Denise Barela-Shepherd

Professional career

Education

• University of New Mexico in — J.D. (1989)
• A native New Mexican and Valley High School graduate, she obtained a B.S. in microbiology from Texas Tech University

Additional information

• Denise Barela-Shepherd has served in Division XVIII of New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court since December 2003, following service on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court from 1997 to 2003.
• Before taking the bench, she practiced privately and held the role of general counsel for the New Mexico Department of Health.
• Her current listed assignment is in the Civil Division; her prior judicial work included criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to first-degree felonies.
• The cited court biography describes service on statewide and district court security committees and the Bench Bar Media Committee.