Welcome

Expert Legal Guidance for Water Law Cases

Tessa Davidson

Best Lawyers of America's

"2026 Lawyer of the Year"

Albuquerque Area Water Law

Legal Expertise for Water Law Cases

Aerial view of canals in a desert landscape.

Comprehensive Water Law Representation

Davidson Law Firm provides legal services tailored to the client's individual needs and takes pride in being affordable and responsive.

Our firm's practice is devoted to representing public and private entities on a wide spectrum of water, natural resource, and real property issues through litigation; transactional negotiations; representation before administrative bodies; strategic planning; and settlement facilitation and mediation services.

Practice Areas

WATER LAW AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The majority of Tessa Davidson's practice focuses on natural resource and water-related issues. She represents many clients in the acquisition, transfer and protection of water rights, and in water rights litigation. Her litigation experience includes administrative hearings before the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, stream-system adjudications in both state and federal courts, including the Lower Rio Grande, Rio Chama, Rio Taos, and Pecos Adjudications, and private suits brought in state and federal courts.

Ms. Davidson also has considerable experience in the areas of public and administrative law in conjunction with her water, land use, and natural resources work. She has extensive involvement in working with local and state representative bodies and agencies and routinely represents clients before county and municipal commissions, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. She has also represented several clients at the federal level in matters involving the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

REAL PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS AND LITIGATION

Tessa Davidson has negotiated a wide variety of real property agreements for public and private clients, and has extensive experience in reviewing and drafting transactional documents. She routinely assists clients in the purchase and sale of water rights; the provision of due diligence analyses for real estate transactions; the preparation of purchase agreements; and in real estate litigation.

MEDIATION AND SETTLEMENT FACILITATION

Tessa Davidson is also an experienced mediator and settlement facilitator in the area of natural resource disputes. She has worked as the court-appointed settlement facilitator in the San Juan Basin Water Rights Adjudication Suit in northern New Mexico. She enjoys helping others work through the complexities of water rights issues, and is often asked to speak and teach at water law seminars throughout New Mexico and the country.

About Davidson Law Firm, LLC

Experience

Tessa Davidson is the founding member of the Davidson Law Firm, LLC and has been practicing law since 1995.
She is a fourth-generation New Mexican from a family that originally settled in Quemado, New Mexico. She and her extended family still own and operate agricultural and ranching properties throughout the State.

Clients Represented

Our firm's past and current clients include local governmental agencies, citizen groups, and several companies and individuals such as Ted Turner Ranch Properties (Vermejo Park Ranch, Ladder Ranch, Armendaris Ranch), Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico Pecan Growers, Commonweal Conservancy, Valles Caldera Trust, Forest Covington Mesa Del Sol, LLC, Rio Grande Water Rights Association, Petro Yates, Inc., Cibola Energy Corporation, Village of Hillsboro, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico Catholic Cemetery Association, Pueblo of Laguna Development Corporation, Estancia Valley Livestock, LLC, 4 Daughters Land and Cattle Company, LLC, Prices Valley Gold Dairies, Inc., Vergeer Dairies, Inc., Comet Cleaners, Inc., and Laun-Dry Supply, Inc.

Bar Admissions

New Mexico, 1995

Colorado, 1997

United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, 1997

United States Supreme Court, 2014

Achievements & Memberships

Albuquerque Area Water Law "Lawyer of the Year"

2026

American Bar Association, 1996 - Present

New Mexico Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, 2008-2012

Corrales Farmland Preservation Commissioner, 2010-2013

Welcome

Expert Legal Guidance for Water Law Cases

Legal Expertise for Water Law Cases

Comprehensive Water Law Representation

Practice Areas

Practice Areas

About Davidson Law Firm, LLC

Experience

Clients Represented

Bar Admissions

Achievements & Memberships

Contact Us

Better yet, see us in person!

Davidson Law Firm, LLC

Hours

Get in Touch!

Welcome

Expert Legal Guidance for Water Law Cases

Legal Expertise for Water Law Cases

Comprehensive Water Law Representation

Practice Areas

Practice Areas

About Davidson Law Firm, LLC

Experience

Clients Represented

Bar Admissions

Achievements & Memberships

Contact Us

Better yet, see us in person!

Davidson Law Firm, LLC

Hours

Get in Touch!

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