Gerard J. Lavelle
District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District
Bernalillo County
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Gerard Lavelle received generally positive ratings from both of the groups surveyed. Among attorneys, Judge Lavelle scored highly for being punctual in commencing proceedings, for being knowledgeable regarding substantive law and the rules of procedure and evidence, and for his ability to decisively rule on procedural and substantive matters. The court staff scored Judge Lavelle highly in all areas. Judge Lavelle’s scores among attorneys declined in being courteous to all participants and in demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench. Judge Lavelle recognized this decline and indicated to the Commission that he has made changes to improve in these areas.
Experience & Education: Judge Gerard Lavelle was appointed as a District Court Judge in 2009 and elected to the position in 2010. Prior to his appointment, Judge Lavelle was in private practice, specializing in family law. Judge Lavelle also worked as an attorney for the Legal Aid Society and served as law clerk to two family court judges. Judge Lavelle received his undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton and his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Nebraska. Judge Lavelle received his law degree from the University of Nebraska School of Law in 1980.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=117, 46% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 80% | 11% | 9% |
| Fair and Impartial | 73% | 12% | 15% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 83% | 9% | 8% |
| Communication is Clear | 80% | 12% | 8% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 58% | 16% | 25% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 85% | 8% | 7% |
| Court Staff (n=103, 41% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 94% | 3% | 3% |
* On the tables above, the "Agree" columns are comprised of the strongly agree and agree responses. Similarly, the "Disagree" columns are comprised of the strongly disagree and disagree responses. The combined percentage of "Agree", "Disagree", and "Partly Agree/Partly Disagree" for each category may not equal 100% due to rounding error. "N/A" indicates that the category is "not applicable" because some populations were not asked certain questions.
PERCENTAGE THAT RECOMMEND THE JUDGE BE RETAINED OR NOT BE RETAINED IN OFFICE. ‡
‡ On the charts above, the "Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend retain and somewhat recommend retain responses. Similarly, the "Do Not Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend not retain and somewhat recommend not retain responses.