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Sarah Van Cott Hughes

Sarah Van Cott began practicing law in Alamogordo, NM, at a small civil practice where she managed cases including wills and trusts, personal injury, landlord tenant and contract law.

Ms. Van Cott graduated from high school in Las Cruces, NM, at Onate High School, now known as Organ Mountain High School.  Ms. Van Cott has a background in journalism and worked at her high school newspaper and other local newspapers such as the Las Cruces Bulletin and Las Cruces Sun-News.   She began her college career at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, where she served as Managing Editor of the student-run newspaper, the Round-Up

Ms. Van Cott decided to finalize her undergraduate degree at UNM in Albuquerque, NM while working as a reporter at the Albuquerque Journal.  In her last year of college at UNM, Ms. Van Cott was selected as an intern at CNN in Washington, DC, where she assisted in news coverage on the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton.  Upon her graduation from UNM, she was hired at the LA Times news bureau located in Ventura, CA. 

In 2001, Ms. Van Cott returned to New Mexico where she worked as an award-winning web editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican.  Ms. Van Cott assisted in providing 24-hour news coverage online during the September 11 attacks.   Based upon her news reporting of the September 11 attacks, and also during the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Ms. Van Cott was inspired to protect the laws of the United States and pursued her childhood dream of becoming an attorney.  She applied to law school in San Diego, CA, where she graduated with her juris doctorate (JD) in 2008.  With her J.D., she worked as in-house counsel for both web start-up companies and a biotech company in San Diego, CA. 

In 2012, Ms. Van Cott decided to return once again to New Mexico to be closer to her family where she was admitted to the NM state bar in 2013.  Later that same year, Ms. Van Cott was selected to become an assistant District Attorney in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where she served as a prosecutor of juvenile crime. She then relocated to Las Cruces, NM, to support her husband while he pursued his nursing degree at NMSU in Las Cruces, NM.  In 2014, Ms. Van Cott became commissioned as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Human Services Department, Child Support Enforcement Division in Las Cruces, NM.  Just months before the birth of her fourth child, Ms. Van Cott went into private practice and opened her law firm, Advanced Legal Resolutions in March of 2016.

On May 28, 2023, Ms. Van Cott was nationally recognized as a 2023 Lawyer of Distinction and her achievement was featured with other selected lawyers of distinction in the New York TimesSuch distinction is reserved for lawyers who have practiced for more than ten years and who are carefully selected based upon their bar standing, Google reviews, and experience among other factors. Ms. Van Cott's practice is recognized by the Better Business Bureau where she is in good standing. 

Ms. Van Cott's life experience and diverse skill set provides a big-picture approach to reaching positive outcomes for clients and their families.  The firm focuses on resolving conflicts in the most efficient and effective manner possible.  Her experience inside the courtroom and out allows clients to reach a resolution during challenging, difficult circumstances and to navigate a Court system that is complex.  While Ms. Van Cott considers being a mom as her most important role, she is honored to serve her clients in an area of law that can be extremely challenging on many different levels. Despite the legal climate, Ms. Van Cott strives to help her clients find peace and closure during some of the most difficult times of their lives. 

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Advanced Legal Resolutions is committed to answering your questions about Child Custody, Divorce, Child Support Enforcement Issues, Child Support Modifications, Domestic Violence and Pre & Post-Nuptial Agreement issues in New Mexico.

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