Megan Kathleen Mitsunaga Law Office of Megan Mitsunaga PC 518 Slate Ave NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 T 505 - 280 - 9548 F 505 - 219 - 1751 mitsunagalaw@gmail.com I will zealously defend the rights of criminal defendants and will be professional in all my interactions with opposing counsel and the Courts. Employment Law Office of Megan Mitsunaga PC September 2012 - Present As a sole practitioner I have continued my representatio n of criminal defendants charged in both Metropolitan and District Courts in Bernalillo County, as well as defendants facing felony matters in neighboring jurisdictions such as Taos, Sandoval , Cibola , Santa Fe and Torrance counties. I have conducted 90 fe lony jury trials in my career, along with representing clients at dispositive motions in juvenile, metropolitan, magistrate and district court matters. In 2018 I was contracted to represent clients in prosecutions for murder throughout the state by the Law Office of the Public Defender. In 2020 I was appointed to the CJA Panel A in the United States District Court for New Mexico. I pride myself on my exceptional level of representat ion and case preparation, and I am highly regarded among st the judges, gover nment attorneys and clie nts with whom I interact New Mexico Public Defender Department , Albuquerque Felony Division August 2010 - August 2012 As a Serious Violent Attorney, I represent ed clients charged with serious felony offenses, up to and including Murder, CSPM, Rape and Kidnapping. In all cases, I ensure that my clients have all the information they need to make their decision to plead or go to trial. I work with clients to obtain t he best plea offer possible, and to support them as they begin serving their sentence. If a client chooses to go to trial, I present every legal motion and defense I can in order to mitigate their exposure at trial or obtain a full acquittal. New Mexico P ublic Defender Department , Roswell Office May 2005 - August 2010 I represented clients in cases in Juvenile, Magistrate and District Court. I closed 217 felony cases in 2006 (handling over 300 total), 188 felony cases in 2007 (handling 282 in total), 164 felony cases in 2008 (207 overall), 174 felony cases in 2009 (178 overall) and 140 felony cases in the first 7 months of 2010 (150 overall in that same date range). I excelled at working with an extremely high caseload in a Judicial D istrict with very ant agonistic DA s and Judges who were known for sentencing harshly. I appeared in front of 6 different judges, and through my advocacy and professionalism gained the respect and admiration of the Courts and their staff. I was known to opposing counsel as a sk illed trial advocate and I won far more jury trials than I lost. I also held a reputation among the clients as a lawyer who would treat them with respect and fight zealously on their behalf. Professional Associations New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers A ssociation NMCDLA representative on the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Education Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana September 2001 - May 2004 Moot Court Associate Justice, 3L year Moot Court Trial Competition Champion, 2L year University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico August 1997 - May 2001 BA English Literature, Cum Laude Volunteer Each year I dedicate my time to the NM High School Mock Trial competition. I was a student competitor in high school, a s tudent coach for Albuquerque High School while an undergrad at UNM, and since returning to Albuquerque I have been a scoring judge at both regional and state competitions. I also coach my child’s AYSO soccer team, and assist in his school classroom whenev er I have the opportunity.