Attorney Profiles
Claud Eugene Vance
For over 30 years, Claud Eugene (Gene) Vance has focused his legal practice in the areas of labor and employment law, landlord-tenant issues, fair housing, real estate, commercial transactions, and business litigation. Mr. Vance is well-known in the New Mexico legal community as an accomplished and skillful residential and commercial real estate attorney. He was the primary drafter of the 1995 and 1999 revisions to the New Mexico Owner-Resident Relations Act, and he was called on to draft many of the New Mexico rules of procedure which apply to Landlord-Tenant cases. Mr. Vance shares his wealth of knowledge regarding employment, fair housing and landlord-tenant law by regularly presenting at professional and industry seminars and providing training to property managers, owners, attorneys, and judges.
Among Mr. Vance's representative clients are the Apartment Association of New Mexico, Aimco Property Management, Alliance Real Estate, Allison-Shelton Real Estate Services, Equity Residential Properties, TGM Associates, The Prime Group, Warren Properties, Inc. and numerous other property management companies and organizations.
Education
- Baylor Law School, Juris Doctor, highest honors, 1981
- Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany 1978
- Baylor University, Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 1977
- University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 1976
Admissions
- State Bar of New Mexico, 1983
- United States District Court, District of New Mexico, 1983
- State Bar of Texas, 1981
Activities and Honors
- New Mexico Judicial Education Center, Landlord-Tenant Law, 1993-present
- Sterling Education Services Seminar, Landlord-Tenant, Faculty, 2009
- Lorman Business Center Seminar on Labor and Employment, Landlord-Tenant, 1992-present
- National Business Institute Seminar, Landlord-Tenant, Faculty, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Apartment Association of New Mexico, General Counsel, 1990-present, Director 1994-2003
- Task force rewriting New Mexico Landlord-Tenant Laws 1993-1995
- Supreme Court Rules Committee for Metropolitan Courts, 2005-present
- Supreme Court Rules Committee for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction, 1999-2005
- Supreme Court of Texas, Briefing Attorney, Justice Franklin Spears, 1981-1982
- Baylor Law Review, Associate Editor, 1980-81; American Jurisprudence Award Recipient, 1980
- Delta Theta Phi, Order of the Barristers
Languages
- English
- German
James A. Chavez
Since 1986, James A. Chavez has devoted his professional practice to landlord and tenant law, fair housing issues, and real estate matters. Mr. Chavez also handles personal injury cases on behalf of clients who have suffered physical, emotional, and financial losses due to the negligence or wrongful acts of another. As an experienced litigator, he has made numerous appearances in New Mexico District Courts and before the United States District Court in District of New Mexico. He is also practiced before the United States District Court District of Arizona. Mr. Chavez's appellate court experience includes successfully representing clients in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and his knowledge of property management also allows him to help clients respond to fair housing complaints before agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He represents national banks in residential foreclosures, including Chevy Chase Bank and Capital One. He represents land owners and associations in drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants. He has practiced before several zoning agencies on various land use issues.
Mr. Chavez also is involved real estate transactions having represented buyers, sellers, lenders and borrowers in transactions that range from single-family residences to multi-million dollar interstate transactions.
Mr. Chavez frequently lectures in the area of landlord-tenant law, real property, private covenants, zoning, easements and Fair Housing
Education
- University of New Mexico School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1986
- University of New Mexico, Bachelor of Arts, 1982
Admissions
- State Bar of New Mexico, 1986
- United States District Court, District of New Mexico, 1987
- United States District Court, District of Arizona, inactive
- United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1993
Activities and Memberships
- State Bar of New Mexico
- NM State Bar Real Property Section
- American Bar Association
- National Hispanic Bar Association
- New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association
- New Mexico Manufactured Housing Association, associate member & general counsel
- Manufactured Housing National Attorney’s Network
- Past Board Member ACLU, NM
- Prince of Peace Catholic Parish Music Ministry
Seminars
- National Business Institute Seminar, Landlord-Tenant, Faculty, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, and 2007
- Lorman Business Center Seminar, Landlord-Tenant, 2004 and 2007
- Law of Easements Seminar, 2005-2007
- Fair Housing Training for Attorneys, April 17-18, 2007
- National Manufactured Housing Attorney Network – Covenants Prohibiting “Mobile Homes”