New Mexico Attorney General [Hector Balderas] unveils changes on hiring private lawyers, KOB Eyewitness News 4, March 30, 2015

Attorney general unveils changes on hiring private lawyers

Posted at: 03/30/2015 8:07 AM Updated at: 03/30/2015 9:13 PM

By: Ryan Luby, KOB Eyewitness News 4

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas wants to curtail questions of influence involving private lawyers who want to benefit from a private-public partnership.

Balderas announced new reforms on hiring private lawyers to file lawsuits on behalf of the Attorney General's Office.

Under Balderas's new process, which resulted from an internal office-wide review, he'll decide on the merits of a possible case involving outside counsel himself. If he chooses to pursue it, his office will determine if it's cost-effective. Then, his office would require attorneys to competitively bid to get involved.

"I only want to pursue cases that protect taxpayers, where we're able to secure adequate recovery for the state of New Mexico," he said.

The move comes after a New York Times story in December that showed how more attorney generals were hiring private law firms to file lawsuits. The story, which featured former New Mexico Attorney General Gary King, reported that private lawyers search public records for potential cases then approach attorneys general.

State officials hire the firms to do the necessary legwork, and in return, the firms get a percentage of any money won in court cases.

"If there's not a strong process of internal controls and a competitive bidding process that's transparent, any elected official then could be subject to undue influence," Balderas said.

According to staff, the New Mexico Attorney General's office has eight contracts with outside counsel at the moment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ryan Luby, Attorney general [Hector Balderas] unveils changes on hiring private lawyers, KOB Eyewitness News 4, March 30, 2015 (Links to an external site.)