Attorney Profile

ATTORNEY PROFILE AND LAW FIRM BACKGROUND

Mr. R Craft - Lawyer Richard Kraft in Roswell, NM

Richard L. Kraft

Practice Areas

Civil Litigation; Family Law; Personal Injury/Wrongful Death; Business Law, Estate

Planning/Probates, Real Estate, Mediation.

Admitted

1982, New Mexico, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court

Law School

Baylor University, J.D.

College

Baylor University, B.A., 1980

Member

State Bar of New Mexico (President-Elect, 1997-1998; President, 1998-1999; Member, Board of Directors 1991 to 2002, Young Lawyers Division; President 1986-1987; Member, Board of Directors 1983-1991); Executive Director Pamela Minzer State Bar Leadership Institute (2000-2006); Chaves County Bar Association; American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Super Lawyer.

Biography

Recipient: New Mexico State Bar Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 1990 and Outstanding Contribution Award, 1986 and 2001. Author: “Just A Thought,” Syndicated Weekly Columnist 2000-present. NM State Board of Bar Commissioners, 1991-2003. President, Valley Christian Academy Board of Directors, 2003-2006, 2008. Director, Roswell Chamber of Commerce, 1991-1997; Roswell Sertoma Club, 1990; Roswell Crimestoppers, 1991-1994. Leadership Roswell President, 1991 and Executive Director, 1992 – present. Certified Specialist in Family Law 1993 – present. Presently a Super Lawyer.

Rick Kraft has been active in numerous professional activities.

Rick served as President of the then 6500 member New Mexico State Bar for a one year term in 1998-99. When he was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at age 39, he became the youngest President in the history of the then 112 year old bar organization. He was twice elected by his peers in contested elections to the Board of Bar Commissioners that governs attorneys across the state. He served as a board member from 1991-2002. During his time on the Board he chaired the Pamela Minzer State Bar Leadership Institute, the Annual Convention Committees, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Long Range Planning Retreat, the Task Force on Improving Public Confidence in Lawyers, and the Task Force on Quality of Life.

Before being elected to the BBC, Rick served eight years on the New Mexico Young Lawyers Division Board including directing the organization as its President in 1986-87.

Past honors that Rick has received include the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award in 1990 and the Outstanding Contribution Award from the State Bar in 1986 and 2001. Rick has been a member of the Chaves County Bar for over 34 years, and is a member of the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and was a member of the federal court George Reese Inns of Court before it disbanded.

Rick was licensed to practice law in New Mexico in 1982. He is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He graduated from Baylor University undergraduate in 1980 and Baylor University School of Law in 1982. He is a member of the Chaves County Bar Association, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and has been designated a Super Lawyer eight times since 2008.

He has tried jury trials in both Federal and State Courts. He has argued before the New Mexico Supreme Court, the New Mexico Court of Appeals, and State Court Judges across the state. He has had appellate cases published from both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.

Rick has also served statewide as a board member of the State Bar of New Mexico, New Mexico Bar Foundation, New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners, the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board and currently heads up the State Bar's Leadership Training Institute.

In September 1998, Rick was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as President of the then 6500 member State Bar of New Mexico becoming the youngest President in the State Bar's then 112 year history. He has served on the New Mexico Board of Bar Commissioners (the Governing Board for Attorneys) from 1991-2001 having been elected twice in contested elections by his attorney peers in Chaves, Lea, Eddy, Otero, and Lincoln Counties. As a member of the BBC he has chaired Annual Convention Committees, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Long Range Planning Retreat, the Task Force on Improving Public Confidence in Lawyers, and its Leadership Institute. Before being elected to the BBC, Rick served eight years on the New Mexico Young Lawyers Division Board including directing the organization as its President in 1986-1987.

Firm background:

Kraft Law, LLP arose from a vision to render quality legal services with integrity in a small firm atmosphere. We recognize our job is to meet the needs of those we serve. It is our desire to provide timely services to the best of our abilities.

The firm opened for business on May 4, 1998 on the twelfth floor of 400 Penn Plaza tower across from the Post Office. The announcement of the new firm was made on March 25th, 1998 and following the announcement, the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive and supportive.

The firm moved to 111 W. Third Street in April 2003 after renovations to the 100 year old landmark building were completed.

Rick was joined by Dustin Hunter in January of 2005. The firm changed its name from The Kraft Law Firm to Kraft and Hunter in January 2006.

Prior to starting the firm, Rick Kraft had practiced law with the Sanders law firm in Roswell since 1982 after graduating from Baylor School of Law. Dustin moved to Roswell from Dallas to join the firm in 2005 after graduating from Texas Tech Law School in 1998. Dustin had practiced law in El Paso prior to moving to Dallas.

Rick and Dustin met at Texas Tech when Rick was interviewing for clerkship positions. They got to know each other better during the summer of 1997 when Dustin came to Roswell as part of the clerkship program.

In May 2016 Dustin Hunter, after twelve years with the firm, was appointed by the Governor of the State of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, to fill the open Fifth Judicial District Judge Division X position. He was sworn in on July 8th and is currently serving southeastern New Mexico sitting as a District Judge.

The firm represents a diverse clientele in both size and range of activities. The firm renders services in virtually every civil area of law with an emphasis on family law, corporate law, personal injury, and litigation.

But what is important in this world in not what Kraft Law did yesterday but what they will accomplish tomorrow. Jackie Robinson has printed on his gravestone the words “Our lives are not important except for the impact we have on others”. Kraft Law firmly believes that is important to improve the lives of others in all that we do each day.