Montgomery & Andrews

Overview

Ms. Shaheen is a member of the firm’s Natural Resources, Environmental, Litigation, Administrative, and Appellate departments.  She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of water, oil and gas, environment, property, and complex litigation.  In these practice areas, Ms. Shaheen has experience in matters related to water rights permits and transfers, royalty payments, environmental contamination, administrative rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings, small water and wastewater utilities, and insurance defense.

Education

University of New Mexico School of Law, Juris Doctorate 2005

Natural Resources Journal,University of New Mexico School of Law, citations & processing Co-Editor (2004-05)

University of North Texas, Bachelor of Music

Professional Memberships and Activities

State Bar of New Mexico, admitted September 2005

Public Law Section Board, Chair (2011); Board Member (2004-present)

Natural Resources/Energy/Environmental Law Section, Member

American Bar Association

Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section

Environment, Energy, and Resources Section

First Judicial District Bar Association

New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association

Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation

New Mexico Supreme Court – Rules of Appellate Procedure Committee

Honors

Law Clerk to the Honorable Celia Foy Castillo, New Mexico Court of Appeals

Thesis Honors 2005, University of New Mexico School of Law, Weighing and Balancing Social and Economic Considerations of Siting Landfills to Address Environmental Justice Concerns

Publications

Co-author, with Gary Kilpatric, of “A New Day in New Mexico for Third Party Bad Faith Claims”, FORC Quarterly Journal of Insurance Law Regulation, Vol. XV, ed. VII, Sept. 1, 2004

Presentations

Understanding Mineral Rights and Surface Issues, CLE/CE/PDH, Santa Fe, New Mexico (June 18, 2009)

Representative Cases / Transactions

Chavez v. N.M. Public Education Department, 621 F.3d 1275 (10th Cir. 2010) (on briefs) (obtained reversal of district court’s ruling that agency had violated the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act)

City of Rio Rancho v. AMREP Southwest, Inc., 2010-NMCA-075, 148 N.M. 542, 238 P.3d 911 (represented municipality in obtaining reversal of district court’s summary judgment on takings claim)

Gomez v. Chavarria, 2009-NMCA-035, 146 N.M. 46, 206 P.3d 157 (on briefs) (successfully represented insurance company in appeal of district court’s determination that the statute of limitations had run)

Representative Clients

City of Rio Rancho

Highland Meadows Estates Mutual Domestic Water Consumers & Sewage Works Association, a rural water association formed under the New Mexico Sanitary Projects Act

Devon Energy Corp.

Marathon Oil

State of New Mexico