PRACTICE AREAS
- Criminal Law
- Civil Rights
- Civil Litigation
Carey Bhalla is a Mississippi native who moved to the Land of Enchantment in 2006 to start her legal career at the Public Defender's Office, where she represented hundreds of clients in felony cases including homicides, trafficking, sexual offenses, robberies and general felonies. After opening her own firm in 2009, Carey developed her civil rights practice while continuing to litigate complex criminal cases. Carey's enthusiasm for criminal defense work and civil rights litigation is deeply rooted in her experience growing up in Mississippi, where she watched the disenfranchisement of her fellow Mississippians in the education system. Carey's father, a journalist in college and a lawyer himself, inspired Carey with his stories of exposing KKK members in the local newspaper and interviewing James Meredith in his dorm room at the University of Mississippi during the integration of the school.
Carey is admitted to the complex federal criminal panel in New Mexico and has worked on several death-eligible cases. She has successfully represented defendants in complex cases involving multiple defendants, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) of 1970, Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR), Hobbs Act Robberies, organized drug trafficking and homicides.
Good lawyering is a lot like investigative journalism, and Carey works hard to uncover the truth in her cases, often proving that the police agencies, school systems, and governmental agencies often work to undermine fundamental constitutional rights in both criminal and civil cases. Holding governmental agencies to account is important to Carey, and she focuses on that in all aspects of her litigation practice.
EDUCATION
University of Mississippi, Juris Doctorate, cum laude, 2006
Rhoades College, Bachelor of Arts, 2003
BAR ADMISSIONS
New Mexico Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
MEMBERSHIP AND AFFILIATIONS
New Mexico State Bar Association
New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
