Personal Injury Motor Vehicle Paralegal — New Mexico

Location: New Mexico
Employment Type: Full-Time
Department: Personal Injury
Reports To: Managing Attorney / Personal Injury Attorney

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, highly organized Personal Injury Motor Vehicle Paralegal to join our personal injury practice in New Mexico. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience handling automobile, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, rideshare, and other motor-vehicle accident claims from intake through settlement and, when necessary, litigation.
This position requires a paralegal who can independently manage a significant caseload, communicate effectively with clients, insurance carriers, medical providers, and attorneys, and keep cases moving toward resolution. The successful candidate will understand the importance of thorough liability development, medical documentation, damages analysis, insurance coverage, and timely case management.
Knowledge of New Mexico personal injury law, insurance practices, statutes of limitation, comparative fault, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and New Mexico civil procedure is strongly preferred.

Essential Responsibilities

Case Management

• Manage a caseload of motor-vehicle personal injury matters from initial intake through settlement or litigation.


• Maintain accurate and comprehensive electronic case files.


• Track statutes of limitation, claims deadlines, medical treatment, insurance deadlines, liens, and other critical dates.


• Prepare case status reports and maintain accurate case-management system data.


• Ensure attorneys have timely access to all relevant case documents and information.


• Identify outstanding case-development issues and proactively move files toward resolution.

Client Communication

• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients regarding case status, medical treatment, documentation, insurance communications, and next steps.


• Maintain consistent and professional communication with clients by telephone, email, text, and other approved communication channels.


• Follow up with clients regarding treatment, appointments, medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other damages.


• Explain procedural matters to clients within the scope of the paralegal's role without providing legal advice.


• Identify client concerns requiring attorney involvement and promptly escalate them.

Liability & Accident Investigation

• Obtain and review police/accident reports, photographs, videos, witness information, citations, crash reports, and other liability evidence.


• Assist with investigation of disputed liability and comparative-fault issues.


• Obtain statements and contact information from witnesses when appropriate.


• Coordinate retrieval of surveillance footage, vehicle photographs, repair records, 911 records, and other relevant evidence.


• Review accident documentation and identify inconsistencies or additional investigation needed.


• Assist attorneys in developing liability theories and identifying potentially responsible parties.

Insurance & Coverage

• Identify and document applicable liability insurance coverage.


• Communicate with liability insurance adjusters and defense representatives.


• Obtain declarations pages, policy information, coverage limits, and applicable endorsements when available.


• Assist with uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claims.


• Track property-damage claims and coordinate with insurers regarding vehicle damage and related issues.


• Maintain accurate records of insurance communications, offers, and negotiations.


• Assist attorneys in evaluating settlement offers and insurance coverage issues.

Medical Records & Damages

• Obtain medical records, billing records, itemized statements, and lien information from healthcare providers.


• Regularly monitor clients' medical treatment and identify gaps or inconsistencies in treatment.


• Organize medical records chronologically and by provider.


• Prepare medical chronologies and treatment summaries.


• Calculate and maintain accurate medical expense summaries.


• Assist with documentation of lost wages, diminished earning capacity, out-of-pocket expenses, property damage, and other economic damages.


• Identify potential liens and subrogation interests, including health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, workers' compensation, and medical provider liens where applicable.


• Coordinate with medical providers and lienholders to obtain final balances and negotiate reductions as directed by the attorney.

Settlement & Demand Preparation

• Assist attorneys in preparing comprehensive settlement demands.


• Compile medical records, bills, photographs, wage-loss documentation, liability evidence, and other supporting materials.


• Prepare damages summaries and medical treatment chronologies.


• Draft portions of settlement correspondence and demand packages for attorney review.


• Track settlement negotiations and maintain detailed records of offers and counteroffers.


• Assist with settlement documentation, releases, disbursement statements, and closing files.

Litigation Support

For cases proceeding into litigation:

• Assist attorneys with preparation and filing of pleadings and other litigation documents.


• Prepare discovery requests and responses under attorney supervision.


• Organize documents for disclosure and discovery.


• Assist with deposition preparation and scheduling.


• Coordinate subpoenas and records requests.


• Assist with trial preparation, exhibits, witness files, and trial notebooks.


• Maintain litigation calendars and deadlines.


• Communicate with opposing counsel, courts, experts, and vendors as directed by the attorney.


• Support attorneys throughout mediation, arbitration, and trial.

New Mexico-Specific Knowledge

The ideal candidate will have working knowledge of issues commonly arising in New Mexico motor-vehicle injury cases, including:

• New Mexico statutes of limitation applicable to personal injury claims.


• New Mexico's comparative-fault framework.


• Negligence and liability principles involving motor-vehicle collisions.


• Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.


• Insurance coverage and policy-limit issues.


• Medical-payment and bodily-injury claims.


• Governmental/entity claims and applicable notice requirements.


• New Mexico Rules of Civil Procedure relevant to personal injury litigation.


• State and federal lien/subrogation considerations.


• New Mexico court filing and litigation procedures.


• Venue and jurisdiction considerations for New Mexico personal injury cases.

Qualifications

Required

• 2+ years of personal injury paralegal experience, preferably focused on motor-vehicle cases.


• Strong understanding of the personal injury case lifecycle.


• Experience communicating with insurance adjusters and medical providers.


• Experience obtaining and organizing medical records and billing.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Exceptional organization and attention to detail.


• Ability to independently manage deadlines and a substantial caseload.


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic document management systems.


• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive client information.


• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Preferred

• 3–5+ years of personal injury experience.


• Experience handling New Mexico automobile accident cases.


• Experience with Litify, Clio, Filevine, SmartAdvocate, Needles, or similar legal case-management platforms.


• Experience preparing settlement demands.


• Experience with UM/UIM claims.


• Experience with personal injury litigation.


• Experience preparing medical chronologies and damages analyses.


• Familiarity with Medicare, Medicaid, health-insurance, and other lien/subrogation issues.


• Paralegal certificate or bachelor's degree.


• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Ownership: Takes responsibility for moving cases forward rather than waiting for instructions.


• Attention to Detail: Identifies missing records, deadlines, coverage issues, and inconsistencies.


• Organization: Can manage numerous active files without losing track of critical details.


• Communication: Communicates clearly and professionally with clients, attorneys, providers, insurers, and opposing counsel.


• Judgment: Recognizes issues that require immediate attorney attention.


• Case Strategy Awareness: Understands how evidence, treatment, liability, damages, and insurance coverage affect case value.


• Technology: Comfortable learning and using modern case-management and document-management systems.


• Client Service: Treats clients with empathy, professionalism, and respect.


• Results Orientation: Consistently works toward maximizing case outcomes and resolving files efficiently.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Timely advancement of assigned cases.


• Accurate case-management and documentation.


• Compliance with critical deadlines.


• Completeness of medical and liability files.


• Quality and timeliness of settlement-demand preparation.


• Responsiveness to clients and case stakeholders.


• Identification and escalation of case risks.


• Reduction of unnecessary case delays.


• Effective coordination of medical records, bills, liens, and settlement documentation.


• Attorney confidence in the accuracy and completeness of the paralegal's work.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation: Competitive salary based on experience and qualifications.
Benefits may include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance


• Paid time off


• Paid holidays


• Retirement plan


• Performance-based bonuses


• Professional development opportunities


• Flexible or hybrid work arrangements, where applicable