In Memoriam

Wade L. Jackson passed from this life on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

Wade, a beloved husband, father and friend, was 48 years old. He is survived by his cherished wife of 19 years, Courtney, and their two daughters, Peyton and Claire. Wade was a stoic man, but anytime Courtney and his girls were mentioned, his joy would light up the room. They were the highlight of his life. He was the most carefree when he was in nature – camping, fishing, hunting, and enjoyed many nights among the stars. He was also an avid cyclist and spent many hours on his bike, rain or shine.

Wade graduated from The University of Southern California in 1999 with dual Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Print Journalism. For a semester in 1998, he studied at USC Capital Campus in Washington D.C., and was an intern at the press office of Senator Pete Domenici.  After completing his undergrad, Wade went on to earn his Juris Doctorate in 2003 from the University of New Mexico School of Law, graduating cum laude. During his time in law school, he was the managing editor of the New Mexico Law Review and was a member of the national honor society, Order of the Coif.

Prior to his legal career, Wade was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Monica Outlook, the South Bay Daily Breeze, and the Los Angeles Daily News, writing and publishing hundreds of articles. Before joining Sutin, Thayer & Browne, Wade served for five years as General Counsel and Legislative Coordinator for the New Mexico Economic Development Department. During that time, he served on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Finance Authority and chaired its Economic Development Committee, served as General Counsel for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, served as Counsel to the Water Quality Control Commission, and represented Governor Susana Martinez in the New Mexico Supreme Court and the Water Quality Control Commission in the New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Wade was a part of the Sutin family for eight years, joining in June 2016. He practiced primarily in the areas of real estate, business, tax, corporate, economic development, public finance and tax incentives, and state and local government law. During his tenure at Sutin, Wade’s passion for the law, his incredible work ethic, and dedication to the firm, was evident as he made strides to help lead the firm to where it is today. He became a shareholder in 2019 and joined the Board of Directors in 2023.

He had an incredible mastery of his fields of legal practice. Wade had a lightning intellect and the amount of successful cases he would work on at one time was unsurpassed. He won many national professional awards, including being selected as the Top 3 Corporate Attorneys by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers’ Choice. He also held a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV Preeminent, one of the highest ratings one can earn.

Wade was very strong in his convictions and was passionate about what he felt was right and wrong and felt called to pursue justice.

Wade’s wife Courtney shared that through their marriage and the upbringing of their daughters, Wade often told them, “it’s never a tragedy if you die doing what you love”. An unexpected loss is exceptionally difficult, but solace is found knowing Wade died doing what he loved – connecting with nature.