in the area of Family Law.  She strives to stress the best interests of children and the family while seeking the most equitable result for her client. 

Janet is a trained Collaborative Practice Attorney.  The goal of Collaborative Law is to help divorcing and separating couples to focus on their most important goals, especially children, throughout the divorce process.  The end result is a more efficient, private, targeted and productive way to resolve disputes.  Janet is a member of the Rio Grande Collaborative Family Law Group – a group of nine independent lawyers – all from separate firms, who prefer to avoid costly Court battles and power struggles to resolve conflicts.  The members of the Rio Grande Collaborative Family Law Group are specially trained in Collaborative Law, work together to help their clients design a custom private settlement that makes sense for the entire family without Court intervention. 

Janet began her career as a law clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals.  After clerking, she became a successful criminal defense attorney at the New Mexico Public Defender’s Office.  She was promoted to Chief Public Defender in 1983 and oversaw all litigation, and managed the support and financial aspects of, the New Mexico State Public Defender Office.  Janet entered private practice in 1986, litigating numerous complex civil cases before dedicating most of her time to domestic relations matters over ten years ago.  Janet continues to work closely with some of her clients on business and planning matters after their divorces and property settlements become final as well as with the firm’s estate planners and business law attorneys on certain specialized issues.

In addition to Janet’s legal practice she has served on the board and as treasurer of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts for many years; on the Committee of the Buckaroo Ball, a local charitable organization that raises money for children at risk; and as a director of the Vietnam Project which raises money for grass roots private economic ventures in Vietnam.  Janet serves as a “Master of the Bench” in The Oliver Seth Inn of Court for Northern New Mexico where she works as a trial practice teacher.  She also serves as a hearing officer for the New Mexico Supreme Court Disciplinary Board regarding ethical complaints brought against lawyers.  Janet is recognized in the Best Lawyers in America.