John Bigelow, Chief Public Defender

John Bigelow is New Mexico Chief Public Defender. He received an AB in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He is a member of the New Mexico, California, Massachusetts and Alaska bars.

He began his practice as a legal services lawyer in California and Alaska. Other public law positions he has held include New Mexico Deputy Attorney General, Chief of the Trial Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General and Special Assistant Attorney General in selected civil cases for New Mexico and Massachusetts. He also served as New Mexico Chief Public Defender from 1978 to 1982.

When in private practice, he has concentrated in the area of civil and commercial trials.

He is Chair of the New Mexico Supreme Court Criminal Justice Task force, a member of the New Mexico Sentencing Commission, Chair of the Sentencing Reform Committee of that Commission, and a member of the New Mexico Sex Offender Management Board.

He is rated AV by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory.

An avid outdoorsman and concerned conservationist, he spends as much time as possible hiking the mountains, canyons and deserts of New Mexico and the Southwest.