Marina began practicing law in 2009. Marina is respected for her expertise and zealous
advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Her firm specializes in adult guardianship
and conservatorship; life planning and estate planning; litigation of undue
influence; fiduciary administration; and probate administration.
Mrs. Tapia Cansino is a native of New Mexico. At
age 16 and many years thereafter, she served as a grassroots lobbyist for
legislative initiatives on behalf of the disabled in Washington, D.C., New
Mexico, and Connecticut. Marina graduated
from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut with a B.A., a double major in
Political Science and Elementary Education in May 1999. Marina’s first job out
of college, she persuaded Connecticut legislators to pass legislation to
improve Braille literacy for Connecticut students. This was Marina’s first
attempt lobbying for legislation several advocates tried to pass for ten years.
Recruited by several lobbying firms thereafter, Tapia Cansino
declined these offers to attend law school full time. Tapia Cansino attended Northeastern University
School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. In
2005, Tapia Cansino had her child and enjoyed staying at home full time while
her child was young. In 2009, Tapia Cansino
returned to Santa Fe, to begin her own law firm, focusing her practice on the
needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, contract law, and civil
litigation. December 2013 to July 2018, Tapia
Cansino worked for the State of New Mexico, Developmental Disabilities Planning
Council, Office of Guardianship handling adult guardianship cases. August 2019, Marina began working for New
Mexico Financial & Family Law primarily handling divorces; custody; estate
planning; contested probate; adult guardianship and conservatorship; and undue
influence litigation. July 2022 Marina returned to solo practice through her
own firm Cansino Law Firm LLC.
Marina is very active in the legal community. She has
organized and presented at several Continuing Learning Education (CLE) programs
regarding elder law and adult guardianship and conservatorship since 2014. Marina
enjoys training and mentoring other attorneys in her areas of practice.
Mrs. Tapia Cansino served as a member of the Supreme
Court of New Mexico’s ad hoc Mental Health Rules Committee; Joint Rules on Civil
and Criminal Procedure; former board member of the New Mexico Commission for
the Blind; former board member of Parents Reaching Out; and a former member of
the Protective Proceedings Task Force.
Marina is a member of the Financial Exploitation of Elders and Adults
with Disabilities Task Force; is former Chair of the Elder Law Section of the
State Bar of New Mexico; a member of the Albuquerque Bar Association; and a
member of WealthCounsel.
Marina is married and has one child. Her daughter is 17, going on 25. She enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby. Some favorite recipes include homemade New
Mexico biscochitos and tortillas. Marina
enjoys serving as a health coach for the Ketogenic and Carnivore lifestyle
because it has transformed and improved her own health.
