Court employee wins award for dedicated work
Sivreana Tafoya, the program specialist for the problem-solving courts in the 8th Judicial District, was recently awarded the 2022 Outstanding Legal Fair Organizer of the Year for her work on the Legal Aid Fair, a pro bono attorney consultation event.
According to Hannah Smith, the project manager for the 8th Judicial District Court, Tafoya went the extra mile during the initial stages of the event, posting fliers throughout the community and spreading the word “boots-on-theground.” Smith added that since Taos favors physical marketing and interpersonal interactions, Tafoya clearly understands the community she works for. Above all, Smith admires Tafoya’s work ethic and believes that she was deserving of the award.
“She really kind of is the glue that holds everything together,” Smith said. “I get an instruction from the judge, I figure out how to execute it, and Sivreana’s the one who makes it all actually happen.”
The Legal Aid Fair, according to Tafoya, had a good turnout in 2022, with more than 40 applicants arriving from around the state in search of an attorney. With attorneys available for consultation in-person and over-the-phone, participants were able to find what they were looking for with ease.
“Legal representation is not something that our community has a lot of access to,” Tafoya said, “and with a lot of family law and landlord-tenant law issues that needed to be addressed, we luckily got several volunteer attorneys that specialized in those areas, and we were able to pair the applicants needing consultations with an attorney that actually specialized in the area of law they were seeking consultation in.”
Tafoya even coached participants regarding strategies and the preparation of appropriate questions prior to the attorney consultation period, which is what she believes made her stand out for the consideration of the award. According to Smith, Tafoya even helped direct participants to the appropriate attorneys and assisted them in scheduling a meeting with them.
The Legal Air Fair is held every year, and 2022 was the first year since the pandemic that it was held in-person. The fair invites pro bono attorneys from all across the state to give free niche consultations for those in need of them. The award was presented by the Volunteer Attorney Program and was determined, according to Tafoya, based on data collected during the event.
Tafoya has been with the court since June 2022, and she previously worked for DreamTree Project.