PETER H. JOHNSTONE, ESQ. PRO SE / PRO BONO MEDIATION DAY

For the entirety of his 40 year legal career, Peter H. Johnstone, Esq. was a zealous advocate for his clients and his community. An attorney practicing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Johnstone concentrated his practice in the area of family law. He sought to ensure that our children were protected by serving as a guardian ad litem, worked to provide access to legal services for low-income individuals through pro bono initiatives, and promoted and facilitated the out-of-court settlement of cases so as to lessen or eliminate the stress of litigation for families.

Among Johnstone’s most significant achievements was his early participation in organizing Pro Bono Family Law Mediation Day at the Second District Court. At this annual event, dozens of area attorneys came together to serve as volunteer mediators for self-represented parties who wanted to resolve their family law matter (such as divorce, custody, time-sharing, etc.) through negotiation rather than litigation. Johnstone’s commitment and contributions to this event, and to our community as a whole, were so great that the event was renamed in his honor following his passing in 2013.

In 2019, the last year that the “Peter H. Johnstone Pro Se/Pro Bono Mediation Day” was held, 75% of the total cases considered reached a full settlement. An additional 10% of the cases reached a partial settlement. This service greatly benefitted the families who participated and the entire court system, as the settled cases were removed from judge’s dockets allowing other cases to be heard sooner.

“PHJ Mediation Day”, originally founded to promote collaborative dispute resolution and to assist the Courts with their dockets, was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Johnstone’s daughter, Meredith Johnstone, a family law attorney and her law firm (Armstrong Roth Whitley Johnstone Family Law) have been involved in reviving the event for the second consecutive year, Meredith and ARWJ Family Law have joined forces with fellow attorneys, the Second Judicial District Court, and the Family Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico to reinstate this valuable program. Meredith and her law partners, Sarah Armstrong, Jessica Roth, and Emma Whitley at ARWJ Family Law share Johnstone’s commitment to the principle that everyone deserves access to legal services, and that clients are best served when attorneys collaborate collegially to resolve disputes. These values are at the heart of PHJ Mediation Day. The event’s consistently high rate of case settlements and the positive impact it has on the community are powerful reflections of Johnstone’s enduring philosophy.

The next Peter H. Johnstone Pro Se/Pro Bono Mediation Day will be held on May 3, 2025, at the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque. There are two requirements for parties wishing to participate: (1) neither party can be represented by an attorney and (2) cases must be referred by the Family Court.