Attorney Profiles - Lauer & Cook
Stephen J. Lauer
Stephen J. Lauer practices with Comeau, Maldegen, Templeman & Indall, L.L.P. in the areas of insurance, natural resources, environmental law, and litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lauer worked as a Law Clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and as a Staff Attorney for Legislative Council Service, the drafting, legal, and research agency of the New Mexico Legislature.
Mr. Lauer currently devotes his primary attention to all aspects of insurance coverage, handling litigation and claims assistance in building and construction, fire loss, bank liability, and other areas. A former licensed title insurance agent in Colorado, Mr. Lauer has represented numerous S&P 500 companies on insurance/related issues and has lectured on the duty to defend under liability policies.
Mr. Lauer has also served on the Board of Directors and as Chairperson of the Commercial Litigation Section of the State Bar of New Mexico. In addition to his insurance law practice, Mr. Lauer maintains a commercial litigation practice including cases involving fiduciary duty, corporate governance, franchise litigation, anti-trust and trade regulation, lender liability, partnership dissolution, and building and construction contract suits.
Mr. Lauer also has been active in the firm's environmental and administrative law practice on behalf of the mining industry, performing services in permitting, licensing, planning and zoning litigation, taxation, and natural resources damage claims. He is listed in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the category of Mining Law.
Education:
- J.D., University of Minnesota (1972)
- B.A., Macalester College (1969)
Admissions:
- New Mexico State Courts
- U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Professional Associations/Memberships:
Contact
Paula A. Cook
Attorney and partner Paula A. Cook has been with Comeau, Maldegen, Templeman & Indall, L.L.P. since she began practicing law in 1984. Ms. Cook practices in the areas of real property and real estate, commercial law, wills, trusts, and probate, with an emphasis on real property law.
Ms. Cook brings to the firm eight years of experience in commercial property management including nursing homes, apartment complexes, retail strip malls, and shopping centers. She practices primarily in the areas of real property law and real estate transactions spanning purchases, sales and leases of both residential and commercial properties, financing for those transactions, subdivision, zoning and other land use matters, and water rights. Ms. Cook handles complex covenant, easement, and encroachment enforcement issues and disputes and regularly represents homeowners and condominium associations with administrative issues and disputes. She also represents individuals in disputes with those associations.
Ms. Cook's commercial practice includes loan documentation for financial institutions including perfection of liens on water rights and acting as borrower's counsel in transactions secured by real property. She has also been appointed to serve as receiver for nursing homes in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Ms. Cook represents clients in a broad range of business disputes including real property litigation, breach of contract, construction issues, and foreclosures. She also focuses on wills and trusts; probate, intestate succession, and trust administration; and guardianships and conservatorships, regularly handling contested matters in each of those areas.
Education:
- J.D., University of New Mexico (1984)
- B.A., cum laude, University of New Mexico (1975)
