First Judicial District Bar Association
About us
The 2024 First Judicial District Bar Association
Board of Directors:
Lucy River, President
Kathryn Becker, Vice-President
Gwen Shaw, Secretary
Damon Hudson, Treasurer
Our team
Lucy River
Lucy River has represented clients in matters of personal injury, medical malpractice, civil rights, whistleblower protection, and employment discrimination. She also worked as a trial attorney in indigent criminal defense. Lucy graduated cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2019, where she received awards in the Child & Family Justice Clinic, Elements of Legal Argumentation III, and Civil Rights. She will be named a Super Lawyers Rising Star, Southwest Region, in 2024. She is a former actress, an indoor cycling and yoga instructor, a mother, and a recent superfan of comedy improvisation. She is the current President of the Board of Santa Fe Improv.
Kathryn Becker
Ms. Becker is a government lawyer for state and tribal natural resource and land use agencies for 22 years, familiar with administrative agency processes, state and federal environmental laws and federal Indian law. She graduated in May 2000 from the University of North Dakota’s School of Law. Ms. Becker has been employed with New Mexico Environment Department as an Assistant General Counsel and Tribal Liaison for the last 17 years, the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department before that and previously worked for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. Her interest to serve on the FJDBA Board of Directors stems from years of participation and seeking to expand representation and cross pollination of all types of practioners.
Gwen Shaw
After moving to Santa Fe in 1999, Gwen Shaw graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory Academy in 2005, attended Sarah Lawrence College, graduating in 2010, and worked in location sound for film and television production before attending Law School at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Gwen was admitted to the New Mexico State Bar in June of 2019, and worked for the Law Offices of the Public Defender from that time until leaving in March of 2022 to begin a career in private practice. Gwen presently operates a solo practice, focusing on criminal defense and matters which arise as a consequence of the State charging an individual with a crime. She is grateful to the legal community of New Mexico for its support, and eager to contribute as a member of the First Judicial Bar Association.
Damon Hudson
Damon, an Associate Attorney with Singleton Schreiber, is a native New Mexican residing in Santa Fe, and practicing throughout the state. He obtained his BBA and MPA from the University of New Mexico and his law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He was the 2023 chair of the Young Lawyers Division, previously chairing the Wills for Heroes Program and the Ask-A-Lawyer Call-in Day Program, and he was a member of the Board of Bar Commissioners. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, gardening, reading, learning guitar, hiking, eating copious amounts of green chile, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.