Sheryl L. Saavedra, JD

Sheryl L. Saavedra is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor in 1994. Originally from Roswell, NM, she began her legal career as a law clerk in the Fifth Judicial District before developing a long-standing practice in Family Law. She is currently the Managing Partner for Peak Legal Group, LLC and has been practicing law for 31 years, primarily in the area of complex Divorce and Custody litigation. Sheryl also serves as Guardian ad Litem to children in contested Custody and Kinship Guardianship cases.

Sheryl practices alongside her husband and law partner, Harold Atencio, who specializes in Adoptions and Assisted Reproductive Technology. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association and is the former President of the UNM School of Law Alumni Association, where she has been a board member since 2015. Other current legal and professional associations include the New Mexico Supreme Court Domestic Relations Rules Committee, the Committee for Women in the Legal Profession, the H. Vearle Payne Inn of Court, the NM Women's Bar Association, and the Family Law Section of the New Mexico State Bar. Sheryl also has an extensive history with Rotary, having served as Club President, Assistant Governor, Lt. Governor, District Membership Chair, and District Public Image Chair.

Sheryl's greatest passion is in her volunteer work. She is an active volunteer attorney for the Law-La-Palooza Free Legal Fair, the Ask-a-Lawyer Call-In Program, the 1st and 2nd Judicial District Family Law Teleclinics, the Veterans Legal Clinic, the NM Legal Aid Volunteer Attorney Program, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, and the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change. She is a member of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of their AVANZAR Small Business Leadership Program. While still practicing law, Sheryl spent 10 years teaching Legal Research and Writing in the ENMU-R Paralegal program, and she continues teaching as a faculty member for the UNM School of Law's Taking and Defending Depositions course.