Lisa Torraco
Biography
During her time at the District Attorney's office the Prosecutors Section of the New Mexico State Bar Association awarded Torraco "New Prosecutor of the Year" in 1993. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the Prosecutor Section of the New Mexico Bar Association from 1993 -1996. She served as a special prosecutor for the Second Judicial District, from 1996 to 2006.
Lisa Torraco is devoted to criminal justice reform. She is a part of the "Right on Crime" movement and advocates for a smarter approach to criminal justice. When in the New Mexico State Senate, she was the co-chair to the Criminal Justice Reform Subcommittee in the 2013-2014 interim.
A Former New Mexico State Senator
Lisa served in the New Mexico State Senate from 2013 to 2016. She was a leader in Criminal Justice Reform. Lisa Torraco quickly rose to leadership position, being the only conservative Republican to hold a committee chair position on the Criminal Justice Reform Subcommittee, and her work in voter reforms earned her accolades from both sides of the aisle, streamlining voter registration and voter access for military and overseas voters.
Education
- University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- J.D.
- University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California
- Honors: Certificate of International Criminal Studies
- University of New Mexico
- B.A.
- Honors: cum laude
- Major: Economics
Classes & Seminars
- Judicial Education Center, Metropolitan and District Court Judges , 2006
- Guest Instructor - Prosecution Misconduct, District Attorney Conference - Prosecution Misconduct, 2006
- Guest Instructor - Training, Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office Training, 2006
Past Positions
- Office of the District Attorney in the 1st and 2nd District Attorneys Offices , Assistant District Attorney
- Child Abuse Division in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties, Senior Managing Attorney
- New Mexico State Senate, Senator, 2013 to 2017
- University of New Mexico School of Law, Adjunct Professor, 1996 to 2006
Practice Areas
- Criminal Defense Investigations
- Pre-Indictment Preventative Work
- Criminal Appeals and Criminal Litigation
Honors
- Awarded the Governor's Award for Outstanding Women, By Bruce King, Governor
- National Association of Women Lawyers Award
- Awarded New Prosecutor of the Year, by the New Mexico Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Prosecutors Section of the New Mexico Bar Association
- Certification of Appreciation, New Mexico Supreme Court for work on the Civil Rules Committee - Domestic Violence forms and rules
- Keynote speaker New Mexico Bail Bondsman annual conference
- Keynote speaker National Conference of Municipal Judges