Dayan M. “Day” Hochman-Vigil is a native New Mexican born and raised in Santa Fe. Day received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Colorado College in Italian Studies and French Language in 2007. Day received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM SOL) in 2011, during which time she received several honors, including the Carlos F. Vigil Scholarship for academic achievement and dedication to the provision of pro bono legal services, and University of New Mexico School of Law Innocence and Justice Project Student of the Year. More recently, Day was selected as one of Albuquerque Business First’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2021 honorees for her work expanding the aviation and space sectors in New Mexico, and featured in the Summer 2023 issue of AviNation magazine for her career in aviation and space law.
After graduating from UNM SOL, Day worked as a law clerk and bailiff for the late Honorable Sarah Singleton at the New Mexico First Judicial District Court, and then went on to practice insurance defense litigation with Hinkle Shanor, LLP and the Archibeque Law Firm. During that time, Day – who is a third-generation pilot – had the opportunity to discover aviation law while working on an airplane accident case as a civil defense litigator. As a result of that experience, Day was given the opportunity to pursue a Master-in-Law degree (LLM) at the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada – the number one aviation and space law program in the world. Her article, written in completion of her LLM requirements, “We Will Persevere – Survival and Ingenuity of Iranian Aviation in the Face of Political and Economic Adversity,” was published as a leading article in the McGill University Annals of Air and Space Law Volume XL (Spring 2015).
After completing her LLM degree, Day went on to practice aviation regulatory law at Eckert, Seamans, Cherlin & Merlott, LLC in Washington, DC, where she advised her clients on global and U.S. regulatory requirements for general and commercial aviation carrier operations, airports, and pilot certification issues Day also worked with several federal agencies, including the Transportation Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Customs and Border Protection on matters concerning commercial aviation safety and security issues, as well as foreign tariffs and trade.
Day returned in 2016 to practice at Roybal-Mack & Cordova, PC in Albuquerque as the only private certified expert aviation and space law attorney in the State of New Mexico. Later she opened her first practice as DHV Law, LLC in 2019. In 2023, she founded Transportation Law New Mexico, the premier boutique Transportation Law firm in New Mexico.
Along with other transportation related legal matters, Day Hochman-Vigil maintains her expertise in aviation and space law in the following areas:
All matters pertaining to general and commercial aviation, including:
General aviation requirements, including aircraft registration, insurance and maintenance contracts;
Commercial and commuter carrier certification, regulation and operational requirements;
Pilot and aircraft crew certification and disciplinary matters;
Aircraft manufacturing and type certification;
Airport planning and route expansions;
Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drone) law.
As mentioned above, Day also has extensive experience in the following legal areas:
Personal Injury Law, including automobile accidents and medical malpractice;
Employment matters, including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination charges and litigation;
Complex civil commercial litigation;
Breach of Contract claims;
Probate and Estate litigation.