About me
Sonya Bellafant is the executive director of New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) a nationally recognized, statewide civil legal aid organization with more than 100 staff (including 61 attorneys), eleven offices and an annual budget of approximately $12 million. Prior to joining NMLA, Sonya was the founding Executive Director of 603 Legal Aid in Concord, NH. In her previous role as the Director of the Tennessee Senior Law Alliance (TSLA) under the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands in Nashville, TN, Sonya directed the $5.5 statewide project to help seniors identify and resolve core legal issues that often lead or sustained poverty via a coordinated approach spanning 95 counties.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Sonya is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law; she also earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism through Oakland University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Tennessee. After clerking for the United States Attorney’s Office, Sonya focused on enforcing, advancing, and defending the legal rights of low income and vulnerable families. She has worked with several legal programs in Michigan including Legal Aid of Western Michigan, Legal Aid & Defender, Legal Services of Eastern Michigan, and U.AW. Legal Services. Before relocating to Tennessee in 2015, she advocated on behalf of seniors in Wayne County, Michigan, to address a host of legal issues as the Supervising Attorney for the Free Legal Aid Clinic located at Wayne State University.
As a program staff member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Sonya assists attorneys in acquiring trial advocacy skills. Additionally, as a Management Information Exchange trainer and presenter, she often aids in supporting other legal aid program leaders, managers, supervisors, and administrators.
