Our Attorneys

Ms. Cothern is an associate attorney at Robles, Rael & Anaya P.C. where she primarily defends law enforcement officers and entities against tort claims and civil rights claims.  She also provides counsel on local governance issues for municipalities.  Ms. Cothern was admitted to the State Bar of New Mexico and the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico in 2024.

Originally from Las Cruces, Ms. Cothern happily returned to New Mexico in 2020 after leaving for her undergraduate and graduate education and early career.  Before pursuing law school, Ms. Cothern worked at an organization that served homeless and at-risk youth, where she developed a strong commitment to community service.  Ms. Cothern now uses her legal expertise to serve her community.

Ms. Cothern earned her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law, graduating magna cum laude.  At UNM, she received the Excellence for the Future Award for her trial work in the Legal Clinic.  Ms. Cothern also served as a Marshall-Brennan Fellow, teaching high school students about the Constitution, and coaching the first New Mexico team to ever win the National Marshall-Brennan Moot Court Competition.  Ms. Cothern remains involved with the Marshall-Brennan Project, continuing to volunteer her time to support the next generation of young legal minds.

While in law school, Ms. Cothern worked as a law clerk for Robles, Rael & Anaya P.C., gaining valuable experience in civil litigation and municipal law.  Ms. Cothern has achieved significant success, including drafting motions that resulted in favorable rulings in federal cases and developing a policy that led to the recovery of $750,000 in delinquent fees for a municipal client within the first year of its implementation.

Ms. Cothern also holds a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Miami, where she graduated with departmental honors.

Outside of her legal practice, Ms. Cothern enjoys gardening and horseback riding and is beginning to learn dressage.