Supporting Victims Through the Protection Order Process Series:
Process of the “Legal World”

Join NMCADV and Legal Aid in this three-part series to learn about Orders of Protection from start to finish. Throughout this series, you will learn technical information from an attorney and gain guidance on an advocate’s role in navigating this legal system directly from an advocate. You will also get to hear the perspective of other disciplines in a panel discussion to end the series.

Description

Join NMCADV and Legal Aid in the first of this three-part series to learn about Orders of Protection from start to finish. Throughout this series, you will learn technical information from an attorney and gain guidance on an advocate’s role in navigating this legal system directly from an advocate. You will also get to hear the perspective of other disciplines in a panel discussion to end the series.

Objectives

• Know the system as it relates to Orders of Protection
  a. What does it mean?
  b. Learn important terms
  c. Understand the process

• Know the difference between a civil order, temporary order, and full order of protection.

• Know what is considered legal advice and be able to recognize when a non-attorney’s assistance may be crossing the line.
  

Facilitator

Ida Aguirre was born in El Paso, TX but raised in Sunland Park, NM. She moved to Las Cruces, NM as a teenager where she graduated from Las Cruces High…GO BULLDAWGS! After taking some time off of college, she returned in 2007, and graduated from NMSU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and 2 minors (Spanish and Security Technology). She started working at La Casa in 2005. While at La Casa, she worked as a receptionist, intake worker for Batterers Intervention Program (BIP), BIP facilitator, Assistant Shelter Manager, and also some case management. She was also at DASO (Dona Ana Sheriff’s Office) for close to 10 years and eventually was rehired back at La Casa part-time as a BIP Facilitator. She did BIP groups for 9 total years and in 2021, she was offered a job as Support Services Assistant Director, at La Casa, Inc. which led to her leaving DASO. She was asked to join the Family Peace Initiative Family out of Topeka, Kansas as a co-facilitator for their BIP groups in October of 2020 and still continues to do groups, one of which was the first Spanish group the organization offered. She was also contracted with NMCADV as one of the Core Advocacy Trainers but as of May 16, 2022, she officially became a full-time staff member with NMCADV as Program Support Specialist!

She is a mother of 3 GREAT kids and have been in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart for over 9 years. She also loves to dance and play volleyball, draw, paint, photography, and spend time with friends.

Sarah Coffey is the victim services managing attorney at New Mexico Legal Aid. She works
directly with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. She focuses on
survivor’s immediate legal needs including orders of protection, divorce and custody and
walking survivors through the criminal process as a victim of crime. In this role, she supervises a unit of five attorneys and four paralegals. Together the unit brainstorms and seeks creative
solutions to ensure survivors and their children are safe. Sarah has lived in Albuquerque since she was a young child. She is dedicated to making Albuquerque a safe community. Sarah attended UNM for her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and for her Juris Doctorate. While she was in law school, she discovered her passion for helping survivors of domestic violence. She worked during the legislative sessions to educate lawmakers on the dangers of strangulation and its role in the power and control cycle of domestic abuse. Upon graduation from law school, she joined the district attorney’s office in Albuquerque. In that position, she prosecuted felony domestic violence including battery, sexual assault, and homicide. She became frustrated with the criminal justice process and the way survivors were treated throughout a case. She left the district attorney’s office and joined the Southwest Women’s Law Center to improve the legal standing of women in New Mexico. In 2017, she joined New Mexico Legal Aid. It was there she found her home. Outside of her work life, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband, her family and her friends. And of course her two sweet dogs.