About Us
Who We Are. What We Do.
Our Attorneys
Christopher T. Elmore
Partner
Christopher Elmore’s practice is devoted exclusively to defending Employers and Insurers in Workers’ Compensation matters.
Mr. Elmore is a member of the Workers’ Compensation Association and is a regular speaker at the Annual Conference. Mr. Elmore is a frequent speaker at various CLEs and regularly provides case-law updates, training, and presentations to his clients on evolving areas of the law.
Mr. Elmore graduated magna cum laude from Texas Tech University School of Law. During law school Mr. Elmore was awarded CALI Legal Excellence awards in Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, and Law Practice Technology, and American Jurisprudence awards for Contracts, Criminal Law, Employment Discrimination, and Trial and Appellate Procedure. Mr. Elmore graduated in the top 10% of his class and was awarded membership into the Order of the Coif.
Mr. Elmore was also named as a Southwest “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, in 2015, 2017-2020, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in Arizona and New Mexico. In 2017, Mr. Elmore also received the “Stirling Award” for the attorney of the year, an award given by the Workers’ Compensation Association.
Beyond the area of Workers’ Compensation, Mr. Elmore was appointed by Governor Martinez in 2012 through 2019 to the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, where he heard human rights and discrimination claims asserted under the New Mexico Human Rights Act.
Mr. Elmore is licensed to practice law in New Mexico, Tennessee and Missouri.
Jeffrey P. Stradling
Partner
Jeff Stradling has been working at Elmore Law LLC since 2014. He has successfully defended Employers and Insurers before the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration and New Mexico Court of Appeals for several years. Mr. Stradling has taught ethics, case law updates, and provided additional training to attorneys, adjusters, and other professionals at various CLEs and conferences. He has extensive experience in litigation and settlement negotiations.
Mr. Stradling graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2015. During law school Mr. Stradling was a Citation and Manuscript Editor for the Natural Resources Journal. He was awarded the distinction of “Best Oralist” at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in the preliminary round. Mr. Stradling was also awarded the American Bankruptcy Institute “Excellence in Bankruptcy Studies” award and made the Dean’s List over several semesters.
During law school, Mr. Stradling interned for Judge Timothy L. Garcia at the New Mexico Court of Appeals; interned for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Civil Division in Phoenix, Arizona; clerked for private firms in Albuquerque; was an Arturo L. Jaramillo Law Clerk Fellow; and worked closely with clients at the UNM Business and Tax Clinic. Mr. Stradling was also a member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and Business Law Society. He also taught high school students budgeting and smart spending as a Financial Literacy Trainer for the Financial Literacy Group at the School of Law. After law school, he also served as a board member and secretary for a bilingual charter school in Rio Rancho for two years.
Prior to law school, Mr. Stradling attended the University of New Mexico and graduated magna cum laude in 2011 with a double major in History and Spanish. Mr. Stradling is fluent in reading, writing, and conversational Spanish.
Mr. Stradling is licensed to practice law in New Mexico.
S. Austin Martz
Associate Attorney
Austin Martz is a new addition to Elmore Law LLC as of mid-2021. Mr. Martz has a diverse professional background. Before breaking into the legal scene he worked in an array of non-profit fields encompassing everything from grant-writing, youth development, to wildlife conservation. Additionally, during his summers as a law school student, Mr. Martz worked in a variety of legal areas including tax law, criminal law, and constitutional law.
Mr. Martz began his educational ventures at New Mexico State University where he studied his passion, history, and eventually earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in 2013. Unwilling to leave his beautiful home-state, Mr. Martz chose to remain in the Land of Enchantment and graduated from University of New Mexico School of Law, in May of 2021, where he regularly achieved the honor’s list.
Mr. Martz is licensed to practice law in New Mexico.
Miriam A. Sutherland
Of Counsel
Miriam Sutherland joined Elmore Stradling in July 2023. Previously she had served as a mediator with the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration for two years where she helped settle hundreds of disputed and undisputed complaints, including those involving the Uninsured Employers’ Fund and self-represented workers. Ms. Sutherland has also served as an Administrative Law Judge with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions providing information to employers and adjusters regarding unemployment and separation issues.
Ms. Sutherland has practiced family law, including adoptions and interstate custody matters, as well as guardianships, estate planning, probate, personal injury and general civil matters. She has published articles related to youth in the foster care system and has been an active advocate and volunteer for youth and the arts. A community builder at heart, she has served on her law school’s diversity committee, organized a forum for female attorneys in the worker’s compensation realm, and sits as a board member for the Albuquerque Association of Gifted and Talented Students.
Ms. Sutherland graduated with honors from American University Washington College of Law in 2001 and is a graduate of Wellesley College. Ms. Sutherland is licensed to practice in New Mexico, Texas, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Why Choose Us
Honest, Experienced Lawyers
We do workers’ compensation. That’s what we do. We don’t dabble in workers’ compensation; it is our primary and only focus. While other firms may handle a workers’ compensation case or two, our focus since the inception of the firm is defending employers and insurers in workers’ compensation matters, and we do it well.
Responsive
While we are all busy people, you are our focus. You are what matters. Absent extenuating circumstances, we aim to respond to any issue or inquiry in 24 hours or less, usually much, much less, often within the hour.
Thousands of Cases Resolved
With workers’ compensation as our only area of focus and practice, we’ve handled thousands of cases or workers’ compensation matters over the last decade.