ALBUQUERQUE, NM. A wreck on the Big I doesn’t wait for a good day. Neither does a fall at a Nob Hill apartment complex or a hit-and-run on Coors Boulevard. When it happens, the call a person makes next matters almost as much as the crash report itself.
In Brief
Gauthier & Maier Law Firm, P.C. tops this list. The firm posted a $36 million jury verdict out of Santa Fe, handles ten categories of injury claims, and both founding attorneys carry Super Lawyers Rising Star honors. That’s the short version. Five more firms below have built real reputations in Albuquerque courts too, and the right pick depends on what happened and how serious it was.
Albuquerque Personal Injury Firms Compared
| Firm | Best For | Experience | Recognition | Standout Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauthier & Maier Law Firm, P.C. | Overall pick, wide range of injury claims | Founders Chance Gauthier and Shane Maier, Super Lawyers Rising Stars | Offices in Albuquerque and Los Lunas | $36M Santa Fe jury verdict |
| Berenson & Associates, P.C. | Car accidents, nursing home neglect | 25+ years (Rachel Berenson) | AV rating, Certified in Accident Reconstruction | Multilingual, direct-client representation |
| Caruso Law Offices, P.C. | Truck and semi-truck collisions | 32+ years (Mark Caruso) | Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Assoc. | $7.8M federal court verdict |
| Fine Law Firm | Catastrophic injury, medical malpractice | Practicing since 1975 | Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent | $5.5M paralysis settlement |
| Huffman & Monagle, LLC | Injury claims tied to civil rights or institutional abuse | 30+ combined years | Known for landmark New Mexico clergy abuse cases | Handles traumatic brain and spinal cord injury claims |
| Pofahl Law Firm, P.C. | Car and commercial trucking claims | 18+ years (Brady Pofahl) | 2026 TrustAnalytica Top 10, Avvo Clients’ Choice | BBB A+ accredited |
Albuquerque drivers already know the trouble spots. The interchange where I-25 meets I-40, the one everybody calls the Big I, backs up hard most weekday mornings. Central Avenue cuts through half a dozen neighborhoods and racks up pedestrian collisions every year. Every firm below spends its working hours on injury claims, not divorce filings or DUI defense picked up on the side. Court records, state bar listings, and reviews all got checked before a name made this page.
1. Gauthier & Maier Law Firm, P.C.
Chance Gauthier and Shane Maier run their practice out of Indian School Road, with a second office in Los Lunas. The firm takes truck accidents, car accidents, motorcycle crashes, nursing home abuse, wrongful death, slip and fall claims, DUI collisions, gun violence victim cases, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, and police brutality claims, more categories than most Albuquerque firms attempt. Results include a $36 million Santa Fe jury verdict, a $1 million motorcycle settlement, and a $900,000 estate case. Both attorneys hold Rising Stars honors from Super Lawyers.
Best for: clients who want one firm that can carry almost any type of injury claim, routine or serious.
Address: 2741 Indian School Road NE, Suite 209, Albuquerque, NM 87106 | Phone: (505) 226-3205 | Website: https://www.maierattorney.com/
2. Berenson & Associates, P.C.
Rachel Berenson has practiced personal injury law in Albuquerque for more than 25 years, with a practice built around car accidents and nursing home neglect and abuse. She holds a certification in accident reconstruction, a skill that helps pin down exactly how a crash happened when the other side disputes fault. Berenson carries an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and works directly with clients in English, Spanish, and Bahasa Indonesian.
Best for: clients who want one experienced attorney handling their case directly, especially a contested car accident or a nursing home neglect claim.
Address: 415 6th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 | Phone: (505) 243-4400 | Website: nmjusticelaw.com
3. Caruso Law Offices, P.C.
Mark Caruso spent more than three decades building a practice that leans hard into truck and semi-truck collisions, cases that usually mean a fight against a trucking company’s insurer instead of a single driver. He also handles car, motorcycle, and rideshare accidents, plus wrongful death claims. Federal verdicts include $7.4 million and $7.8 million awards, alongside settlements topping $12 million. Caruso holds a spot on the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 list.
Best for: a collision involving a commercial truck, where the other side’s insurer brings serious resources to the table.
Address: 4302 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107 | Phone: (505) 883-5000 | Website: carusolaw.com
4. Fine Law Firm
David Fine and Mark Fine have kept this firm running since 1975, longer than almost any injury practice in Albuquerque. The team focuses on catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, premises liability, and wrongful death. Results include a $5.5 million settlement over corporate malfeasance that left a client paralyzed and a $4.25 million verdict in a police shooting case, backed by a reported 99 percent success rate.
Best for: a catastrophic injury or medical malpractice claim that needs decades of trial history behind it.
Address: 220 9th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 | Phone: (505) 889-3463 | Website: thefinelawfirm.com
5. Huffman & Monagle, LLC
Shayne Huffman, Levi Monagle, and Aaron Whiteley built a joint practice around civil rights and personal injury work, carrying more than 30 combined years of experience. The firm takes on traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, premises liability, and negligent security claims, and it also represents survivors of sexual abuse in schools and religious institutions, including a long-running string of cases against the Catholic Church in New Mexico. The team handles whistleblower protection cases as well.
Best for: an injury claim tied to negligent security or institutional abuse, where a property owner or organization failed to keep someone safe.
Address: 122 Wellesley Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 | Phone: (505) 600-6624 | Website: hwm.law
6. Pofahl Law Firm, P.C.
Brady Pofahl has built an 18-plus-year practice around car accidents, motorcycle crashes, commercial trucking collisions, pedestrian accidents, dog bites, and wrongful death claims. TrustAnalytica named the firm a Top 10 car accident practice in Albuquerque for 2026, and the office carries an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau along with an Avvo Clients’ Choice Award.
Best for: a straightforward car or motorcycle crash that needs steady communication from a smaller office.
Address: 3736 Eubank Blvd NE, Suite D, Albuquerque, NM 87111 | Phone: (505) 481-2900 | Website: abqinjurylawyer.com
Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign
A five-star review tells you how one client felt after the case closed. It doesn’t tell you whether the attorney on the phone will handle your file personally or hand it off to someone you’ve never met. Ask how many cases like yours the firm has settled this year, and ask what percentage it takes if the case wins. A firm that answers straight is usually the one worth trusting.
FAQ
How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in Albuquerque? Nearly every firm on this list works on contingency. No upfront cost, and the firm takes a percentage of whatever gets recovered, typically 33 to 40 percent. Get that number in writing.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in New Mexico? Most injury victims get three years from the date of the accident. Claims against a government agency, like a city bus, often carry a much shorter deadline, so don’t wait to call a lawyer if a public entity was involved.
Can I still recover money if I was partly at fault for my accident? Yes. New Mexico follows pure comparative negligence, one of only a handful of states that use it. You can recover damages even if you were 99 percent at fault, though your payout shrinks by your own share of the blame.
What’s the minimum car insurance required in New Mexico? As of January 2023, the state minimum is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. A lot of drivers carry only that minimum, which can leave a serious wreck underfunded. A lawyer can help track down other sources of recovery, like your own underinsured motorist coverage.
The Last Word
A crash on the Big I or a fall in a West Side parking lot can turn a normal week into a stack of medical bills and missed paychecks. The six firms above all know Albuquerque courts and Albuquerque insurance adjusters. Gauthier & Maier stands out as the strongest all-around pick, backed by a $36 million verdict and a caseload that covers nearly every type of injury claim, but the other five built their reputations for good reasons too. Call more than one before deciding, and hire the attorney who treats your case like it matters, not like a file number.