Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP


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Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP


1215 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504View Map

Practice Areas:

Criminal Defense, Indian Law, Tribal Representation, Personal Injury, Civil Rights, Civil and Criminal RICO Litigation, Business and Complex Criminal Defense, Environmental, Media Defense, Commercial Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Domestic Relations, Appellate Practice and Special Prosecutions.

Year Established: 1976

Firm Profile:

For over 25 years, Rothstein Donatelli has provided the highest quality legal representation with an emphasis on all aspects of criminal defense, Indian law and complex litigation, including catastrophic injury cases, wrongful death, civil rights and commercial litigation. With offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM and Tempe, AZ, the firm provides nation-wide services. Rothstein Donatelli is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Pre-eminent Lawyers.

Firm Size: 15

Representative Clients:

The Navajo Nation; Pueblo of Santa Ana; Pueblo of Santa Clara; Pueblo of Santo Domingo; Pueblo of Tesuque; Forest County Potawatomie Community; Tohono O'Odham Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Arctic Slope Consulting Group; Indian Pueblo Cultural Center; Navajo Nation Oil & Gas Co.; Navajo Agricultural Products, Inc.; San Carlos Apache Gaming Commission; Gila River Indian Community; Havasupai Tribe.

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Robert R. Rothstein (Member) born Brooklyn, New York, November 19, 1944; admitted to bar, 1974, New Mexico and U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico; 1979, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court; 1991, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona and U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas. Education: University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 1966); University of California at Los Angeles (M.A., 1967; C.Phi., 1970); Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California (J.D., 1974). Listed in "Best Lawyers in America" in Criminal Law, all Editions. Author: "Maximizing Recovery in §1983 Actions," XIII New Mexico Trial Lawyer, #7 & 8, Jul./Aug. 1985; "Ethical Dilemmas in Attorneys' Fees Settlements," XIII New Mexico Trial Lawyer, #10, October 1985; "How To Maximize Damages in Civil Rights Cases," Trial Diplomacy Journal, #4, Winter 1988; "What's Left of §1983 Duty to Protect Cases After DeShaney?" XXI New Mexico Trial Lawyer #8, Sept. 1993; "New Federal Civil Rights Remedy for Gender-Motivated Violence," XIII The Matrimonial Strategist #5, June 1995. Team Leader and Instructor, National Institute of Trial Advocacy: Southern Regional, 1982-1985; Southwest Regional, 1995, 1998, 2000; National Session, 1987. New Mexico Supreme Court Committee on the Rules of Evidence, 1983-1998. Member: First Judicial District Bar Association; State Bar of New Mexico (Chairman, Criminal Law Section, 1983-1984; Member, Board of Directors, Trial Practice Section, 1983-1986); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association (Member, Board of Directors, 1982-1986); National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (President, 1979-1983); American Inns of Court (Master Bencher). Practice Areas: Civil Rights; Personal Injury; Media Law; Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense.

Mark H. Donatelli (Member) born Des Moines, Iowa, September 12, 1948; admitted to bar, 1976, New Mexico; 1983, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico; 1988, U.S. Tax Court; 1990, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; 1991, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona. Education: Purdue University (B.S., 1971); Franklin Pierce Law Center (J.D., 1976). Listed in "Best Lawyers in America" in Criminal Law, 1987-2004. Chair, New Mexico State Bar Criminal Law Specialization Committee, 1986-1988. District Public Defender, 1978-1980 and Prison Defense Director, 1980-1983, First Judicial District. Member, Federal CJA Oversight Committee for the District of New Mexico. Member: First Judicial District Bar Association; State Bar of New Mexico (Chairman, Criminal Law Section, 1983-1984; Board Member, 1985-2001); National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers (Legislative Director; President, 1987-1994); American Inns of Court (Master Bencher). (New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization Recognized Specialist in Criminal Law). Practice Areas: Criminal Law; Civil Rights; Civil Litigation.

Richard W. Hughes (Member) born Richmond, Virginia, June 17, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, New Mexico and Colorado; 1973, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia and Tenth Circuits; 1974, U.S. Supreme Court; 1977, U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., 1967); Yale University (LL.B., 1971). Author: "Can The Trustee Be Sued For Its Breach? The Sad Saga of United States v. Mitchell," 26 South Dakota Law Review 447, 1981; "Survey of Indian Law," 12 University of New Mexico Law Review 49, 1982; "Survey of Indian Law," 18 University of New Mexico Law Review 403, 1989. Member: State Bar of New Mexico (Board Member, 1988-1995 and Chair, 1993-1994, Indian Law Section). Reported Cases: Yanito v. Barber, 348 F.Supp. 587 (D. Utah 1972); Penn v. San Juan Hospital, 528 F.2d 1181 (10th Cir. 1975); Jim v. CIT Finan. Servs., 87 N.M. 362, 533 P.2d 751 (1975); Pueblo of San Felipe v. Hodel, 770 F.2d 915 (10th Cir. 1985); Pueblo of Santa Ana v. Baca, 844 F.2d 708 (10th Cir 1988); Tracy v. Superior Court, 168 Ariz. 21, 810 P.2d 1030 (1991); Brown v. U.S. 86 F.3rd 1554 (Fed. Cir. 1996); Pueblo of Santa Ana v. United States, 214 F.3d 13 38 (Fed. Cir. 2000). Practice Areas: Indian Law; Civil Litigation.

Eric N. Dahlstrom (Member) born Fremont, Michigan, August 30, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, Arizona, Wisconsin, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh and Ninth Circuits, U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Supreme Court; 1978, Navajo Nation. Education: Beloit College (B.A., cum laude, 1972); University of Wisconsin-Madison (J.D., 1976). Editor, University of Wisconsin Law Review, 1976. Deputy Attorney General, Navajo Nation, 1987-1990. Director, Four Rivers Indian Legal Services, 1979-1987. Secretary, National Association of Indian Legal Services, 1980-1987. Chair, Project Advisory Group, Indian Law Support Center, 1984-1986. Fellow, Arizona Bar Foundation (President, 1996; Board of Directors, 1997). Member: Maricopa County and Navajo Nation Bar Associations; State Bar of Arizona (Past President, Indian Law Section, 1992); State Bar of Wisconsin; National Association of Attorneys General-Tribal Attorneys Working Group. (Resident, Tempe, AZ Office). Practice Areas: Federal Indian Law; Natural Resources; Civil Litigation.

Peter Schoenburg (Member) born New York, New York, March 1, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, New Mexico; 1984, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico and U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; 1986, U.S. Supreme Court; 1993, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona; 1994, U.S. District Court, Western and Northern Districts of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1995, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1975); Rutgers University Law School (J.D., 1978). Author: "Unspeakable Suspicions - Challenging the Racist Consensual Encounter," The Champion, October 1993; "Survival Tips for the State Criminal Practitioner in the First Stages of a Federal Case," The New Mexico Criminal Practice Manual, 1992. Co-author of "Controlled Substances," a bimonthly column in The Champion, October 1993-March 2002. Adjunct Faculty Member, Evidence and Trial Practice, University of New Mexico Law School, 1993—. Annual Faculty Member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Southwestern Regional. Chief Assistant Federal Public Defender, District of New Mexico, 1989-1993. Assistant Attorney General, State of New Mexico, 1984. District Public Defender, 1st Judicial District, 1980-1983. Member: Albuquerque Bar Association; State Bar of New Mexico (Chairman, 1986-1987 and Board Member, 1985-1988, Criminal Law Section); National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Vice Chair, Judiciary Reform Committee, 2002-2003); New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers' Association (President). (Resident, Albuquerque Office) (New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization Recognized Specialist in Criminal Law). Reported Cases: Herrera v. Lemaster, 301 F.3d 1192 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Aug. 23, 2002) (No. 98-2060); U.S. v. Hardman, 297 F.3d 1116 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Aug. 5, 2002) (No. 99-4210, 00-2166, 00-4015); U.S. v. Velarde, 214 F.3d 1204, 54 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 1035, 2000 CJ C.A.R. 3092 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Jun 2, 2000) (No. 99-2297); U.S. v. Kennedy, 131 F.3d 1359, 97 CJ C.A.R. 3062 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Dec 3, 1997) (No. 96-2290); U.S. v. Greenspan, 26 F.3d 1001 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Jun 6, 1994) (No. 93-2139); U.S. v. Williamson, 1 F.3d 1134 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Aug 11, 1993) (No. 92-2139); U.S. v. Ward, 961 F.2d 1526 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Apr 22, 1992) (No. 90-2279); U.S. v. Widdowson, 916 F.2d 587, 59 USLW 2312 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Oct 15, 1990) (No. 89-2075, 89-2085, 89-2086); U.S. v. Brian N., 900 F.2d 218 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Apr 2, 1990) (No. 88-1342, 88-1346); U.S. v. Wicker, 848 F.2d 1059 (10th Cir. (N.M.), Jun 6, 1988) (No. 87-2526, 87-2527); U.S. v. Boyll, 774 F.Supp. 1333 (D.N.M., Sep 3, 1991) (No. Crim. 90-207-JB). Practice Areas: Federal Criminal Law; Criminal Law; Post-Conviction Remedies; Civil Rights.

John C. Bienvenu (Member) born Modesto, California, 1957; admitted to bar, 1988, California (inactive) and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1990, New Mexico, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico and U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; 1991, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona. Education: University of California at Berkeley; University of Grenoble and University of New Mexico (B.A., summa cum laude, 1985); Stanford Law School (J.D., with distinction, 1988); National Institute of Trial Advocacy (Diploma, 1991). Member: Rules of Evidence Committee, New Mexico Supreme Court; American Civil Liberties Union. Member: State Bar of New Mexico; State Bar of California (inactive); American Bar Association; New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; National Employment Lawyers Association; American Inns of Court (Master Bencher). Languages: French. Practice Areas: Civil Rights; Commercial Litigation; Civil Litigation; Labor and Employment; Class Actions.

Michael C. Shiel (Member) born Dayton, Ohio, December 17, 1955; admitted to bar, 1981, Arizona, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Education: University of Arizona (B.A., 1978; J.D., 1981). Note and Comment Editor, Arizona Law Review, 1980-1981. Author, Casenote, Arizona Law Review, Vol. 22, No. l, p. 263. Member: Maricopa County Bar Association; State Bar of Arizona (Member, Indian Law Section). (Resident, Tempe, AZ Office). Practice Areas: Federal Indian Law; Natural Resources.

ASSOCIATES

Susan Germer (Associate) born Colorado, 1978; admitted to bar, 2004, California; 2008, New Mexico. Education: University of Chicago (B.A., 2000) Stanford University Law School (J.D., 2004). Phi Beta Kappa.

Ms. Mary "Molly" Schmidt-Nowara (Associate) born Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1975; admitted to bar, 2002, New Mexico and District of Columbia. Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A., 1997); University of New Mexico (J.D., 2001). Member: State Bar of New Mexico; District of Columbia Bar. Practice Areas: Criminal Defense.

John W. Day (Associate) born Washington, D.C., December 13, 1961; admitted to bar, 1995, New Mexico; 1996, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico and U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Education: Harvard University (B.A., 1985); University of New Mexico (J.D., 1995). Former Deputy District Attorney, Eighth Judicial District of New Mexico. Practice Areas: Criminal Law; Civil Litigation; Civil Rights.

Carolyn M. "Cammie" Nichols (Associate) born Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 21, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, New Mexico; 1994, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico. Education: University of New Mexico (B.A., summa cum laude, 1990); Yale University (J.D., 1993). Regional "Warrior of the Year," Trial Lawyer's College Alumni, 2003. Barrister, Inns of the Court, 1999-2000. Supervising Student, Jerome N. Frank Legal Clinic, 1992-1993. Associate Symposium Editor, Yale Journal of International Law, 1992. Author: "The Interpretation of the Confrontation Clause: Desire to Promote Perceived Societal Benefits and Denial of the Resulting Difficulties Produces Dichotomy in the Law," New Mexico Law Review, Vol. 26, No. 3. Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Courses in Criminal Defense and Civil Rights Issues, 2001-2003. Former Partner, Nichols & Oliver, P.C. Board Member, F Warriors, Trial Lawyer's College Alumni, 2002—. Member: State Bar of New Mexico; New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association; Trial Lawyers College. (Resident, Albuquerque Office). Practice Areas: Criminal Defense; Civil Rights; Civil Litigation.

Marc M. Lowry (Associate) born Farmville, Virginia, October 26, 1960; admitted to bar, 1999, New Mexico; 2003, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico and U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Education: Longwood College (B.S., 1984); University of New Mexico (J.D., 1999). Order of the Coif. Honors in Clinic and Criminal Law. Law Clerk: Honorable James A. Parker, Chief U.S. District Judge, District of New Mexico, 2001-2003; Honorable Richard C. Besson, Chief Judge, New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1999-2001. (Resident, Albuquerque Office). Practice Areas: Criminal Defense; Civil Rights; Appellate Practice.

Donna M. Connolly (Associate) born New York, New York; admitted to bar, 1995, Maryland; 1997, New Mexico and Navajo Nation; 2002, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico. Education: Hunter College (B.A., 1989); American University, Washington College of Law (J.D., 1995). Practice Areas: Indian Law.

OF COUNSEL

Sarah E. Bennett (Of Counsel) born Camp Haugen, Japan, August 18, 1949; admitted to bar, 1975, New Mexico; 1978, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico; 1979, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Texas (B.A., with honors, 1971; J.D., 1975). Assistant Public Defender, 1975-1978. Special Assistant Attorney General, 1978-1981. Administrative Assistant, Chief Justice, New Mexico Supreme Court, 1992-1994. Member and Chair, 1985-1987, Board of Trustees, Miner's Hospital of New Mexico. Chair: Judicial Information System Council, 1993-1995; Supreme Court Conversion Task Force, 1994-1995. Member, Commission on Finance in the Courts, 1993-1994. Member: 1st Judicial District Bar Association; State Bar of New Mexico (Member, Board of Directors: Women's Legal Rights and Obligations, 1980-1983; Bankruptcy Section, 1983-1985; Member and Chair, Family Law Section, 2001—); American Bar Association; New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association; New Mexico Women's Bar Association; Northern New Mexico Women's Bar Association. Practice Areas: Domestic Relations.

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