Glenn Smith Valdez

Born amid the rural farms and tough neighborhoods of Albuquerque’s South Valley, Glenn Smith Valdez learned early on the fighting instincts that have served him so well in the courtroom.

Today, those childhood lessons of competition and conflict have combined with more than 14 years of legal experience in the courtroom. Hiring Glenn Smith Valdez means hiring a seasoned and experienced Albuquerque trial lawyer who is entering the prime of his career capable of seizing every advantage at every stage of every case.

Expelled from Rio Grande High School at 16, Glenn visited a Marine Corps recruiting station that same day. Although he could not officially enlist until he turned 17, Glenn began working with his recruiter to prepare for the physical and mental toughness required for success in the Marines. Undeterred by an unenthusiastic Navy recruiter, Glenn walked next door to the United States Marine Corps Station, where he passed an aptitude test and was welcomed into their ranks.

One day after his 17th birthday, Glenn took his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States – an oath that has shaped his life to this day. During four years in the Marine Corps, Glenn was stationed in Japan and California, where he earned his GED and began his college education.

Upon discharge from the Marines, Glenn paid his way through the University of New Mexico by working as a life guard and a bouncer at bars, while breeding and showing American Pit Bull Terriers – including a litter of pups he sold to pay for a semester of law school.

Glenn Smith Valdez earned both his BA and Law Degree from the University of New Mexico, where he excelled, joining 12 other students who completed the 3-years of law school curriculum in just 2 ½ years.

He opened his own law office immediately, starting in the spare bedroom of his South Valley home. Over the next 14 years, Glenn Smith Valdez has built a reputation as one of the most aggressive and successful criminal defense attorneys in Albuquerque by using the same tenacity and hard work he brings to each client’s case.

Glenn has a simple explanation for his success: He loves fighting for the underdog and he loves being a lawyer.

With an outstanding record of securing not-guilty verdicts at trial, Glenn Smith Valdez is frequently able to convince prosecutors to drastically reduce or even dismiss charges against his clients. He represents clients facing very serious criminal charges and has won dismissals or not-guilty verdicts at trial for all types of criminal charges, including homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, drug distribution, drug possession, weapons charges, prostitution, and drunk driving.

Glenn Smith Valdez works hard on each case from start to finish. That work ethic and tenacity, combined with years of hard-earned knowledge and experience in the courtroom, has moved prosecutors to dismiss charges without his clients every having to enter a courtroom.

Out-of-state clients have had their cases resolved without every having to return to New Mexico. It is a record and a reputation of which he is justifiably proud. And he earns it all over again, with each new client he takes the honor and responsibility of representing.

When you hire Glenn Smith Valdez, what you get are the same fearless qualities of the Pit Bull and the fighting spirit, discipline, protective instincts, loyalty and tenacity he has used to build his career as one of leading criminal defense lawyers in Albuquerque.