GREGORY L. BIEHLER

Admitted to Bar: 1981, Iowa; 1981, Northern & Southern U.S. District Courts of Iowa; 1981, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; 1986, New Mexico, U.S. District Court State of New Mexico, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court.

Preparatory Education: University of South Dakota, B.A., 1978.

Legal Education: Drake University School of Law, J.D., 1981.

Memberships & Honors: National Order of Barristers, State Bar of New Mexico, Defense Research Institute, New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Assoc., American Bar Assoc.  Author: “Limiting the Right to Sue: The Civil Rights Dilemma”, 33 Drake Law Review 1, 1983-1984; Selected by Governor Bill Richardson for State Board service 2003; Appointed to Supreme Court to Uniform Jury Instruction Committee 2002.

General Litigation: Upon entering the practice of law in 1981, Mr. Biehler joined a small business firm in Des Moines, Iowa.  He specialized in complex business litigation in such fields as antitrust, trademark, securities, interference with business relations, and civil rights.  In 1984, Mr. Biehler began his public service with the prosecuting attorneys’ office in Des Moines, Iowa, and then Albuquerque, New Mexico.  He prosecuted major felony crimes including sexual abuse, narcotics, gambling, property, violent crimes, and murder.  Mr. Biehler joined the Beall law firm in 1988, and has concentrated his practice in employment related litigation, insurance defense including commercial and catastrophic injury, products liability, civil rights, professional liability, insurance coverage and first party representation.  Mr. Biehler is a frequent lecturer in the areas of employment law and class action litigation.  Mr. Biehler has extensive trial experience, having tried in excess of 150 jury trials.

JOSH A. HARRIS

Admitted to Bar: 1985, New Mexico; 1991, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico; 1999, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Preparatory Education: University of New Mexico, B.A., 1981.

Legal Education: Drake University School of Law, J.D., 1985.

Memberships & Honors: American Bar Association, State Bar of New Mexico, Defense Research Institute, New Mexico Defense Lawyer’s Association, American Jurisprudence Award – Civil Procedure, Drake Law School, 1982, Author: “Rule 37 Sanctions,” New Mexico Defense Lawyer’s Association News Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1.

General Litigation: Mr. Harris began his career as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Harris was appointed as Deputy District Attorney in charge of the Economic Crimes Division just before leaving the District Attorney’s Office.  He prosecuted crimes such as securities fraud, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, and misuse of public funds.  Mr. Harris also prosecuted high profile violent crime cases including first-degree murder cases involving the death penalty. Various cases handled by Mr. Harris received extensive local and national publicity.

Mr. Harris left the District Attorney’s office and became a Managing Attorney in the firm of Stirling & Harris, a staff counsel office for the Travelers Insurance Company.  There he handled such cases as premises liability, business torts, sexual harassment and automobile liability.

For the last 18 years with Beall & Biehler, Mr. Harris has tried a large number of jury trials and has handled a multitude of complex litigation matters, including catastrophic injury, product liability, wrongful death, premises liability, dram shop, civil rights defense, insurance coverage disputes, defamation suits, accounting malpractice, dental malpractice and legal malpractice claims.   Mr. Harris has tried approximately 85 jury trials.

PETER D. GRUENINGER

Admitted to Bar: 2006, New Mexico; 2007, U.S. District Court State of New Mexico

Preparatory Education: Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, B.A. 2001 in  English and Theater Arts with a high school teaching certification.

Legal Education: Texas Tech University School of Law, J.D. 2006.

Memberships: State Bar of New Mexico and Order of the Coif.

Background: Mr. Grueninger obtained his B.A. from Texas Tech University with a double major in.  While attending Texas Tech University School of Law, Mr. Grueninger earned awards in constitutional law, commercial law, water law, insurance law, federal courts, business entities and health law.  In 2006, Mr. Grueninger became an attorney in general practice in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  Mr. Grueninger also served as Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce for the Village of Ruidoso and an incorporator of the Ruidoso Valley Economic Development Corporation.  Mr. Grueninger has handled cases in the areas of family law, criminal law, wills and probate, contracts, commercial transactions and civil litigation for both plaintiff and defendant.  Mr. Grueninger joined Beall & Biehler as a litigation attorney in 2009.

MARY T. TORRES

Ms. Torres primarily handles civil litigation matters, and has extensive experience in civil rights, employment, insurance, premises liability and governmental liability related matters. She has jury and bench trial experience in both State and Federal Courts. She is a member of Beall & Biehler Law Firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ms. Torres is a thirteenth generation native New Mexican who received her bachelor’s degree from New Mexico Tech in 1983, and was named a Tech Scholar. She was an educator in her hometown of Socorro, New Mexico, at Socorro High School for six years before attending law school at the University of New Mexico, where she received her Juris Doctor degree in 1992.

Ms. Torres is very active in bar activities on a state and national level. She was named Outstanding Young Lawyer for New Mexico in 1995, and she received recognition for her bar activities by receiving an award for Outstanding Contribution to the Bar in 1996 and by receiving the University of New Mexico Zia Award in 2003. Ms. Torres was President of the State Bar of New Mexico in 2002, and she was the first Hispanic woman to serve as President of any State Bar Association in this country. She is currently the co-chair of the State Bar of New Mexico’s Committee on Diversity, is quite active in the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, and is currently serving as secretary of the Board.

On a national level, Ms. Torres is the State Delegate to the American Bar Association, and serves on various House of Delegates committees. She is very active in the ABA’s Minority Caucus to the House of Delegates, and served as Chair of the Resolutions Committee. She is currently Secretary of the Minority Caucus. She served on the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents from 2002-2005, and served as the first Latina president of that organization in 2010. She is currently serving a three-year term on the ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, and coordinated the 2011 spring Joint conference. She has past service on President Lamm’s ABA’s Membership Initiative Committee. She has also served on the American Bar Association’s Bar Activities and Services Committee from 2002-2005, and the ABA’s Standing Committee on Public Education. She was the only State Bar Leader to serve on the Steering Committee for Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Dialogue on Freedom Program.

She has served on the UNM Law School Board of Visitors, UNM Law School Alumni/ae Board of Directors, New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute and the State and National Hispanic Bar Associations.

GIANNA M. MENDOZA

Admitted to Bar: 1996, New Mexico, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Preparatory Education: University of New Mexico, B.A., 1992.

Legal Education: University of New Mexico, J.D., 1996

Memberships & Honors: State Bar of New Mexico, Editor New Mexico Law Review – US/Mexico Border Issue, “New Mexico Adopts a Subsequent Consent Rule for Motorist Who Refuse to Submit to Chemical Testing: In re Suazo, “ New Mexico Law Review, Spring 1995, taught courses in the area of employment law, civil rights and governmental liability throughout New Mexico.

General Litigation: Ms. Mendoza began her career practicing labor and employment law. She has since continued to practice employment law, tort litigation, insurance defense and civil rights defense. She has represented private employers and governmental entities including the New Mexico County Insurance Authority (Association of Counties), New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority, New Mexico Municipal League (New Mexico Self-Insurers’ Fund). Focusing primarily in the defense of schools and jails for alleged civil rights violations while at the Narvaez Law Firm and Brennan & Sullivan, P.A., Ms. Mendoza continues to defend governmental entities at Beall & Biehler.

JILL M. COLLINS

Admitted to Bar: New Mexico, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

Preparatory Education: University of California, Santa Cruz, California

Legal Education: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California

Memberships & Honors: American Bar Association, State Bar of New Mexico, Thomas Jefferson School of Law Pro Bono Honors Program, Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in Legal Writing

General Litigation: Ms. Collins began her legal career earlier than most associate attorneys. Determined to defray the high cost of tuition at a private law school, she worked full-time during law school as a law clerk for two private firms in San Diego , California . She reaped the additional benefit of gaining years of experience in family law, civil defense and real estate law. She also served as a part-time volunteer for the Superior Court of California’s Family Law Facilitator’s Office. Since relocating to New Mexico from Southern California, Ms. Collins has been a tireless advocate for her clients in both state and federal courts in all stages of litigation, from defending them at depositions to making closing arguments in a federal trial. She has served as counsel primarily in personal injury, employment and civil rights matters.

BENJAMIN E. DECKER

Admitted to Bar: New Mexico – 2008; U.S. District Court of New Mexico – 2008; Montana – 2009 (Inactive); Arizona – Pending

Preparatory Education:  Northern Arizona University, Class of 2005

Legal Education:  Penn State University – Dickinson School of Law, Class of 2008

Memberships & Honors:  Penn State Environmental Law Review, Associate Editor; American Association of Justice Trial Moot Court, Member

General Litigation:  Mr. Decker obtained his Bachelor’s of Science from Northern Arizona University in 2005 in American Political Studies with a Minor in Economics.  Mr. Decker has always been committed to community service and spent two summers working for AmeriCorps on a chainsaw crew dedicated to fuels reduction and habitat restoration across Northern Arizona. 

Upon graduation from Northern Arizona University, Mr. Decker enrolled in the Penn State Dickinson School of Law.  While in law school, Mr. Decker was selected for the Penn State Environmental Law Review and the American Association of Justice Trial Moot Court Team.  In addition to academic activities, Mr. Decker continued to be dedicated to public service and spear headed a letter writing campaign to save the Grey Wolves of the Upper Rocky Mountains.  In addition, Mr. Decker spent a semester as an intern for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and a summer working for Save America’s Forests in Washington D.C. 

Upon graduating law school in 2008, Mr. Decker moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico and joined a practice focusing on representing clients in Personal Injury, Social Security and Workers’ Compensation cases.  While in Carlsbad, Mr. Decker was involved in civic organizations including, “Caveman Dads” an organization that mentors members of the Carlsbad Cavemen High School Football Team and “Leadership Carlsbad” which is an organization dedicated to developing community leaders.

Mr. Decker joined Beall & Biehler in 2011 and practices mainly in the areas of personal injury, construction defects and insurance bad faith litigation.

LARRY D. BEALL – Of Counsel

Admitted to Bar: 1970, New Mexico; 1994, Colorado; 1970, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico; 1977, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; 1983, U.S. Supreme Court.

Preparatory Education: University of New Mexico, B.S., 1967.

Legal Education: University of New Mexico School of Law, J.D., 1970.

Memberships: State Bar of New Mexico, American Bar Association, New Mexico Medical Legal Society Panel, Defense Research Institute, New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association.

Background: Mr. Beall has participated in general litigation of a trial nature for over 33 years.  This experience has involved general casualty defense for various insurance carriers throughout the State of New Mexico, including auto liability, premises liability, property damage, insurance coverage, extra contractual liability, surety and fidelity bond defense, medical and dental malpractice defense and toxic tort defense claims.  Mr. Beall has a vast amount of trial experience, in both state and federal courts, having tried over 200 civil jury trials as a defense attorney.