UNLV Law Magazine 2014 by UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law

UNLV Law INAUGURAL ISSUE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE WILLIAM S. BOYD SCHOOL OF LAW | 2014

Why Boyd Matters

Major Gifts, Major Impact

Nevada AG Catherine Cortez Masto explains

Boyd’s founding donors

Gaming Law

Boyd launches new degree program

ALUMNI UPDATES, FACULTY FOCUS & MORE

The

Deans

A CONVERSATION ABOUT BOYD THEN AND NOW

UNLV Law

Inaugural Issue

The Magazine of The WilliaM

S. Boyd School of laW | 2014

Why Boyd Matters

Major Gifts, Major Impact

Nevada AG Catherine

Boyd’s founding donors

Cortez Masto explains

Inaugural Issue | 2014

Gaming Law

Boyd launches new degree program

Alumni updAtes, fAculty focus & more

The

Deans

A conversATion AbouT boyD

Then AnD now

ON THE COVER

Clockwise from top: Daniel W. Hamilton (current dean), Nancy B. Rapoport (interim dean, 2012-2013), John Valery White (dean, 2007-2012, and current UNLV executive vice president and provost), and Richard J. Morgan (founding dean, 1997-2007). (Geri Kodey/ UNLV Photo Services)

features

Betting on Boyd

Launching Nevada’s first and only law school was a long shot, but the Boyd School of Law’s founding donors put money on it anyway — learn more about them and how their bet paid off for the state

Collaborating for a Cause

Personal experiences spur first-generation graduates and best friends to study the legal services available to Southern Nevada’s Hispanic community

Dialogue with the Deans

The William S. Boyd School of Law has had four deans in its 16-year history and they all — Morgan, White, Rapoport and Hamilton — are sharing insider stories from their time at the helm of Nevada’s law school

departments

1 From the Dean’s Desk >> 2 Opening Argument 4 Centers & Clinics 14 Giving Back 28 Faculty Focus 36 The Gallery 42 Who Knew? 46 Class Actions 49 Calendar & Connect

A Message from Dean Daniel W. Hamilton

From the dean’s Desk

Nevada’s Law School

he UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law is one of the greatest higher education success stories in Nevada’s history. Sixteen years ago our community came together to build what is now recognized as one of the top public law schools in the country. Our faculty is nationally recognized in intellectual property, health care law, legal writing, and constitutional law, among other fields. Our Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic and our community service programs are national models; and with our partners at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and else-

where, we have provided legal assistance to thousands throughout the city and state. Our students excel in the classroom and beyond, taking on leadership roles and becoming connected in the community. Time and again, I hear how students chose Boyd because of exposure and access to high-level legal talent for mentoring and learning — a significant comparative advantage of our school. Our alumni are leading lawyers in the state and region as partners in law firms, public defenders, district attorneys, public interest lawyers, judges, and legislators. In line with our mission, we have worked to keep our tuition affordable. As a public law school, we remain committed to maintaining a standard of excellence and inclusion first set by the founders of the school and the community that built it. These are challenging times for law schools. Applications are down nationwide and have been for several

years running. Yet more than ever, we continue to work together across the city, state and region to ensure the law school continues to thrive. More than 20 percent of Boyd graduates each year begin their careers in judicial clerkships with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Nevada Supreme Court, federal courts, and trial-level state courts in Nevada and surrounding states. Last year we were pleased to welcome Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., past president and CEO of the American Gaming Association for the first Robert D. Faiss Lecture on Gaming Law & Policy; Dean David F. Levi from Duke Law School for the first Judge Lloyd D. George Lecture on the Judicial Process; and Professor Alison LaCroix from the University of Chicago Law School for the 10th annual Philip Pro Lectureship in Legal History. Boyd’s Lawyering Process Program is regularly ranked in the top three legal writing programs in the country. The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution is among the top 10 dispute resolution programs in the nation. An essential component of Boyd’s future is to ensure we continue to grow by building on our strengths and the strengths of this state. Toward that goal we are creating new graduate programs, the first of which is a newly approved Masters in Law or LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation. Nevada has the greatest gaming law expertise in the world; and in an era where gaming is expanding around the country and across the globe, we are poised to be the leaders in providing graduate instruction in a sophisticated and burgeoning area of the law. Yet this is only the first step, and other programs will follow. This extraordinary community came together to build a top law school because that is what the state needed. The need for an excellent law school in Nevada is greater than ever, and we look forward to working with you to make sure we get even better.

Daniel W. Hamilton Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law Learn more: Read Boyd Briefs, a weekly newsletter from Dean Dan spotlighting Boyd faculty, students and alumni. Subscribe at law.unlv.edu/BoydBriefs.

UNLV Law magazine EDITOR Catherine Bacos CREATIVE DIRECTOR Elaina Bhattacharyya ASSOCIATE EDITOR Vaneh Darakjian GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ched Whitney CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Shane Bevell Kandy Delacruz Holly Ivy DeVore Aleza Freeman Geoff Schumacher Brian Sodoma CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Geri Kodey Aaron Mayes Connie Palen R. Marsh Starks UNLV President Donald D. Snyder Executive Vice President and Provost John Valery White Dean, William S. Boyd School of Law Daniel W. Hamilton SUBSCRIBER UPDATES Update your address and submit Class Actions items at: law.unlv.edu/alumni/ StayConnected READER FEEDBACK UNLV Law Magazine welcomes feedback from readers. Submit comments at: law.unlv.edu/magazine UNLV Law Magazine is published by the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Office of Communications 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 451003, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-1003 (702) 895-3671 law.unlv.edu UNLV is an AA/EEO institution. 2014 | UNLV Law

A prominent member of Nevada’s legal community presents a compelling case

Opening argument

Guest Column | Catherine Cortez Masto

Why Boyd Matters

oes it matter that Nevada has its own law school, particularly since we went so long without one? I remember when the original location for the law school on Paradise Road was still being used as an elemen-

tary school. As a native Nevadan who clearly recalls what it was like before the Boyd School of Law existed, I have no trouble arguing how essential it is to have it now. Born and raised in Las Vegas, I had to move away for the first time because there was no law school in my home state. I attended Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Wash., but always intended to return to Nevada to practice law. Upon arrival at Gonzaga, I inquired about classes in gaming law. I asked, “Do you have a gaming curriculum?” I was met with a curious look and the reply, “Why would you be interested in hunting and what does that have to do with law?” That is why Boyd matters. In its brief 16-year history, the law school has transformed the legal landscape of our community. It has brought us expertise in areas crucial to our state’s sur2

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vival, such as gaming and water law. If anyone wonders why water law is important in the West, it is because we have to fight for our water. We do not have an abundance of water like the East Coast does. Nevadans need to be concerned about everything that happens on the Colorado River and the potential impact on our state. It is invaluable having legal scholars here at a law school where you can contact them, develop curricula, and hold conferences on the critical matters of today and tomorrow. After graduation, I came back to Las Vegas and interned for a judge. One of the reasons I interned was because we did not have a law school here. I had to learn the ins and outs of the court system in Las Vegas and the state of Nevada on my own. My training consisted of watching attorneys practice in the courtroom. That was my mock court experience. We did not have Westlaw. We did not have computers. You literally had to go to the law library located across the street from the old courthouse in

the Wells Fargo building. The good attorneys would always be there and you could pick their brains. Without a local law school, we had no resource for getting to know folks here — the attorneys, the judges — or that we could rely on for legal expertise. For new or young lawyers starting out, Boyd matters. As attorney general, I have forged fantastic partnerships at Boyd on a variety of topics. Last year, I participated in a groundbreaking Juvenile Justice Conference led by Professor David Tanenhaus and coordinated by Elaina Bhattacharyya. There is a public interest fellowship program that I got involved with as a luncheon keynote speaker, overseen by Tera Hodge. Human trafficking — and more specifically, sex trafficking — is one of the biggest issues on which my office has been focused. We held the Human Trafficking Symposium at Boyd under the guidance of Professor Fatma Marouf. The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution hosts a lecture series with superb guest speakers who talk not only nationally but internationally on thought-provoking subjects. The phenomenal Juvenile Justice Clinic is run by Professor Mary Berkheiser. Our work intersected when I was an assistant county manager for Clark County addressing juvenile justice issues and putting social workers for the first time in the public defender’s office to work with our kids. The law school works so hard to really wrap around the needs in our community. And that is why Boyd matters.

“It is amazing and inspiring to see so many stellar programs and initiatives dealing with Nevada’s pressing issues.” Opening argument

There are lots of other areas to mention, from the Immigration Clinic co-directed by Professors Michael Kagan, with whom I have worked, and again, Fatma Marouf. There are issues such as collateral consequences from incarceration that so many of the professors and students take on and bring before the Legislature. Human rights violations and sex trafficking are topics where we have joined forces not only to talk about what needs to be done and how we can protect our victims, but actually treat the kids who come through the juvenile justice door as true victims instead of perpetrators. We are able to build necessary services for them and work collaboratively between the justice system and the treatment providers. That conversation starts at

our law school. It is amazing and inspiring to see so many stellar programs and initiatives dealing with Nevada’s pressing issues. Since 2007, I am proud to say we have had about 60 interns from the Boyd School of Law come to work in the attorney general’s office, with the average duration ranging anywhere from three weeks to three months. We went on to hire some as attorneys and paralegals in our office. That, too, is why Boyd matters. I cannot think of a better ally for the Office of the Attorney General than the Boyd School of Law in tackling problems from elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, to so many others that require our community to come together to

find solutions. It has been my pleasure to work with every dean since Boyd opened its doors in 1998: Dick Morgan, John White, Nancy Rapoport, and now Dan Hamilton. All the deans added their excellence and put their stamp on the school, making it what it is; each, in turn, elevating the school to the next level. That tradition continues with Dean Hamilton. I have seen him in action, and his commitment, his compassion, and his drive to get involved in our community are tremendous. Rest assured Boyd most certainly matters to him, to me, and to us all. Catherine Cortez Masto is the attorney general of Nevada. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Wash. 2014 | UNLV Law

Updates on Boyd’s Specialty programs

Centers & Clinics

Saltman Center For Conflict Resolution

10 Years and Counting Saltman Center Celebrates Milestone Anniversary

Saltmans honored Michael and Sonja Saltman are the cofounders of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. On March 7, they were named to the 2014 Distinguished Nevadans list released by the Nevada System of Higher Education. The Distinguished Nevadan is the most prestigious award given by the Board of Regents. It is awarded to those who have made significant achievements contributing to Nevada’s cultural, scientific or social advancement.

UNLV Law | 2014

This year the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution celebrates 10 years of academic excellence. Founded with a very generous gift from Michael and Sonja Saltman, the center has hosted numerous events, trained countless students, resolved a broad variety of disputes, and won multiple awards. Ranked among the top 10 law school dispute resolution programs in the nation, the center was also named best dispute resolution program in the region by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2008. Jean Sternlight, who has directed the center throughout its lifetime, says the center’s many successes are attributable to the great talents and energy of its Jean Sternlight, Saltman Center Director and students, its faculty, and the Michael and Sonja Saltman Professor of Law Saltmans themselves. Center provides critical support “We are so fortunate to to the community and promotes have sponsors like Mike and Sonja cutting-edge research. The 10th who not only provide financial anniversary celebration will be a support but, even more important, great event, and we invite the comenergy, great ideas, and fabulous munity to join us in honoring one contacts,” says Sternlight. “With of the signature successes at the the Saltmans’ help we have been law school.” able to attract wonderful speakThe Saltman Center has distiners such as Tom Friedman, Daniel guished itself in legal academia Schorr, Linda Wertheimer, Denby hosting numerous talks and nis Ross, John Paul Lederach, and conferences, many of which have Haleh Esfandiari, and we have also led to important written publicabeen able to forge connections with tions in the Nevada Law Journal. the Woodrow Wilson InternationThe most recent conference, on al Center for Scholars.” psychology and lawyering, helped “Professor Jean Sternlight, Mike found a growing new field, bringand Sonja Saltman, and our facing together academics and practiulty, students, and community tioners from throughout the world partners have made Boyd a nation(see Page 6). Past symposia have ally recognized center for dispute focused on such issues as strife in resolution,” says Daniel Hamilthe Middle East, the economic criton, dean of the UNLV William S. sis, the dangers of mandatory arbiBoyd School of Law. “The Saltman

tration, and conflicts over essential natural resources such as the Colorado River. The center has also attracted an impressive range of nationally recognized scholars and practitioners who have served as members of the Boyd School of Law faculty or visiting fellows, taught in the center’s Summer Institute, or given lectures to faculty and students. While the list is too long to name everyone, these faculty have included Deans Jennifer Brown, Chris Guthrie, and Michael Moffitt, and Professors Hal Abramson, Lisa Blomgren Amsler, Clark Freshman, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Robert Mnookin, Ray Patterson, Peter Reilly, Len Riskin, Jennifer Robbennolt, Andrea Schneider, and Nancy Welsh. Students working with the center have learned the tremendous power of non-litigation approaches to conflict resolution. Through their classes and extracurricular activities, the students have come to better understand the importance of discerning clients’ underlying interests and how lawyers can work creatively to serve those interests. For example, Saltman Center Associate Director Lydia Nussbaum reports that students in the Strasser Mediation Clinic, which she directs, “mediated more than 135 divorce and small claims cases in 2013-2014 and received substantial positive feedback from participants and judges.” She also observes that the clinic provides students with “a much more complex understanding of what drives legal disputes and what they, as future lawyers, can do to effectively counsel and represent their clients.” In addition, on multiple occasions, teams of students have placed first, second or third in the national American Bar Association Client Counseling Competition, twice going on to represent the United States in the international competition.

mandela:istock.com

Saltman Center For Conflict Resolution

Making Peace with Your Enemy Celebrating Nelson Mandela and his contributions to conflict resolution Rather than host a traditional party to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution will mark the occasion by heralding the contributions of Nelson Mandela to the field of conflict resolution and considering how Mandela’s insights may help resolve present-day problems. Mandela, who died in December 2013, was a lawyer and anti-apartheid revolutionary who fought against the white supremacist regime in South Africa and brokered peace with that regime after having been jailed for 27 years. Mandela’s effort to negotiate a peaceful transition to democracy with apartheid leader F.W. de Klerk was understandably highly controversial, as it rose out of numerous bloody confrontations between activists

seeking to destroy apartheid and the white South Africans seeking to maintain that same system. Yet Mandela famously stated in his memoir, A Long Walk to Freedom: “To make peace with an enemy one must work with that enemy, and that enemy becomes one’s partner.” The interim Constitution negotiated by Mandela and de Klerk allowed for open elections and creation of a unitary government, with Mandela winning the presidency in 1994. For these efforts Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As South Africa’s first black president, Mandela saw national reconciliation as his primary task. He therefore took steps to help the former enemies begin to resolve their deep differences, forgive one another to the extent possible, and live and work together productively. For example, Mandela helped create the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission in which former ad-

Centers & Clinics

versaries could confront one another and explain their various perspectives, learn the truth about past crimes, as well as potentially obtain amnesty. He also urged black South Africans to support the previously all-white rugby team, the Springboks, which had been a hated symbol of white rule. To explore Mandela’s contributions, the center will sponsor a public event on Nov. 1, 2014 entitled “Making Peace with Your Enemy: Nelson Mandela and his Contributions to Conflict Resolution.” Speakers at the event will be leaders in the field of conflict resolution and experts on South Africa. Carrie Menkel-Meadow, one of the founders of the legal discipline of conflict resolution and now Chancellor’s Professor of Law at UC Irvine, will address “Nelson Mandela’s Procedural Transition From (Violent) Cause Activist to Peace and Justice Seeking Activist.” Robert Mnookin, Samuel Williston Professor of Law and Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, will draw from his book Negotiating with the Devil to discuss “Nelson Mandela’s Decision to Bargain with the Devil.” Richard Goldstone, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and former chief prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will give a talk entitled “Nelson Mandela’s Skills in Conflict Negotiation: A Personal Reflection.” Penelope Andrews, who grew up “colored” in apartheid South Africa, and is now dean at Albany Law School, will speak on “Nelson Mandela, Forgiveness and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Professor Andrea Schneider of the Marquette University Law School, as moderator, will help the speakers draw lessons from Mandela’s work for current, seemingly intransigent, disputes in places such as the Middle East or Ukraine. The webcast will be available at law.unlv. edu/SaltmanCenter10YearAnniversary. 2014 | UNLV Law

Centers & Clinics

A productive First year Professor Lydia Nussbaum’s first year as associate director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution proved fast-paced and exhilarating. Nussbaum taught the Mediation Clinic in both the fall and spring semesters. She also developed and taught an elective for first-year law students called Perspectives on Conflict Resolution that examines a variety of legal disputes and the benefits and challenges of available dispute resolution processes. Nussbaum presented at the Global Alliance for Justice Education Conference at Jindal Global Law School outside of Delhi, India, with former colleagues Jane Murphy and Rob Rubinson from the University of Baltimore on how the “informal justice system” of court-connected mediation affects low-income communities. At the Association of American Law Schools Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Works in Progress Conference at Cardozo Law School in New York, Nussbaum talked about how state legislatures are increasingly using mediation as a tool for regulating disputants’ behavior, particularly in the foreclosure mediation context. And in Las Vegas, she joined Saltman Center Director Jean Sternlight in presenting to campus faculty, students and staff on negotiation and gender norms for the UNLV Women’s Council lecture series. In her role as associate director of the Saltman Center, Nussbaum helped host the first-ever Psychology and Lawyering Conference. She also organized the in-house Negotiation Competition, worked as a faculty co-adviser for the Saltman Dispute Resolution Society, and helped the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law negotiation team prepare for the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition and the American Bar Association Regional Negotiation Competition. 6

UNLV Law | 2014

Saltman Center For Conflict Resolution

Birth of a Field?

Psychology and lawyering conference attracts international interest illustration: istock.com

Saltman Center For Conflict Resolution

Centers & Clinics

By the Numbers

n February 2014, the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution hosted a conference that may lead to long-lasting changes in both lawyering and legal academia. Entitled “Psychology and Lawyering: Coalescing the Field,” the conference brought together more than 100 lawyers and psychologists from both academia and practice to discuss how increased knowledge of psychology might help lawyers represent their clients more effectively. Including faculty and attendees from around the world, the conference generated great enthusiasm, and conferees left with new colleagues, dreams, and the beginning of plans for future similar events. While academics and practitioners in various corners of law and psychology have been considering how psychology can improve lawyers’ skills and well-being, no prior single conference had ever tried to join together these disparate pieces. For example, Saltman Center Director Jean Sternlight’s book, Psychology for Lawyers (with Jennifer Robbennolt, ABA 2012), was an important inspiration for the conference but does not cover all the subjects that were touched on at the event. The book focuses on cognitive and social psychology, but the conference also included clinical psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness. Over the course of two days, the conferees attended sessions on lawyer decision-making, the psychology of client relations, the teaching of relational competencies and emotional intelligence, lawyer performance and judging, the psychology of legal ethics, how to conduct psychology research, the psychology of persuasion, client perceptions of process and fairness, witness testimony, and attorney well-being. Yale Law School Professor Tom Tyler

Strasser Mediation Clinic 2013-2014

graduating law students from the day and evening programs

hours of mediation training and observation for each student

Saltman Center Director Jean Sternlight gave the keynote address entitled “Legitimacy and the Exercise of Legal Authority.” Many papers presented at the conference will be published in a future issue of the Nevada Law Journal. One of the key events at the conference was a working lunch focused on next steps. Participants unanimously expressed that efforts should be made to further grow and coalesce the nascent field of psychology and lawyering. Suggestions for how to realize this dream ranged from listservs and blogs to new organizations and future events. Some of these plans have already been accomplished. “We are pleased with the positive outcomes of this conference, which proved to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for participants, many of whom praised the content and our organization,” Sternlight said. “In this regard, we are especially grateful for the work of our Saltman Center administrator, Sandra Rodriguez, who masterminded the logistics of the conference. We are also extremely appreciative of the major financial support provided

divorce and/or child custody cases for the Clark County Family Court

75 Keynote speaker Tom Tyler, Yale Law School by UC Davis School of Law and the University of Illinois program on Law, Behavior and Social Science, and for the additional support provided by Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis.” Learn more » law.unlv.edu/ PsychologyLawyering2014

co-mediated small claims cases with staff mediators at the Clark County Neighborhood Justice Center

100

people who achieved full resolution of their conflicts after being aided by UNLV Law students

2014 | UNLV Law

Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic

Centers & ClinIcs

The Business of Grassroots Organizing Eric Franklin, director of the Small Business & Nonprofit Legal Clinic at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, hit the ground running with his new clinic. Ahead of its official launch in fall 2014, the new Small Business & Nonprofit Legal Clinic was already assisting community groups, including its first client, Nevadans for the Common Good (NCG). Started in 2012, NCG is a broad group of nonprofits, schools, and religious organizations focusing on some of Nevada’s most pressing issues, including child sex trafficking, the vulnerable elderly, immigrant integration, education, foreclosures, and neighborhood blight. Franklin worked with several students to help NCG apply for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. NCG was awarded tax-exempt status in August 2014. The Small Business & Nonprofit Legal Clinic provides representation to nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs in transactional matters. Under the close supervision of licensed attorneys, law students assist clients in forming businesses or nonprofit organizations; reviewing and negotiating contracts; assisting nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt applications and maintenance of tax-exempt status; working with federal, state and local government agencies; and providing advice concerning intellectual property issues. 8

UNLV Law | 2014

Serving the Community Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic Celebrates 15 Years The Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic is a shining example of what the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law is all about: teaching future legal professionals and serving the legal needs of Nevada. “The clinic is a law firm and a learning laboratory,” says Anne Traum, associate dean for experiential legal education. “Law professors supervise law students handling real cases for real clients. The students are closely supervised, but act as attorneys, doing all the tasks an attorney would do in representing a client — counseling, communicating, investigating, researching, drafting, and appearing in court or other settings. The clinic is also a laboratory where scholarship informs our legal practice and vice versa. … Students, in turn, experience firsthand how scholarly ideas connect to real practice.” Entering its 15th year, this learning laboratory has grown to seven clinics that now include Juvenile Justice, Family Justice, Immigration, Small Business & Nonprofit, Mediation, Appellate, and Education Advocacy. Additionally, the clinic is home to the Kids’ Court School, a unique outreach program that educates children who are involved in legal proceedings about the court process. Last year, the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic, the Strasser Mediation Clinic, and the Kids’ Court School assisted more than 500 individuals. “We’re proud of these numbers, but volume has never been our yardstick for excellence,” Traum says. “Instead, our focus is on educating students, providing quality representation, and providing leadership in advocacy and practice.”

Faculty and clinics, from left: Rebecca Nathanson (Education Advocacy), Michael Kagan (Immigration), Mary Berkheiser (Juvenile Justice), Lydia Nussbaum (Mediation), Anne Traum (Appellate), Elizabeth MacDowell (Family Justice), Eric Franklin (Small Business & Nonprofit), and Fatma Marouf (Immigration)

While law students are learning, members of the Las Vegas community are benefiting. “The clinic brings the community into the law school and serves as an important face of the law school to the community,” Traum explains. “Students and faculty in the clinic get to know firsthand and respond to the legal needs of the community. Our clinics provide low-volume, high-impact representation to individuals that have no or limited access to counsel. We may invest a lot of time in a single case, pursue very specific policy reforms, or create partnerships to better meet a specific legal need.” She cited two examples of the clinic’s broad community impact: In 2013, the Immigration Clinic partnered with the Clark County Public Defender to consult on immigration consequences of conviction; and in 2012, the Juvenile

Justice Clinic led a successful campaign to end routine shackling of children in delinquency proceedings. The Boyd School of Law will celebrate the clinic’s 15th anniversary with a special event on Oct. 2 that will honor Mary Berkheiser, a founding faculty member who currently serves as director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. “Professor Berkheiser is an inspiration to her students and colleagues in that she is deeply engaged in law practice and reform, is a master teacher, and is a recognized scholar in her field,” Traum says. “This year she’ll be named the Joyce Mack Professor of Law, which is a fitting tribute to all that both women have done for the law school, the clinic, and the community.” Learn more » law.unlv.edu/ Clinic15YearAnniversary

Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic

Centers & Clinics

Pushing the Borders Boyd School of Law Students Fight for Workers’ Rights in India While most students take winter break to get away from it all, one group of UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law students jumped into the thick of things. Eleven Boyd School of Law students, supervised by Professor Fatma Marouf, Co-Director of the Immigration Clinic, traveled to New Delhi over the winter session to engage in human rights study and fieldwork. In partnership with Indian students, they examined conditions for some of the world’s most vulnerable workers. Accord-

ing to Boyd student Whitney Short, the project allowed her to “make a real difference in people’s lives.” Student Katelyn Franklin described the practicum as “a life-altering, empowering experience.” After a weeklong orientation course at Jawaharlal Nehru University, the students conducted two weeks of intensive fieldwork on behalf of the Society for Labour and Development, a nongovernmental organization based in New Delhi. Marouf and Jennifer Rosenbaum, legal director of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, co-

taught the program. Boyd students Matthew Beckstead, Oscar Peralta, and Silvia Villanueva, along with Candace Ruocco (J.D., Ph.D. candidate at Saint Louis University), investigated garment factories that produce clothing for Tier 1 multinational corporations, such as American Eagle and Gap, documenting serious health and safety violations. Students Jennifer Medina, Short, and Tyler Winkler explored whether India’s groundbreaking new anti-sexual harassment law is actually being implemented in garment factories. Bryn Esplin and Franklin examined the exploitation of domestic workers by conducting interviews with domestic workers and recruiters, identifying gaps in legal protection, and providing legal research and advocacy stemming from a highly controversial case that strained U.S.-India relations. Brady Briggs, Robert Loftus, and Virgilio “Bing” Longakit addressed the exploitation of workers who are traditionally considered to be more highly skilled. They focused on fraud and abuse in the international recruitment of nurses. The International and Comparative Human Rights Practicum, now in its fourth year, continues to engage Boyd students in groundbreaking research and advocacy. By forging international alliances that advance the dignity of all people, students have shown that UNLV’s laboratory for justice knows no borders.

(Boyd students) examined the exploitation of domestic workers by conducting interviews with domestic workers and recruiters, identifying gaps in legal protection, and providing legal research and advocacy.

2014 | UNLV Law

Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic

Centers & Clinics

“During our first year we only saw six kids, and now we see about 100 kids per year.”

Rebecca Nathanson, Kids’ Court School Director and James E. Rogers Professor of Education and Law

Giving Kids a Voice Kids’ Court School Nears Milestone of Helping 1,000 Children Imagine a child walking into a courtroom for the first time. Although the child may recognize a familiar face or two, he or she may feel nervous and confused. This scenario is played out in courtrooms across the country, leading to anxiety, stress, and often an inability for children to calmly answer questions under oath. Since 2002, the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law has worked with children to improve their experience inside the courtroom through its nationally recognized Kids’ Court School, which expects to reach a milestone of helping 1,000 children by spring 2015. This accomplishment will be celebrated with a special event on March 13. “The purpose of Kids’ Court School, first and foremost, is to give kids a voice in court,” 10

UNLV Law | 2014

explains Rebecca Nathanson, the James E. Rogers Professor of Education and Law, who founded and directs the Kids’ Court School. “Research shows that when children feel stress, it can interfere in the way they remember and communicate. If they feel nervous and anxious in a courtroom, it reduces their ability to remember, to testify, and to participate in the court proceeding. Through education, we help children overcome feelings of stress so that they are able to tell their story in court.” The program accomplishes this goal by teaching children about the courtroom process and how to reduce stress, which helps increase their ability to calmly answer questions in court and their credibility as witnesses. The Kids’ Court School is offered free of charge to children who are a witness, a victim, or charged with a crime. Participants range from 4 to 17 years old and are often referred by the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Department of Family Services,

Child Protective Services, an attorney, or a family member or guardian. Recognized nationally with a 2012 Bright Ideas award from Harvard University, the program consists of two one-hour sessions that follow a standardized, empirically based curriculum and are led by Boyd School of Law students. The first session focuses on the pretrial and trial process, communication techniques, the importance of telling the truth, and the child’s ability to ask for clarification during questioning. The second session, held shortly after the trial begins, includes techniques to help reduce anxiety while testifying and a mock trial in the Thomas & Mack Moot Court. “During our first year we only saw six kids, and now we see about 100 kids per year,” Nathanson said. “In addition to helping children find their voice in court, Kids’ Court School provides UNLV law students experience in working with children and research opportunities. We are designing a family law curriculum that will allow us to help even more children in the future.” Learn more » law.unlv.edu/kidscourt

Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic

Centers & ClinIcs

“Just imagine representing a client who is 8 or 9 years old and has to have a chain wrapped around his waist and his handcuffs, and he trips over that chain while he walks into a courtroom.”

Questions Lead to Changes Ending Practice of Indiscriminate Juvenile Shackling Questioning how and why things are done a certain way is essential in the field of law. While questioning the indiscriminate shackling of juveniles in courtrooms, Professor Mary Berkheiser’s students learned firsthand that questions can be a catalyst for policy change. “Just imagine representing a client who is 8 or 9 years old and has to have a chain wrapped around his waist and his handcuffs, and he trips over that chain while he walks into a courtroom,” says Berkheiser, director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at the William S. Boyd School of Law. “Occasionally, when working with a youth on a trial, we would want to ask the hearing master if our client’s hands could be freed because he couldn’t even write notes to us, his legal counsel. We — meaning my students and I — kept seeing this in court and thought ‘This is wrong.’” Her students researched this practice, called juvenile shackling, and its prevalence. They learned that other states have statutes for indiscriminate shackling — meaning that all children are shackled in the courtroom, regardless of their age, circumstances, or the charges filed against them. “A student then surveyed every county in Nevada to find out what was happening here,” Berkheiser says. “We learned that nowhere but in Clark County were they shackling every

Mary Berkheiser, the inaugural Joyce Mack Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic single child in the courtroom. We interviewed the head of juvenile justice services to find out how this practice started, and there was no clear place where it started other than the marshal’s office.” The campaign to end the practice started small: students created a PowerPoint presentation about their research and shared it with a couple of community organizations as well as the Thomas and Mack Clinic Advisory Board. “Everyone was pretty outraged it was going on, and we were uncertain as to what approach we would take,” Berkheiser says. “Then just right out of the blue, Jeanne Price, the director of our law library, asked me to write an article for Nevada Lawyer, and I wrote a piece

about this topic called ‘Unchain the Children.’” The article appeared in June 2012 and sparked conversation. The practice of indiscriminate shackling ended soon after. “We never advocated for no shackling in courtrooms under any circumstances. A kid should be shackled in circumstances of being a flight risk or danger, but not every single kid coming into court,” Berkheiser says, adding that juveniles are still restrained during transport from detention centers to courtrooms. “We just didn’t want them to be appearing in court all chained up where they were presumed innocent,” she said. “What’s a kid supposed to think when they are presumed innocent but appear in court as a caged animal?”

Family Justice Clinic Studies Collateral Consequences of Convictions When students Nicolas Donath and Brittnie Watkins enrolled in the Family Justice Clinic (FJC) they observed the real-life impacts of criminal convictions on parents and families. During the 2013 legislative session these students gave vital testimony to the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee on the importance of Senate Bill 395, which requires systematic identification and study of collateral consequences of conviction — consequences that are imposed as a result of a criminal conviction but that are not part of the sentence. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed the bill into law, making Nevada only the second state in the nation to adopt such groundbreaking legislation. The law’s enactment culminated a two-year effort by the clinic, led by Elizabeth MacDowell, director of the Family Justice Clinic, to advance legislative reforms addressing civil collateral consequences of criminal convictions. The clinic also partnered with the public defender to provide training on how collateral consequences affect families. With the launch of the PostConviction Community Needs Assessment Project, the FJC continues to explore the impact of criminalization on the family. FJC students, working in partnership with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, are developing and administering a comprehensive needs assessment survey of people with criminal convictions in the Las Vegas area. Survey results will identify how collateral consequences of convictions harm individuals and communities because of negative impacts on families, employment, and political participation. The survey will also collect information about unmet health and legal needs of those with criminal convictions.

2014 | UNLV Law

Gaming Law

Centers & Clinics

Gaming Law Publications Once restricted to exotic locations like Las Vegas, Macau, and Monte Carlo, casinos are now operating in many cities nationally and internationally. This expansion of the gaming industry, both geographically and economically, raises new and important policy questions about the role of government in gaming regulation, the obligations and opportunities for casinos, and public support for gambling and gaming tax revenue. To help answer these questions, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Ngai Pindell and prominent gaming law attorney Anthony Cabot edited and published in August a book titled Regulating Land-Based Casinos: Policies, Procedures, and Economics. A useful guide for regulators, attorneys, and industry professionals worldwide, the book features experts in gaming law and regulation and takes an interdisciplinary approach to key practices in the casino industry. In 2013, Pindell and Cabot edited and published another book, titled Regulating Internet Gaming: Challenges and Opportunities. This book discusses key considerations and model approaches to Internet gaming regulation and outlines the important questions and emerging answers to regulating gaming activity outside of land-based casinos. Learn more » gamingpress. unlv.edu 12

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‘A Model for Gaming Law Education’ Boyd School of Law to Launch Gaming Law Degree It’s only natural that the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law is widely regarded for its expertise in gaming law and regulation. Nevada has long been a worldwide leader in effective gaming regulation as well as the intellectual, business, and entertainment center of the gaming industry. “When the law school opened 16 years ago, the faculty focused on developing a solid, well-rounded curriculum,” says Ngai Pindell, associate dean of academic affairs. “After building a strong foundation, we have been able to focus more in recent years on specific areas of emphasis, including gaming.” Pindell oversees Boyd’s extensive gaming law program, which will soon expand with the launch of a post-graduate Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Gaming Law and Regulation. The law school will welcome its first

LL.M. class in the fall of 2015. “The public’s general impression of the gambling experience is influenced heavily by movies, legend, and, to a large extent, focused branding efforts by the casino industry,” says Pindell. “This relatively simple impression belies cutting-edge research in technology, hospitality, and big data as well as important legal and policy issues in employment and labor law, intellectual property, alternative dispute resolution, and regulatory law.” “Our LL.M. will bring leaders in these areas to the law school to teach, to learn, and to build on an extensive body of existing research.” Nowhere does that make more sense than in Las Vegas. As the old saying goes: Location. Location. Location. “Our school should be a model for gaming law education,” said Jennifer Roberts, an adjunct gam-

ing law professor at Boyd, describing what many regard as the gambling capital of the world as the perfect place for a law school to offer a specialized gaming law program. Boyd offers more gaming courses to Juris Doctor students than any other law school in the country, including classes in state gaming law, federal gaming law and policy, Indian gaming, resort and hotel casino law, gaming legislation, and gaming transactions. “Although a number of law schools across the country have introductory gaming law classes, Boyd is the only one with an extensive curriculum that offers a unique policy perspective,” said Anthony Cabot, a partner in the gaming law group at Lewis Roca Rothgerber and faculty advisor for the UNLV Gaming Law Journal. Boyd is home to the UNLV Gaming Law Journal, a publication that has grown along with the school and gaming industry; a flourishing Gaming Law Society; and the Robert D. Faiss

Gaming Law

Lecture on Gaming Law & Policy, an annual event that draws gaming industry leaders to the law school to deliver public lectures. Faiss, a nationally acclaimed gaming attorney who began teaching Introduction to Gaming Law and Policy at night with only a handful of students in 2001, passed away in June. In September, the school hosted a threeday Gaming Law Conference on Regulating Land-Based Casinos. A national conference for lawyers, academics, gaming operators, policy-makers and more, the event featured gaming leaders in the field of regulation, compliance, operations and enforcement, and included keynote presentations by A.G. Burnett, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and Jan Jones Blackhurst, former mayor of Las Vegas and executive vice president of Caesars Entertainment. Once a boutique area of legal practice, gaming law has grown more sophisticated and more central to regulators, law firms, and gaming operators managing the worldwide growth of the gaming industry. Macau alone generated $40 billion in revenue in 2013 and more than $4 billion in March 2014. Nationally, casinos are a $38 billion industry that continues to boom in places such as Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kansas and, of course, Nevada. “You had a handful of gaming attorneys 30

“I began to understand how important a tool gaming can be for them, and I thought that I could best serve the tribal community through the law.” — Tanya M. Fraser,

years ago,” Cabot said. “There are hundreds today. With hundreds of tribal jurisdictions and gaming companies, each one has at least one attorney, so do state and federal president of the Gaming governments.” Law Society Gaming law is “far more nuanced today than it was early on,” added Cabot, noting an increased interest in antimoney laundering laws as well as the prevalence of Internet gaming, a relatively new component of gaming law. As online gaming expands, compliance officers and lawyers with a working knowledge of gaming issues and law will be needed, he said. The law school’s location in the world’s leading gaming city provides UNLV students with unique access to professional community connections and high-quality gaming resources. “Boyd students are fortunate enough to entertain speakers from within the most experienced and respected Gaming Commission around, the Nevada Gaming Commis-

Centers & Clinics

sion,” said Tanya M. Fraser, president of the Gaming Law Society. “UNLV is home to the International Gaming Institute and its attendant experts in the field. Moreover, the law school is named after William S. Boyd, attorney and co-founder of Boyd Gaming Corporation. Mr. Boyd often speaks to the Boyd student body about his experiences and even hosts a small group of students for a tour of Sam’s Town and lunch.” Fraser became interested in gaming law after working for 20 years in the gaming industry for both commercial and tribal casinos, including a couple tribes in California. “I began to understand how important a tool gaming can be for them, and I thought that I could best serve the tribal community through the law,” she said, adding that the Gaming Law Society offers many opportunities for students to learn about the ways the gaming industry and the law intersect. The student-run group also helps foster a better understanding of the practical role of gaming attorneys and what they face on a day-to-day basis. “Although there are a relatively small number of attorneys who practice strictly gaming law in Nevada, the Gaming Law Society strives to impress students with the fact that Nevada attorneys invariably deal with gaming law in some way at some point in their careers,” Fraser said.

Connect the Dots: How Gaming Law Intersects with Other Areas of Law

Several Boyd School of Law faculty members focus their research, scholarship, teaching and activities in areas of law that intersect with gaming law. Below are a few examples: Professor Rachel Anderson’s research and teaching interests focus on business law, civil and human rights, empirical legal studies, and international law. She teaches a course on International Business Transactions, which covers issues including intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and gaming. Professor Addie Rolnick is a scholar of federal Indian law, tribal law and indigenous rights. Prior to coming to Boyd, she represented tribal governments on legislative and litigation matters, including gaming-related issues. Rolnick teaches Federal Indian Law, which provides an overview of the tribal federal relationship and covers several topics germane to Indian gaming, including principles of tribal sovereignty, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian country jurisdiction, and tribal sovereign immunity. Stacey Tovino, Lincy Professor of Law and Lehman Professor of Law, has expertise in the regulatory and financial aspects of health law, and she frequently explores issues that lie at the intersection of

health law and other fields, such as gaming law. One of Tovino’s current research projects includes the legal treatment of individuals with gambling disorders. In her research, Professor Marketa Trimble focuses on intellectual property and issues at the intersection of intellectual property and private international law/conflict of laws. In 2013, she wrote a chapter titled “Proposal for an International Convention on Online Gambling” for the book Regulating Internet Gaming: Challenges and Opportunities (see books on opposite page). Ann McGinley, William S. Boyd Professor of Law, is an internationally recognized scholar in the area of employment law, employment discrimination and disability law, and a leader in Multidimensional Masculinities Theory, an emerging discipline that applies masculinities theory from social sciences to legal interpretation. In 2012, she published “Trouble in Sin City: Protecting Sexy Workers’ Civil Rights” in the Stanford Law and Policy Review. This article examines the legal issues surrounding the hyper-sexualization of women workers in the casinos and considers how federal, state and county law can protect women without unduly interfering with the economic benefits to the casinos, the community, and the individual workers.

A journal of legal scholarship dedicated to analyzing the law and policy implications of gaming case law, legislation, administrative regulations, and important gaming legal events, the UNLV Gaming Law Journal in its fall 2013 issue features oral history interviews from some of the biggest names in Nevada gaming, including William S. Boyd, Burton Cohen, and Peter Bernhard. 2014 | UNLV Law

A glimpse into Boyd’s good works in the community

Giving back

Boyd Students Connect with Community Needs When founding Dean Richard Morgan helped establish the William S. Boyd School of Law, community service was one of his top priorities. Fifteen years later, Dean Morgan — along with others who served as deans in the years following his tenure — can take pride in the fact that the school’s free legal education classes, taught by students supervised by attorneys, have helped more than 50,000 Nevadans. New ways to serve those in need of legal services around the state continue to take shape each year at the Boyd School of Law. Keeping an ear to the ground for community needs and finding ways for students to help Nevadans has become second nature for Boyd School of Law leaders and students. It’s all part of the school’s commitment to serving the citizens of Nevada — a commitment started in the very first days of the law school’s existence.

Helping Others Integral to the Boyd School of Law is a 20-hour community service requirement for students. Juris Doctor candidates can choose to either teach free informational classes about specific areas of law to community members through the school’s partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada or engage in other community support opportunities. Nevada Legal Services and the Clark County Public Defenders Office are also partners in the community service program. Many, if not most, students take on teaching responsibilities, said Lynn Etkins, associate executive director of the Legal Aid Center. Etkins coordinates efforts with Boyd’s Associate Dean for Administration and External Relations, Christine Smith, to create teaching opportuTied e h nities for students. Supervised by t to ty a professional attorney, students i n mu teach topics such as guardianship, Com divorce law, bankruptcy, custody law, and small claims. New classes are added from time to time and are dictated by community need, Etkins said. For example, foreclosure law classes were popular at the depths of the real estate crisis, but are less popular today; so fewer such classes are offered now. But Boyd School of Law students have recently established a record sealing class, as need for understand“It can be hard ing of that process has grown. “It can be hard to get relito get reliable, able, accurate legal informaaccurate legal tion. These classes bring clear, information. objective information to the public,” Etkins said. “It’s also These classes positive for the students as bring clear, they are able to see the comobjective infor- munity need and grow their communication skills. … The mation to the first-year law student is usupublic.” ally overwhelmed at first, but — Lynn Etkins, in time they hone their public associate executive director speaking skills and thoroughof the Legal Aid Center of ly learn an area of law.” Southern Nevada Cliff Marcek, coordinator of community service at the Boyd School of Law, oversees and educates the students who teach classes, giving a crash course on the subject matter and offering public speaking tips. The mentor and local attorney oversees upwards of 150 students each year. “I’m the person the students really get the firsthand contact with, and I supervise and mentor them through the program,” Marcek said. “This really does help a lot of people who would otherwise not get legal education, information or an attorney.”

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Alternative Spring Break As the state’s only law school, it’s important for the Boyd School of Law to reach out to Nevada’s rural communities as well. That’s why programs like Alternative Spring Break were created. Stephen Jackson was one of six students to participate in the March Alternative Spring Break, which had law students visiting Ely, Pioche, Pahrump, Tonopah and Panaca over several days. Jackson helped teach classes on custody and divorce in Pahrump. “These are classically underserved areas,” he said. “You’re helping an underprivileged segment of the community.” Jackson and other students also had the opportunity to study rural area courtrooms and legal practice, meeting with public defenders and prosecutors. Jackson, who grew up in Panaca, was surprised to learn how informal legal practice was in some rural areas. Judges in some regions are laymen, he explained, and access to legal representation was scarce in many small towns. “I have very strong ties to rural Nevada. … The idea of even in the slightest way giving back was appealing to me,” he said.

Previous page: Coordinator of Community Service Cliff Marcek Below: 2013 Community Law Day participants, from left: Ramir Hernandez, Dean Christine Smith, Elliot Anderson, Danielle Barraza, Brian Vasek, and Amanda Stevens

A Voice for a Child’s Education Program teaches volunteers how to advocate for foster children with disabilities

Community Law Day A Record Number of Nevadans attended the Boyd School of Law’s fifth annual Community Law Day on Aug. 23. More than 200 people attended classes taught by students on bankruptcy, divorce, deferred action for childhood arrivals, small claims, paternity/custody, and guardianship. The event is held on-site at the Boyd School of Law and is sponsored by the law school, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, and Nevada Legal Services. Last year, student Amanda Stevens taught a section on guardianship. Stevens wants to do corporate litigation work after graduation but jumped at the chance to learn something new. “I didn’t know anything about guardianship, so it was good to learn about that while reaching out to the community,” she said. Elliot Anderson co-taught a divorce class and enjoyed the opportunity to meet locals in the legal field. “It’s great because so many people come to the classes,” he said. “And you also see so many people involved in the legal profession across the valley. In my class there were people from the district attorney’s office. It’s a very rich experience.”

PILA Public interest law practitioners work to further interests shared by the public, or a majority of it, and also provide legal support to those who may not be able to afford a private attorney. PILA, or the Public Interest Law Association, at the Boyd School of Law is a nonprofit, studentrun organization that works to raise awareness of public interest work and seeks opportunities in the field available to law students. PILA holds an annual auction to raise funds for grants that can be awarded to Boyd School of Law students who wish to take on public interest work during the summer. In the past, PILA grant-funded student efforts have helped resolve landlord-tenant conflicts, obtain housing for senior citizens, resolve child custody and divorce disputes, and also secure equal and civil rights for individuals. Since the first auction, PILA has raised more than $100,000.

s a teacher in New York and the Pacific Northwest, Leslie Strasser Murdock saw her share of students fall through the system’s cracks, particularly those children in foster care. Wanting to do more, she set out to attend the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law’s dual degree program, which offers both a J.D. and Ph.D. in Education, one of only a few programs of its kind in the nation. By 2010, while still matriculating at UNLV, she rose to the position of Special Education Advocate and Coordinator of the Educational Surrogate Parent Program (ESPP) at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. Currently, she is an adjunct professor in the Educational Advocacy Clinic at the Boyd School of Law. A 2013 graduate, Strasser Murdock had been involved with the Educational Surrogate Parent Program as a volunteer since 2007. The ESPP provides training and support to volunteers who are willing to become Educational Surrogate Parents for children with disabilities, ensuring schools are meeting their disability-related needs. Educational Surrogate Parents are granted legal rights to make decisions for students regarding appropriate educational plans and access to legally entitled programs, Strasser Murdock explained. The ESPP falls under the Special Education Program at the Legal Aid Center. The Special Education Program provides advice, training, advocacy, and legal representation in the area of special education to those involved in the education of children with disabilities. Parents often become overwhelmed trying to understand the rights special education students have. “A lot of parents just don’t know what steps they should take to help their children,” Strasser Murdock said. Educational Surrogate Parents must attend a three-hour orientation and training program that covers important federal special education statutes as well as strategies and guidance for how to best advocate for a student’s needs. There are between 120 and 140 ongoing cases in the ESPP at any given time. The Boyd School of Law is a strong supporter of the ESPP. The law school donates space for the training classes, and it has several staff members and students who volunteer in the program. “The law school has been incredibly supportive of this program,” Strasser Murdock added. For more about the Educational Surrogate Parent Program, call (702) 386-1070 or email surrogates@lacsn.org.

2014 | UNLV Law

By Holly Ivy DeVore and Aleza Freeman

Betting on Boyd The names Boyd, Rogers, Thomas, Mack and Saltman are synonymous with the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. They propelled the law schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation. Although these families come from different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: a desire to make a difference in Nevadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education landscape. 16

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William S. Boyd

The Namesake

hen William S. Boyd was practicing law during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, he often thought there should be a law school in Nevada, but many of his contemporaries didn’t see any reason to create more competition in the field. Still, the longtime Las Vegas resident deeply believed that building a law school in his city was the right thing to do. Not only would it increase the opportunity for Nevadans to attend law school, it would put the city on the map for those interested in pursuing “the world’s second-oldest profession.” Boyd made one of the first contributions to the school and helped garner the support of many others, including Nevada legislators. Today, the school — which was approved for accreditation faster than any other law school before it — boasts a great passage rate

on the Nevada Bar Exam, one of the most difficult bar exams in the United States. “I think the law school is really an important part of our community,” Boyd said. “Lawyers are an important part of our society. To have a law school in this state allows many people to go to law school that maybe couldn’t afford to go out of state.” In addition to retaining local students, Boyd was also interested in making the law school accessible to working professionals. “It was very important to me that we had a night program, a four-year program because I knew there were many men and women who would have to work while they were going to school,” he said. “I knew that when going to a full-time, three-year law school, it’s almost impossible to do that and work full time.” Boyd has deep roots in the field of law as well as the Las Vegas Valley. He moved to Las Vegas from California when he was in

fifth grade. At the time, Las Vegas was home to one grammar school and one high school. There was only one casino on what became the Las Vegas Strip, the El Rancho Vegas, and the downtown casinos were quite small. Boyd co-founded the Boyd Gaming Corporation with his father in the ’70s, opening their first property, the California Hotel and Casino, in downtown Las Vegas in 1975. But Boyd may never have even gotten into the gaming business if not for his law degree. As an attorney, he represented a man who was interested in reopening a casino in downtown Las Vegas. The man was short on cash, so Boyd agreed to take his fee out in stock. “That was my first opportunity to invest in a gaming business, and I really got there because I was a lawyer,” Boyd said. “Graduating from law school and passing the bar exam is the thing that I am most proud of in my life.” 2014 | UNLV Law

James E. Rogers

Champion in Education

ames E. Rogers and his wife, Beverly, made their mark in Nevada and at UNLV as philanthropists and advocates for education. That was the legacy Jim Rogers left behind when he passed away June 14, 2014, at age 75. Rogers, who was named among the nation’s top 12 philanthropists by Time magazine in 2000, supported the Boyd School of Law and the Wiener-Rogers Law Library as well as other colleges and universities across the nation. The University of Arizona even named its law school after him. Rogers worked in law, banking and broadcasting in addition to volunteering to serve as chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education from 2005 to 2009, without pay.

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According to KSNV News 3, his philosophy for philanthropy was influenced by one of his best friends, the late Lou Wiener, a Las Vegas attorney. “Lou used to have this expression, ‘You give it away with a warm hand’ … meaning that it doesn’t do you any good and there is no real pleasure when everything you’ve got you leave by will, ’cause you’re dead and in the ground,” Rogers said.* He said Wiener encouraged him to use his law degree for the betterment of other institutions by reminding him that he owed everything he had to his legal education. “So we kind of started to formulate this concept that, you know, we had it,” Rogers said. “But we hadn’t really earned it. And that it was ours legally, but morally we had

an obligation to do good things with it.”** In addition to using his law degree to help individuals and institutions, Rogers shared UNLV’s importance to the community. “I think the last great puzzle, part of the puzzle, for a first-class culture in this area is a fine university,” he said. “We have everything else. We really do. We have all the trappings of success, but that doesn’t develop a great culture, and only a university can do that.”** *http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/Philanthropist-former-chancellor-News-3-owner-Jim/l9Aw-tZjAE6_sNw8V1pyTA.cspx **http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/Remembering-Jim-Rogers-Partner-Lou-Wiener/FJBA9noIdkOD2szlaFEScA.cspx

THE Thomas family

City Builder

ou’d be hard-pressed to find a Rebel fan who doesn’t know the names Thomas and Mack. The families made names for themselves from the 1950s on by partnering in real estate development. The partnership is now in its third generation and widely known as the namesake of the Thomas & Mack Center sports arena at UNLV. As it turns out, their interest in building a law school in Nevada predated the Boyd School of Law’s inception. “Our two families were very interested in a law school for a long time,” explained Tom Thomas, managing partner of Thomas & Mack Company. “My father and Jerry Mack actually worked on putting a law school together in the early ’80s and couldn’t quite get the support from the state. And so when UNLV finally had the capacity to put a law school together, we were very interested in what was going to take place and wanted to be involved.” After spending some time with the law school’s founding dean, Richard Morgan, the families agreed that one of the most important functions for the school was a strong legal clinic. They decided to support the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic, in part because of its potential for community outreach. “We have a number of attorneys in our family — I studied at the University of Utah — and we wanted to have a law school that connected the students to the community,” Thomas said. “And there is no better way to do that than through a strong legal clinic program.” Thomas said the families are “amazed and thrilled” with what the legal clinic has done and how it has touched the lives of so many people in the community. “We had no idea that it was going to be a clinic of the size and breadth that (Dean) Dick Morgan and Dean (John Valery) White and now Dean (Daniel) Hamilton have overseen,” he said. “For us, the key was that we had a dean that had a vision that connected law students to the citizenry of our city.” Today Boyd is one of the top 100 law schools in the United States, but Thomas said he will always remember the school’s humble beginnings in the former Paradise Elementary School across from the UNLV campus, where the first classes were held. He found it humorous to think Nevada’s future lawyers would be educated in an elementary school building. He also appreciated the pioneering spirit. “This school was so anxious to start a law school … they were not going to wait for buildings to be built,” he said. “Students were so excited to have the opportunity to start studying law locally that they were willing to go back to an elementary school and use those facilities.”

2014 | UNLV Law

THE mack family

Community Partner

hen Joyce and Jerry Mack moved to Las Vegas from Los Angeles 65 years ago, they only planned to stay a few months so that Jerry could help his father with his business. One thing led to another, and Jerry met Parry Thomas. The infamous multigenerational business partnership formed, transforming the valley’s landscape. Joyce and the late Jerry proudly raised their children in Las Vegas, and watched the city — as well as UNLV — grow out of a barren desert. “I really never had any regrets as time went on because this town got more interesting as the years went by,” she said. “There are not too many people that can see a town grow in

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front of their eyes, and that’s what I did.” Mack took specific interest in UNLV and the law school. Together the Mack and Thomas families established the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic as well as the Thomas & Mack Moot Court Facility. “We had always been a university town,” Mack said. “When we saw what they were trying to do at UNLV, we helped them out as much as we could.” Mack said she is pleased to have seen the law school grow out of community support. “I was so pleased that Bill Boyd and Jim Rogers put their full efforts into the law school,” she said. “They were so instrumental in creating the great law school, and I was so pleased to be a partner with them.” Mack also gives credit to the law school’s

founding dean, Richard Morgan. She said his support was integral in the school’s development as well as establishing the clinic’s service to the community and the multifunctional use of the Moot Court Facility. She hopes the Boyd School of Law and its facilities will continue to grow and create more opportunities for more students as Nevada’s only law school. “The law school is a nationally recognized program, and the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic are two things that are very wellknown now,” she said. “It is so wonderful that we have this law school and the service to the community that the legal clinic (provides).”

Michael & Sonja Saltman

Advocates for Peace

ichael and Sonja Saltman’s support of the Boyd School of Law’s Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution was triggered by happenstance. The husband and wife were in London when Michael Saltman picked up the Sunday Times at a corner store and took out a section about mediation and arbitration in the United Kingdom. “I thought that was pretty interesting,” he said. “The U.K., which has a strong litigation background, also has a strong mediation and arbitration emphasis.” It wasn’t long before the two would meld their personal interests — his being law and hers psychology — with their first joint philanthropic venture. Michael, a lawyer and developer who became involved with UNLV after moving to Las Vegas in 1975, called founding Dean Richard Morgan on the spot and told him he and Sonja would like to make a contribution to the law school and start a dispute resolution program. “He said, ‘What a great idea, I have always thought about that, too,’” Michael said. They began working on launching the center as soon as they returned to the United States. Established in 2003, the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution provides world-class programming for the advanced study of the nature of conflict and how to resolve it. Lawyers often use resolution tools, such as negotiation and arbitration, in order to avoid litigation. And if litigation starts, they may try to find a way to end it and settle the dispute. Sonja Saltman, a psychotherapist who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNLV, said the center is a great way for students to get involved and engaged beyond their textbooks. “There are some wonderful hands-on opportunities to get trained in conflict resolution,” she said. In addition to scholarly research, lectures, mediation clinics, workshops and competitions, Sonja said the center has been doing wonderful work with a wellrounded speaker series. “The Saltman Center … coincided with a difficult time in this country,” she said. “It was right around 9/11, and so that is why we named our first series ‘Peace in the Desert.’ We were very focused on the mediation efforts that it might take to get peace. That is where my passion came in: the mediation aspect, the human dynamics that are really in play.” As for the law school as a whole, Michael said it’s a huge pillar of the community that provides an important resource to the public. Sonja wholeheartedly agreed. “I love everything about the law school,” she said. “They have done such a fabulous job of building a staff and programs. It’s a little jewel. There is nothing better to support than that school. It stands for as much excellence as we can offer.” 2014 | UNLV Law

Best pals Sean Najera, left, and Edgar Flores teamed up on a local Latino community study published in a Texas legal journal.

Collaborating for a Cause Personal Experiences Spur First-Generation Graduates and Best Friends to Study Legal Services Available to Southern Nevada’s Hispanic Community By Shane Bevell

UNLV Law | 2014

UNLV alums Edgar Flores and Sean Najera have been best friends since high school, palling around as buddies do, but recently they have found their time together spent on more serious matters. They paired to work on a study concerning the local Latino community. The result, “Legal Service Awareness of the Latino Population in Southern Nevada,” was published in the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy in spring 2013. One goal of the study was to determine how informed the Latino community is of the availability of free or inexpensive legal services. Another aspect was to see why Latinos use non-attorneys to resolve their legal issues and what sources of information they turn to when seeking legal services.

A Personal Interest For Flores, a 2012 graduate of the William S. Boyd School of Law, the interest in this subject is personal. He remembers clearly an incident that occurred when he was 7 years old. A thunderous pounding on the front door shook the walls of his family’s small apartment, shattering a family portrait. His mother yelled, “Edgar!” Knowing what was next, he ran out of the door-less bedroom into the living room. The landlord looked straight into the eyes of a child too young to comprehend contracts, but old enough to understand the reality of the situation. “Tell your parents you can no longer stay here,” the landlord commanded. A week prior, Flores’ father had asked the landlord if he could pay the rent late. The verbal agreement with the landlord promised the family a two-week extension. But his father’s faded signature on an old contract said something different. By 4 p.m., they were evicted. “My parents often spoke of the meaning of being voiceless, and by 7 I understood it completely,” Flores said. “At that age very few things were clear to me, but I was certain of one thing — I would join a profession that gave me the necessary tools to defend my family. “Growing up in a home where my parents did not speak English made me the delivery boy of bad news to my family as I was the unofficial translator to every unjust, corrupt and misleading document presented to them.” Led to Law The profession through which he could help his family turned out to be law. A firstgeneration college student, Flores came to UNLV on the Millennium Scholarship and received a bachelor’s degree in English in 2009 before attending the Boyd School of Law. He now is a local attorney practicing immigration law. “I graduated from Boyd law school, and in the classroom it was my grandmother’s eyes roaming the room, finally seeing why my parents left their home country; it was my father’s ears finally listening to how the law works to defend his family; it was my mother’s maid uniform finally sitting down for the first time to take a break; and it was my grandfather’s humility reminding me of all that was sacrificed for me to be in that classroom,” he said. When Flores decided to embark on the study about how local Latinos access legal resources, he knew exactly who to turn to for help on the statistical aspects — Najera, his friend from both UNLV and Silverado High School, where the two had been involved in the high school’s Student Organization of Latinos.

Following a Passion Also a first-generation college student and Millennium Scholarship recipient, Najera had always considered math to be his best subject, but didn’t think that skill would parlay into a successful career. So he tried other disciplines such as electrical engineering, pre-dental and education. With the help of a faculty mentor, after three years of studying biology and electrical engineering, he rediscovered his true passion — mathematics. “Once I focused on what I wanted to study rather than on my career goals, I became more involved in my classes and became a better student,” Najera said. “It was the best decision I ever made.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in math-

“At the most basic level, access starts with information.” – Edgar Flores ’12

ematics in 2010 from UNLV, Najera taught Spanish at a private school in California for one year. Realizing that teaching was not for him and admitting that crunching numbers was his life’s calling, he returned to UNLV to pursue a master’s degree in statistics. He graduated in December 2013 and now works as a data analyst for Caesars Entertainment. Najera’s prowess at statistics made him the natural choice when Flores was seeking someone to work with him on the legal study. “Sean has an appreciation for statistics like no one else I know,” Flores said. “More importantly, the numbers would mean nothing without a person who was able to interpret them and explain what they mean. “I also knew this endeavor would require

more than just someone who understood math. It required someone who also was passionate enough to donate many hours to provide useful data for our community.” About the Study Flores wanted to learn more about why Latinos use non-attorneys to resolve their legal issues. Members of the Latino community frequently use notarios públicos (notaries public) instead of attorneys for legal advice. This is because notarios públicos are considered licensed attorneys in many Latin American countries. Flores said this research was important because members of the Latino community frequently are victims of the unauthorized practice of law. It was after reading other studies that he became interested in understanding what role the notaries public play in the Latino community, why the Latino community is so vulnerable to notaries public, and if there is a correlation between the Latino community’s access to free or inexpensive legal services and the use of notaries public. “At the most basic level, access starts with information,” Flores said. “Language and cultural barriers impede Latinos from using legal services even when they know where to find them.” Najera’s goal for the statistical analysis was to see if there was a correlation between the Latino community’s awareness of inexpensive legal service in Las Vegas and demographic variables such as age, income, first language, and education level. This, he felt, would help them understand which group was most in need of outreach. After surveying nearly 400 members of the community, there was enough data for Najera to look for statistically significant associations. After months of analysis, he concluded that awareness of legal services was directly correlated with income and education level. This led the team to conclude there should be more outreach to those with a lower income and education level in the community. The study was presented to the Nevada Legislature in 2013 and used to craft Assembly Bill 74, titled “Legal Document Preparation Services.” The new law regulates document preparation services by providing a set of rules that must be followed and sanctions for those who do not. Najera said he found it rewarding to work with his longtime friend on the legal study. “We are such good friends and interact all the time in our personal lives, but have never interacted on an academic level,” he said. “Edgar is very active in the community and has worked on several civic-minded initiatives. I was proud to collaborate with him on this project.” 2014 | UNLV Law

Richard J. Morgan

UNLV Law | 2014

Dialogue with the Deans Boyd School of Law Leaders Reflect on the Past, Look to the Future

John Valery White

“We had an 11-month period to ramp up the law school, about half what’s normally needed. We were thinking we weren’t going to make it, but we took a deep breath, opened the doors and it worked.” — Richard J. Morgan

By Brian Sodoma

n 16 years, the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law has contributed to the careers of 1,800 working professionals by offering them an unparalleled legal education. Boyd School of Law graduates have gone on to become partners in law firms, tenured professors, legislators and lobbyists, and advocates for low-income individuals and families. They have had their hands in important legal work that shapes the framework of our society. In its brief history, four deans (including current Dean Daniel Hamilton) have led the Boyd School of Law, while propelling it to top-tier rankings and many other accolades, awards and distinctions. The Boyd School of Law’s deans — past and current — recently reflected on their time as leaders of the state’s only law school, its rich student culture, commitment to community, values, and the challenges that come with leading one of the state’s greatest higher education success stories. Richard J. Morgan: A Founding Visionary Founding Dean Richard J. Morgan remembers a somewhat frantic opening to the law school in 1998. Arriving from a very established institution at Arizona State University, Morgan was ripe for the challenge of launching the Boyd School of Law, even though it seemed so many elements were stacked against him. “We had an 11-month period to ramp up the law school, about half what’s normally needed. We were thinking we weren’t going to make it, but we took a deep breath, opened the doors and 2014 | UNLV Law

Boyd School of Law Has Grown from Humble Origins

Nancy B. Rapoport

By Geoff Schumacher

nterest in opening a law school in Las Vegas dates to the early 1970s, when a study confirmed that the burgeoning community could support one. But the project did not move forward until 1995, when the Nevada Legislature allocated $500,000 to plan a law school at UNLV. At that time, Nevada and Alaska were the only states that did not have a law school. But in contrast to the Land of the Midnight Sun, Nevada was the nation’s fastest-growing state, and the Las Vegas area had a population exceeding 1.1 million. The state appropriation got the wheels turning, but UNLV President Carol Harter faced the ominous task of securing sufficient public dollars and raising millions more from private donors to make the dream a reality. One of the school’s early supporters was William S. Boyd, chairman of Boyd Gaming Corporation, who pledged $5 million and solicited others who pledged another $2 million. Buoyed by the private support, Harter persuaded the Legislature in 1997 to authorize the creation of the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. The next step was to hire the founding dean, and the search resulted in the hiring of Richard J. Morgan, dean of Arizona State University’s law school. Arriving at UNLV in September 1997, Morgan had less than a year to put toit worked,” he said. Boyd was housed in an old elementary school in its first year, awaiting completion of its first building. Morgan remembers stocking library bookshelves the night before opening the school’s doors and plenty of other challenges in the early days. Logistics aside, he knew what the law program could become, and more importantly what it stood for: quality students, quality faculty, and a commitment to community. “The vision you sell to a community has to be one that’s first rate,” he said. From the first major donation from William S. Boyd himself to plenty of others from the local legal community and other philanthropic partners, Morgan was impressed by the way the law school was not merely encouraged but completely embraced by the community and state. “The warmth and generosity of people you meet here is remarkable,” he said. 26

UNLV Law | 2014

John Valery White: Leadership in Tough Times After Morgan’s 10-year run as dean, John Valery White took the helm as the second dean of the school. White guided the law school through the Great Recession, battling budget cuts while adding world-class faculty and staff and keeping tuition increases to a minimum along the way. Before long, most people in Nevada who were taking the bar exam were from Boyd. “I just remember, in 2010, as we’re experiencing the blows to the economy, the data comes in and it becomes apparent we’ve become Nevada’s law school without a doubt,” he said. “We had triple-digit numbers in the summer bar [exam]. Only one other state had double digits. Those who wanted to be here and practice were enrolled with us. We started talking about it for the next year. … The numbers [for the summer bar exam] are still sitting at triple digits, and only one other state has double digits.”

The Boyd School of Law at the Paradise Campus, 1998-2002

gether the faculty, staff and facilities — not to mention recruit students — to open the law school. Morgan was able to attract high-quality faculty for the same reason he made the leap: the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a promising enterprise. Another hurdle: finding a suitable temporary location for the fledgling institution. Just two months before the start of classes, space was found in the old Paradise Elementary School adjacent to the UNLV campus. A flurry of renovations ensued, as well as the acquisition of adult-sized tables and chairs and a basic set of books for the law library. The school opened in August 1998 with a charter class of 142 students. The Boyd School of Law grew quickly. With its focus on providing students with hands-on experience, the school established what would become known as the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic in 2000. The Nevada Law Journal published its first issue in 2001, and the moot court program started that same year. Accreditation came quickly. Provisional approval was earned in 2000, allowing for the graduation of the first class of 79 in 2001. Full accreditation followed in 2003. Meanwhile, the law school finally was able to secure more suitable quarters. In 2002, it moved into the former university library, which was renovated to serve as the law school’s permanent home. In 2003, another goal was achieved with the opening of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution, thanks to a contribution from local philanthropists Michael and Sonja Saltman. Today, Boyd is consistently ranked among the nation’s top public law schools. Its success is a testament to the vision of its founding administrators, faculty and donors who worked hard to create a great law school for Nevada.

Daniel W. Hamilton

Today, White serves as UNLV’s executive vice president and provost. Nancy B. Rapoport: A Bridge to the Future Nancy B. Rapoport’s tenure as interim dean was short, but there was plenty for which to be proud. The school achieved even higher rankings among the nation’s law schools and more prestigious awards for its individual programs while she was at the helm in 2012-13. While the higher rankings were encouraging, Rapoport liked to steer conversations toward more important matters, such as bar exam passage rates. UNLV’s first-time pass rates have been above 80 percent for quite some time, well above the state passage rate. Rapoport also enjoyed learning about the many unique student personalities during her time as dean, along with their common bond of community support. “Seeing how the students interact with each other, they are so smart and talented, but also kind. Those qualities keep coming with every generation of law student,” she said. Rapoport, who spent time as an associate dean at The Ohio State University and dean at University of Nebraska College of Law and University of Houston Law Center, was also encouraged by the program’s diversity. “The year I was interim dean, among the students, 20 different languages were spoken. Not many law schools can say that,” she added. Rapoport is the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at Boyd and currently serves as senior advisor to the president of UNLV and the Leadership Development Academy coordinator. Daniel W. Hamilton: Leading Into the Future Growing up in Washington, D.C., with parents who worked for the Kennedy administration, Daniel W. Hamilton seemed destined for politics. But the academic administration

and teaching bugs bit him. Hamilton has written about and researched topics such as American property ideology and Civil War legal and constitutional issues. In his first year as dean at Boyd, he has helped organize the school’s first Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in gaming law, a selective graduate program that will leverage the gaming law expertise found in the nation’s most casino-dense state. “You don’t just want to survive,” Hamilton said. “You want to make sure the rest of the nation knows what Nevadans already know, that this is a top law school in the country that offers value and quality, and that’s very rare.” Hamilton says a part of Boyd’s good fortune lies in its strong ties with the local and state legal and academic communities. Because of so many solid statewide relationships, students gain unique access to legal professionals and critical learning opportunities while also serving those in need. He also can’t say enough about the teaching culture the school embraces. “That’s just good fortune that our faculty is totally dedicated to teaching,” he said. “The academy doesn’t reward teaching enough, and it just takes a group of dedicated, somewhat selfless faculty to really make that a priority.” Going forward, Hamilton intends to encourage more community partnerships; court stellar students and faculty; and build new graduate, online, and executive education programs that serve the needs of future legal professionals. “One of the great aspects of this job is if you’re engaged and committed to this city and state, you are welcomed and people want to hear from you,” Hamilton said. “They want to know how they can continue to help. That’s been gratifying.” 2014 | UNLV Law

Faculty Scholarship, Presentations, and other News

Faculty Focus

The Federal Land Expert In the summer of 2013, the Obama administration appointed Professor Bret Birdsong to serve as deputy solicitor for land resources at the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. In this role, Birdsong leads a team of lawyers providing counsel to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding its management of nearly 250 million acres of public land, which includes about 70 percent of Nevada’s land. He is one of six deputy solicitors reporting to Solicitor Hilary Tompkins, the Interior Department’s top lawyer. Before his appointment began, Birdsong said, “It will be a thrill and honor to serve the nation as an appointee in the Obama administration and to help the Secretary of the Interior develop and implement the administration’s priorities for public lands. I expect to return to the faculty in a few years enriched in my legal experience and with new perspectives to bring to my scholarship and teaching.” On his docket are legal issues concerning renewable energy facilities on public land, wilderness, recreation, livestock grazing, forestry and timber sales, national monuments, and other uses of BLM lands. Birdsong is an expert on federal land law and is a co-author of a leading casebook on natural resources law.

UNLV Law | 2014

The Health Law Expert Stacey Tovino emphasizes need for health law changes to Address disparities Some state and federal health insurance laws haven’t caught up with scientific advancements, and there’s a resulting health care treatment gap, particularly for those battling certain mental illnesses. Stacey Tovino, Lincy Professor of Law and Lehman Professor of Law, says it’s time for a change. Tovino, a leading expert and international speaker on health law, bioethics and medical humanities, has published a dozen articles since 2012, many of them dealing with the rights not being afforded to the mentally ill. In an article to be published this fall in the Tulane Law Review, Tovino highlights how many state insurance laws still don’t support those with gambling addictions. While scientific research has shown gambling disorders to be a treatable mental illness, many existing state and federal laws still describe the condition as an impulse control disorder, for which coverage is either nonexistent or extremely limited by many health insurance providers. Tovino advocates for other legal changes that affect the lives of the mentally ill. In a 2012 article addressing the federal Common Rule, which regulates human subjects research involving adults with impaired decision-making capacity, she illustrated how the law lacks coverage of protected groups such as those with neurological, psychiatric, or developmental conditions, which could also impair decisionmaking. Tovino is now lending her expertise to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is seeking guidance on a federal rule change.

Tovino was also on the planning committee for the Health Care Disparities in Nevada Symposium held in April 2014 at the Boyd School of Law’s Thomas & Mack Moot Court. The event brought together physicians, lawyers, and experts from a variety of fields to share research and knowledge on health care disparities seen in a variety of populations, including Alzheimer’s patients, Latino construction workers, the elderly, and

adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, among many others. “It was a great introductory event,” she said. “And I’m excited to work with them again at the UNLV and UNSOM Interprofessional Health Equity Symposium.” The symposium will be held at the UNLV School of Medicine on Oct. 10, 2014. For more information, visit law.unlv.edu/HealthEquitySymposium2014.

Faculty Focus

New Book: Choosing the Future for American Juvenile Justice “It can be argued that now is a new era of juvenile justice. We’re beginning … to litigate some of the remedies from the get-tough-onjuvenile-crime period of the ’80s and ’90s and to rethink policies. Too often, the law for adults is applied to teenagers and we might need to make changes to laws.”

Looking to the Past David Tanenhaus views juvenile justice system through historical lens Historians often look to the past in order to better understand the present and to develop policies for the future. David Tanenhaus, the James E. Rogers Professor of History and Law, brings that historical approach to the topic of juvenile justice at the William S. Boyd School of Law. This should not be surprising. After all, Tanenhaus is not only a professor in the law school but also the chair of UNLV’s History Department, and history propelled his interest in juvenile justice. “In the 1990s I studied constitutional law as well as legal systems. It was a time when there was incredible concern about young people and teenagers in the adult legal system. When should they be treated as adults and when should they be treated differently because they’re juveniles? I became interested in understanding

why we set up a separate juvenile justice system in the first place,” Tanenhaus said, adding that the first juvenile court opened in Chicago in 1899. “Since completing my dissertation, my research has turned to how decisions made by people in the past are impacting the system today.” According to Tanenhaus, some of today’s juvenile justice policies reflect the get-tough-on-juvenilecrime approach of the 1980s and 1990s and are being reviewed. “It can be argued that now is a new era of juvenile justice. We’re beginning … to litigate some of the remedies from the get-tough-onjuvenile-crime period of the ’80s and ’90s and to rethink policies. Too often, the law for adults is applied to teenagers and we might need to make changes to laws,” he said, mentioning the U.S. Supreme Court’s Miller v. Alabama as an example. The 2012 decision outlawed mandatory life sentences for juveniles and has led to resentencing hearings in other states. Ongoing issues include providing adequate education to juveniles in detention, immigration policy in

juvenile justice, record confidentiality, and behavioral and legal issues of juvenile sex offenders. Tanenhaus addressed some of these issues in Choosing the Future for American Juvenile Justice (NYU Press, 2014), a book he co-edited with Franklin E. Zimring, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Additionally, Tanenhaus and Zimring brought such issues to discussion while hosting the 2013 Juvenile Justice Conference at the Boyd School of Law’s Thomas & Mack Moot Court. “The conference was an effort to bring together universities to work on policy issues with practitioners from Nevada,” he said. “What was really nice about the conference was the discussion among attendees from a dozen different states, including members of the Clark County justice system and the Nevada attorney general’s office. It was great to discuss national issues and policies in juvenile justice on the UNLV campus.” Tanenhaus is working on his next book, which will review juvenile justice issues on a broader, international perspective.

“This essential volume, edited by two of the leading scholars on juvenile justice, and with contributors who are among the key experts on each issue, focuses on the most pressing issues of the day: the impact of neuroscience on our understanding of brain development and subsequent sentencing, the relationship of schools and the police, the issue of the school-to-prison pipeline, the impact of immigration, the privacy of juvenile records, and the need for national policies — including registration requirements — for juvenile sex offenders. Choosing the Future for American Juvenile Justice is not only a timely collection,

based on the most current research, but also a forward-thinking volume that anticipates the needs for substantive and future changes in juvenile justice.” - NYU Press, 2014

2014 | UNLV Law

Faculty Focus

Collaborations and Conversations The UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law hosted the first West Coast Rhetoric Scholarship Workshop in November 2013, bringing together professors from a dozen law schools to exchange drafts and comments on scholarly works in progress. After this two-day workshop, Boyd formed a consortium with University of Washington and Stanford University whose goal is to bring together scholars from the Western region who are interested in collaborating with and talking to one another about law and rhetoric scholarship, broadly defined. Pictured right, front row from left: Terrill Pollman, Steve Johannsen, Michael Frost, Judy Stinson, and Linda Edwards; seated behind table from left: Tom Cobb, Helen Anderson, and Jeanne Merino; and back row from left: Derek Kiernan-Johnson, Ian Bartrum, Rebecca Scharf, Teresa Phelps, Jeanne Price, Linda Berger, Jay Mootz, Daniel Hamilton, and Ken Chestek.

UNLV Law | 2014

The Legal Network Linda Berger Becomes Legal Writing Institute president UNLV Boyd School of Law Professor Linda Berger is sharing her knowledge of legal writing as the new president of the Legal Writing Institute, assuming the position in June during its 16th Biennial Conference in Philadelphia. Berger said she looks forward to continuing to serve on the board of directors of the 30-year-old nonprofit organization which she has been a part of for more than 20 years. UNLV colleague Rebecca Scharf, associate professor of law, was also selected for its board. “Being involved in the Legal Writing Institute has connected me to a complex and active network of

teachers, lawyers and judges from across the country who share an interest in legal writing,” Berger said. “Through the sharing of ideas, I have become a better teacher and this has enhanced my scholarship which focuses exclusively on legal rhetoric and communication. “For example, I have been working on a series of articles about persuasive writing and how persuasion is based on understanding the findings of cognitive science and rhetorical analysis. ... I never would have been involved in this area if I had not met someone at a Legal Writing Institute conference 20 years ago who shared ideas with me. I can trace my interest in this area to one person at one conference, and most of the scholarship that I have done over the last 20 years is because of that one connection.” Founded in 1984, the Legal Writing Institute includes nearly 2,800 members from 40 countries; members include law school educators as well as attorneys, judges, and legal consultants.

Berger believes that involvement in national organizations like the Legal Writing Institute benefits UNLV. “Having so many of us active helps build the university’s name recognition and the law school’s national reputation,” she said. “These professional ties can help open up doors and opportunities to present and speak at other conferences. For example, last year I was invited to speak at a conference of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers in San Diego. The fact that someone from UNLV is talking to appellate lawyers from across the country is great as it creates visibility for the university and the research being done by UNLV professors.” Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Berger, who joined the Boyd School of Law in 2011, was recognized with the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Award during the 14th Annual Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, hosted by Boyd School of Law in March.

Faculty Focus

Leading the Way Lawyering Process Program Continues to Educate and innovate In 2014, the Lawyering Process Program was ranked third among the nation’s top legal writing programs by U.S. News & World Report for the third consecutive year. The program emphasizes professionalism and the relationship between legal analysis and lawyering skills, including legal writing, research, oral advocacy, client interviewing, counseling and negotiation. The program prepares students to leave law school proficient in the key language skills of legal practice. The program continues to mature and develop. In 2013, three members of the Lawyering Process faculty joined the tenure track — Peter Brandon Bayer, Sara Gordon, and Rebecca Scharf. Professor Bayer teaches administrative and regulatory law courses in addition to Legal Writing, and he writes at the intersection of philosophy, constitutional law, and jurisprudence. Professor Gordon teaches Evidence and Legal Writing at Boyd. Her research focuses on law and psychology, the impact of cognitive and social psychology on decision-making, and access to mental health care. Professor Scharf teaches Family Law, Legal Research and Writing, and Privacy, Publicity & Defamation. She has published articles in the areas of legal writing and welfare reform.

Boyd School of Law Wins Law Writing Competition Boyd student Amber Lilienthal received first place in the Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition. Lilienthal won the competition for a brief she completed in Professor Lori Johnson’s Lawyering Process II class. The national competition, sponsored by the Mercer University School of Law and the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability, honors the work of the late Professor Adam Milani, an advocate for disability rights. Johnson, who teaches Lawyering Process and Legal Drafting at Boyd, recently presented on a panel titled, “Practicing Today for Practice Tomorrow; Innovative Approaches” at the 16th Biennial Legal Writing Institute Conference.

Founding Faculty: Terrill Pollman There is a special cadre of faculty members who welcomed the first class of students to the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law in the fall of 1998. Professor Terrill Pollman was one of those founding faculty members. What started then, and continues now, is a legacy of hundreds of law students turned graduates, turned distinguished alumni, who credit their success as effective advocates and leaders to lessons learned from Pollman. As generations of her legal writing students proudly attest, Pollman’s class is difficult but fair, exhausting yet rewarding. Her mastery of the classroom and of the subject has made her the teacher’s teacher. The Boyd School of Law’s Lawyering Process Program is, and long has been, one of the mostly highly regarded programs in the country. Pollman recently completed an important law review article that draws on cognitive research and composition theory. In “The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Examples and Model-Based Learning in the Law School Classroom,” Pollman deconstructs the process of how teachers and students use examples in the classroom, particularly in writing classrooms. She concludes that using cognitive load theory principles to guide the design of law school learning can make learning both more efficient and deeper in law school classrooms.

Lori Johnson

Rebecca Scharf Elected to Legal Writing Institute Board

Peter Bayer

Sara Gordon

Rebecca Scharf

Professor Rebecca Scharf was recently elected to the national Board of Directors for the Legal Writing Institute, a nonprofit focused on improving legal writing by creating a forum for scholarship and discussion of legal writing, analysis, and research. The Legal Writing Institute has 2,800 members. A total of 32 candidates ran for the eight positions on the Board of Directors. Scharf’s term began this summer at the organization’s biennial conference and will last until 2018. 2014 | UNLV Law

Faculty Focus

Scholarship & Commentary Leslie Griffin is nationally known for her interdisciplinary work in constitutional law and in law and religion. Areas of expertise: Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Law and Religion, and Bioethics Thomas McAffee’s research focuses on constitutional issues, including the separation of powers, judicial review, and the roles of the various branches of the national government in constitutional interpretation. Area of expertise: Constitutional Law Jeffrey Stempel is a prolific scholar writing on a range of topics that include civil procedure and practice, insurance, and legal ethics. Areas of expertise: Civil Procedure, Legal Ethics, Insurance, and Alternative Dispute Resolution

1 On current issues Professor Leslie Griffin on the Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell.

“The Court didn’t even consider that secular, for-profit corporations cannot exercise religion. Running a business is not the exercise of religion. Providing insurance coverage is not the exercise of religion. It is a mistake to think of every moral belief as the exercise of religion. The Court misunderstood that in Hobby Lobby.”

Professor Thomas McAffee on the potential consequences of Hobby Lobby’s claim of a religious exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate on same sex marriage. “[I]f courts are going to seriously implement the requirements of strict scrutiny as called for in the [Religious Freedom Restoration Act], it is hard to see how the strict scrutiny called for in state-statute equivalents of the RFRA would not create valid religious liberty claims in opposition to bans on gay marriage. … The irony presented does also have a certain delicious quality to it. The strongest proponents of expansive mandatory free exercise exemptions have been conservative religionists who have, among other things, tried to use state equivalents of the RFRA to justify religion-based decisions to discriminate against participants in gay weddings. Surely, however, if there are any whose religious beliefs are substantially burdened by state law, it is those who, on religious grounds, are committed to implementing the desires of same-sex couples for marriage.”

Professor Jeffrey Stempel on recent developments in personal jurisdiction. His article, “The Irrepressible Myth of Burnham — And Its Increasing Indefensibility After Goodyear and Daimler,” is included in a fall 2014 Nevada Law Journal symposium on civil procedure.

“In the past three years, the U.S. Supreme Court has dramatically constrained the ability of plaintiffs to sue corporate defendants accused of wrongdoing, particularly with regard to so-called ‘general’ personal jurisdiction. The Court has suggested that this type of jurisdiction is available only where the company is incorporated or has its executive headquarters — a view that it simply too protective of corporate giants with ample legal resources and the right to deduct their legal expenses from tax bills. Making a bad situation arguably worse, courts continue to adhere to older precedent that holds that an individual may be sued in any state — over anything — if the individual is served with a summons and complaint when in the state, even if briefly passing through at the airport, on the freeway, or even in the state’s airspace. The juxtaposition of these two approaches to judicial power raises serious questions of whether courts have become too protective of business and insufficiently concerned about the rights of individuals.”

UNLV Law | 2014

Faculty Focus

Professor Ian Bartrum in an op-ed in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Cliven Bundy’s armed standoff against Bureau of Land Management officials. “As a student of [the Constitution] and the arguments that surround it, I can certainly appreciate the rhetorical power of invoking the Founding Fathers and the revolutionary spirit in an effort to garner political support and reshape the law. In this particular case, however, the actual text of the Constitution is of no help to [Cliven] Bundy … The plain legal meaning … is that the Constitution expressly authorizes Congress to regulate the use and disposition of federal lands.”

2 On the science and law of mental health Professor Stacey Tovino on her mental health law project and 2012 article, “All Illnesses Are (Not) Created Equal: Reforming Federal Mental Health Insurance Law,” published in the Harvard Journal on Legislation.

“Throughout this three-part project, the aim is to bring greater attention to the origins and evolution of the concept of health and to discredit the notion that individuals with mental health conditions are less deserving of legal protection and benefits than individuals with physical health conditions. The purpose of this particular piece is to explore in greater detail the reasons offered by legislators, regulators, judges, insurers, and other stakeholders for providing less comprehensive insurance benefits for individuals with mental illness, and to question the logic, scientific bases, and empirical accuracy of these reasons.”

Ian Bartrum’s research interests are in constitutional history and theory, the Establishment Clause, and constitutional education. Areas of expertise: Constitutional Law, Constitutional Theory, Constitutional History, and Law and Religion Stacey Tovino has expertise in the regulatory and financial aspects of health law, and she frequently explores issues that lie at the intersection of health law and other fields. Areas of expertise: Health Law, Medical Humanities, Bioethics, and Tort Law Sara Gordon’s research focuses on law and psychology, the impact of cognitive and social psychology on decision-making, and access to mental health care. Areas of expertise: Lawyering Process, Evidence, and Community Property

Professor Sara Gordon and Dr. Melissa Piasecki (University of Nevada School of Medicine) on their work with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to review Alaska mental health statutes and recommend changes and improvements.

“Mental health statutes should be based on current scientific research and the most recent developments in health law and policy. This project will review and recommend changes to existing Alaska statutes related to insanity, competency to stand trial, involuntary admission for treatment, and the use of psychotropic medication. We are working with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to review national trends and best practices in these areas and to make recommendations for improvements to the existing statutes. The Trust is a subdivision of the state of Alaska, which works on behalf of Alaskans who experience mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and other disabling mental health conditions.”

2014 | UNLV Law

Faculty Focus

Scholarship & Commentary Addie Rolnick’s scholarship focuses on bridging gaps between civil rights, Critical Race Theory, federal Indian law, and indigenous rights. Areas of expertise: Critical Race Theory, Juvenile Law, Indian Law, Criminal Law and Procedure Sylvia Lazos, a constitutional law and critical race scholar, has written exhaustively on how constitutional norms can accommodate a new American reality that is increasingly multicultural, multiracial and multiethnic. Areas of expertise: Critical Race Theory/LatCrit Theory, Immigration Policy, Race and Law, Constitutional Law, and Education K-16 Bilingual Michael Kagan studies contemporary issues of importance in immigration with an emphasis on refugee and asylum law. Areas of expertise: International Human Rights Law, International Refugee Law, Immigration Law, Administrative Law, Professional Ethics, and Evidence

3 On education and juvenile justice Professor Addie Rolnick on the juvenile justice system’s response to American Indian and Alaska Native children exposed to violence. She testified before a U.S. Department of Justice task force hearing.

“[Native youth and their communities need a juvenile justice] system that has trauma screening and mental health care. A system that places drug and alcohol treatment at the center. A system that responds to the historical circumstances of Native youth in the following ways: Repairs families. Restores culture. Avoids military-style discipline. Avoids violence to every extent possible. Avoids removal from the home to every extent possible. Responds to the trend of over-incarceration by taking care — extra care — to avoid reliance on any kind of detention or incarceration unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Professor Sylvia Lazos on the responsibility of state legislators to public education funding in Nevada. Professor Lazos and other community leaders partnered to create and promote Reading Skills Development Centers for English Language Learners as part of a new law, Nevada Senate Bill 504, passed during the 2013 legislative session. “The Nevada Constitution mandates that it’s their Constitutional duty, it’s their duty and honor as a legislator, to fund a suitable education for every Nevada child. And right now, I don’t think we’re quite there. We’re making progress, but we’re not quite there.”

4 On immigration law and policy Professor Michael Kagan on the 2014 Supreme Court decision in Cuellar de Osorio. The Court affirmed the Board of Immigration Appeals interpretation of the immigration statute.

“In law school, interpreting the [Immigration and Nationality Act] can make for an endless supply of statutory interpretation exercises. But there is much more at stake here. In practical terms for real people, the Court in Cuellar de Osorio held that if the Executive Branch thinks that some immigrant families should wait two extra decades to be together, it can make them wait. It doesn’t have to make them wait, but it can.”

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Faculty Focus

Professors Michael Kagan, Fatma Marouf, and Rebecca Gill (UNLV Political Science) on their empirical study of stays of removal, “Justice on the Fly: The Danger of Errant Deportations,” published in The Ohio State Law Journal. “We analyzed 1,646 cases filed after Nken in the eleven circuits that adjudicate immigration appeals. By reviewing the individual dockets of these cases, we collected unique data on the rates at which courts grant stays, the rates at which noncitizens request them, the rates of government opposition, and correlations between stays granted and ultimate success on the merits. This study provides new insight into the way circuit courts process immigration appeals, offering a singular window into an arena of judicial decision-making where judgments are rarely articulated in writing.”

5 On employment law and workers’ rights Professor Ruben Garcia on the political challenge faced by home healthcare workers after the 2014 Supreme Court decision Harris v. Quinn.

“[Because] many of these workers are among the most politically vulnerable in society – lowwage earners, women, people of color and noncitizens – they will lack the political power to easily change legislation for their benefit and the benefit of their clients or customers, who are alone, disabled, elderly and ill. In Harris v. Quinn, the Supreme Court has once again marginalized these employees, and the people for whom they work.”

Professor Ann McGinley on Jonathan Martin, the Miami Dolphins football player who accused teammates of workplace harassment, in the introduction of her forthcoming book, Through a Different Lens: Using Masculinities Theory to Re-interpret Title VII.

“In a hypothetical case brought by Jonathan Martin against his employer, his lawyer would allege sex- or gender- and race-based harassment that creates a hostile work environment. In harassment cases, courts focus on whether the harassing behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the plaintiff’s employment and whether it occurred “because of sex.” In this case, the court would also likely have trouble determining whether the behavior occurred “because of race.” … [M]y approach is both theoretical and pragmatic. I use masculinities and feminist theories to propose a theory of gender discrimination in the workplace that defines gender or sex as including biological sex, gender identity, gender role and expression and sexual orientation. This theory of gender discrimination explains how masculinities theory can help us interpret behaviors in Title VII cases and to understand why often the courts’ views of behavior are inadequately circumscribed by their own personal experiences.”

Fatma Marouf draws on her extensive experience representing individuals before the Immigration Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals, and U.S. Courts of Appeals to explore solutions to immigration issues. Areas of expertise: Immigration Law, Refugee Law, and International Human Rights Law Ruben Garcia, an expert in the fields of labor and employment law, writes frequently about the economic and legal challenges facing marginal workers. Areas of expertise: Labor Law, Employment Discrimination Law, Employment, Constitutional Law, Law and Society, Law and Social Change, First Amendment, Immigration Policy, International Human Rights Law, Professional Ethics, Critical Race Theory/LatCrit Theory Ann McGinley is an internationally recognized scholar in the area of employment law, employment discrimination and disability law and a leader in Multidimensional Masculinities Theory, an emerging discipline that applies masculinities theory from social sciences to legal interpretation. Areas of expertise: Tort Law, Masculinities Theory and Law, Disability Discrimination Law, Gender and Law, Employment Discrimination Law, Employment Law, Arbitration

2014 | UNLV Law

What happens at Boyd ... in pictures

The Gallery

Paws for a Break On April 16, 2014, a group of therapy dogs stopped by the Wiener-Rogers Law Library. Pet Partners, a nonprofit that helps improve peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and well-being through positive interactions with animals, brought dogs to spend time with students, faculty and staff. From left: Student Services Librarian Chad Schatzle, Head of Cataloging and Innovative Systems Sean Saxon, and Research Librarian Andrew Martineau take a break to de-stress with Pet Partners volunteer Marilyn Hanley (center) and furry friend Cassidy.

Learning at the Legislature Externships are elective experiential learning courses that integrate class work with realworld experience. Students gain a deeper understanding of law and see first-hand how the law is applied while working under the direct supervision of lawyers and judges in a variety of settings. From left: Boyd students Chandler Pohl, Kirsten Van Ry, Omar Saucedo, and Ramir Hernandez externing at the Legislature in Carson City.

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The Gallery

Career Development The Professional Development Fellowship Program provides diverse second-year, fulltime and third-year, part-time students with an educational and practical experience by pairing them with local legal employers with a long-term goal of increasing diversity in their hiring and retention. Students complete challenging and rewarding assignments designed to build practical legal skills. The semester-long program takes place in the spring. Above: Boyd student Wing Yan Wong serves as a Professional Development Fellow at Lewis Roca Rothgerber.

Graduation Day The UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law held its 2014 Law School Convocation on May 16 to honor 137 graduates. Top: New graduates posing for a photo at the 2014 Convocation Middle: Aruhn Venkat ’14 (center) with his sister Divya and father, Dean Rama Venkat, of the UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering Bottom: U.S. Representative Steven Horsford delivering the keynote address at the graduation ceremony

2014 | UNLV Law

The Gallery

Boydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Spring Fling Members of the extended Boyd community turned out on April 5, 2014 for the fifth annual SPRING FLING, featuring a barbecue, a softball tournament, family-friendly outdoor activities, a photo booth, and the chance to catch up with classmates and other Boyd friends.

From Study to Practice

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The Corporate Summer Internship Program is a joint initiative of the Boyd School of Law and the Nevada Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.Â The Corporate Summer Internship Program provides Boyd School of Law students with exposure to in-house legal departments as well as an excellent educational legal experience by pairing them with corporate counsel during the summer. Above: Michelle Nisce and Ryan Gormley stand inside the NV Energy building, where they completed their internships.

The Gallery

Boyd Welcomes New Dean On Sept. 12, 2013 inside the Thomas & Mack Moot Court, the law school hosted an Installation ceremony for Dean Daniel Hamilton, who joined the Boyd School of Law just a few months earlier. The event, which drew hundreds, was marked by speeches given by (from left) Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Page, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada Assembly Majority Leader William Horne, Dean Daniel Hamilton, UNLV Executive Vice President and Provost John Valery White, and UNLV President Neal Smatresk.

Water Law in the West The Boyd School of Law and the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution on Sept. 25, 2013 hosted a panel discussion called Water Law in the West featuring Patricia Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority; Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; and Michele Straube, director of the Wallace Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program of The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. This discussion focused on the challenges, obstacles and opportunities that will determine the fate of the Colorado River. Right: Patricia Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, speaks with members of the media covering the Water Law in the West panel discussion. 2014 | UNLV Law

The Gallery

Nevadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Law School The Boyd School of Law opened its doors to the charter class in 1998. Classes were held at the former Paradise Elementary School until the law school relocated to its permanent building in 2002.

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2014 | UNLV Law

Interesting insights into members of the Boyd community

Who Knew?

bers William Charter class mem d Jason Frierson an Horne ’01 (left) key leadership ’01 currently hold vada State Ne positions in the . Assembly

William Horne, Jason Frierson

Boyd Lawmakers

harter class members William Horne and Jason Frierson share the unique perspective of having studied law, practiced law, and crafted law. It is a point of pride for the William S. Boyd School of Law to have had two alumni in key leadership positions during Nevada’s 77th (2013) Legislative Session: Assemblyman Horne (District 34) serving as Majority Floor Leader and Assemblyman Frierson (District 8) as Assistant Majority Floor Leader. Law school truly changed Horne’s flight path. At the end of his freshman year at UNLV, he left school for a job in the airline industry. He often gave advice to his co-workers on contract and work-

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ers compensation issues. About 15 years later, and at his mother’s urging, he returned to UNLV and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He then attended the Boyd School of Law and further honed his sense of service by volunteering as a student attorney in the Child Welfare Clinic. Upon passing the bar, Horne started his own law firm. He was elected to the Assembly in 2002 and recently reached his term limit. Horne no doubt will seek another position where he can continue serving the community at large. After completing his B.S. in Health Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, Frierson made the decision to come to Las Vegas for law school.

While at the Boyd School of Law, he was an active participant in the Juvenile Justice Clinic and received the Barbara Buckley Community Service Award. Following a brief stint in private civil practice, he worked as a deputy attorney general and later as a deputy public defender. Before running for the Assembly and being elected in 2010, Frierson already had legislative experience from his time as a lobbyist for Clark County and the public defender’s office. As the recipient of her namesake award at the Boyd School of Law, it is interesting to note that Frierson now represents District 8 — the position previously held by Barbara Buckley, who termed out a few years ago. Photo:istock.com

Who Knew?

Left: United States gymnasts from the 2000 Sydney Olympics hold up their bronze medals. From left: Tasha Schwikert, Elise Ray, Kristin Maloney, Jamie Dantzscher, Amy Chow and Dominique Dawes (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Tasha Schwikert

Balanced and Beaming

triking a balance among law school, work, and life can be a challenge. Fortunately, world-class gymnast and current Boyd student Tasha Schwikert has had plenty of balancing practice. She competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, where she and her teammates won a bronze medal in the team competition. “Competing in the Olympics was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Representing my country was definitely a dream come true for me,” said Schwikert. A Las Vegas native, Schwikert entered the part-time day program at the Boyd School of Law in Photo at top: the associated press

the fall of 2012. Once she made the decision to attend law school, the Boyd School of Law was at the top of her list. “My family is here and (the school) also has a great law program,” she said. “I have the opportunity to graduate and be a part of the legal community in my home state.” Besides her Olympic medal, Schwikert holds two all-around U.S. Gymnastics titles (2001 and 2002) and was on the 2003 team that won at the World Championships. Being on the Olympic team kept her in the public eye for a long time, but she remained disciplined about her studies and was ac-

cepted to UCLA for undergraduate school. Schwikert has a clear vision for her future career. “My aspirations are to work with a really good law firm in the field of either entertainment or sports and entertainment … I think having the law degree helps put me over the top so that I can help other female athletes,” she said.

2014 | UNLV Law

Who Knew?

Tera Hodge, Jennifer Carr, Angela Morrison

From Students to Teachers

era Hodge (» left) ’09, Jennifer Carr (» right) ’06, and Angela Morrison (» middle) ’05 are William S. Boyd School of Law alumni who returned to serve the law school community. What unites these three is a desire to give back to their alma mater and the profession. Hodge initially joined the Boyd staff as judicial clerkship and public interest coordinator in the Career Development Office, but recently stepped into a new role as interim externship director in the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic. After graduation, she accepted a position as an attorney at Nevada Legal Services. Hodge then returned to the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, where she had worked as a law clerk during law school. She takes pro bono cases and loves helping Boyd School of Law students find the right career. “It is a delight to return to the school and mentor the newest members of our legal com-

munity,” Hodge said. Carr was working at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada when the director of the Boyd School of Law’s Academic Success

Program encouraged her to apply for the assistant director position. Carr now directs the Academic Success Program, helping first-year students acclimate to law school and preparing graduates for the bar exam. Carr has taught legal analysis, remedies, and criminal law. “I loved law school so much they couldn’t kick me out,” Carr admits half-jokingly. Morrison served as a law clerk in federal district court after she graduated and went on to work at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she was the first EEOC trial attorney in Las Vegas. One of Morrison’s former professors encouraged her to return to Boyd. Today she is a visiting assistant professor teaching Lawyering Process. As Morrison explains, “My law school professors taught me to approach social problems creatively. I want the opportunity to do this as a scholar and to help students also make a difference.”

Carlos Morales

From staff to Student Leader

ast year’s Student Bar Association President Carlos Morales was at the William S. Boyd School of Law for an uncommonly long time before picking up his J.D. at the May 2014 convocation ceremony. Born in Guatemala and having served in the U.S. Army, Morales arrived in Las Vegas in 2006 and set out to acquire an undergraduate education at UNLV and to pay his own way throughout the endeavor. He quickly landed a job at the Boyd School of Law’s Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic, providing support to faculty and students working their cases. It was the kind of exposure to a law school and its workings that either sends one running out

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the door or convinces one that this is the right place to be. Fortunately, for all involved, Morales found it to be the latter. Following a seamless transition into student life at the Boyd School of Law, Morales was a real dynamo, assuming prominent roles

among his peers formally and informally. As a second-year student, he served both as justice (that’s the top job, for those unfamiliar) of the law school’s vibrant Phi Alpha Delta chapter and as a class representative on the Student Bar Association Board of Governors. And most importantly that year, Morales and his wife, Lindsey (Boyd School of Law ‘09), became parents to Helena Soledad Morales. From staff to student and now alumnus, Morales tells it like it is: “At Boyd, we work hard and we work together — for ourselves, for each other, and for the community at large. My choice to only apply to one law school was easy, and I am proud to be a Boyd grad.”

Who Knew?

Becky Pintar, Bryan Albiston

Practicing family law

ecky Pintar ’01 and Bryan Albiston ’12 formed Pintar Albiston LLP in January 2013. However, their law school journeys trace all the way back to when Pintar entered the charter class at the William S. Boyd School of Law. Today — 15 years later — they share the distinction of running a mother-son law firm in Las Vegas with proud legacy connections to the Boyd School of Law. Pintar fondly remembers her time at Paradise Elementary School for the unique setting and the strong bond she forged with other members of the inaugural class of Nevada’s first and only law school. She had spent 16 years as an educator, 13 of which were with the Clark County School District,

before coming to the Boyd School of Law. Pintar’s legal career began at a mid-sized law firm following graduation. After more than 10 years as a practicing attorney, including three years as a partner, she started her own law firm in March 2012. In addition to her J.D., Pintar received her B.S. in mathematics from the University of Utah

and an M.S. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UNLV. Albiston joined his mother in the practice of law after passing the bar exam in October 2012. He began his studies at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, Calif. and then transferred to the Boyd School of Law after his first year. Albiston also earned a B.S. in accounting from UNLV in 2001. Pintar Albiston LLP focuses on business and family law, and the firm may well be grooming a third-generation Boydian. Spending every Friday at the office with Dad and Grandma, Albiston’s 3-year-old daughter, Sabrina, already looks like a little litigator in the making.

Joshua Igeleke, Crislove Igeleke

Brother and sister in law

everal sets of siblings have enrolled at the William S. Boyd School of Law over the years. However, Joshua and Crislove Igeleke actually attended a single semester of law school concurrently. In the spring of 2014, Crislove was well into her first year when older brother Josh graduated with J.D. and MBA degrees. Despite the short time together at the Boyd School of Law, their experiences bonding as brother and sister are countless, ongoing, and shaped by the influence of their parents. Christy and Joshua Igeleke Sr. worked as ministers of their faith while starting a family in their native Nigeria. Coming to the United States in 1982, the transition to

life in a very different world was not easy. Due to language barriers and limited formal education, the couple was forced to take on multiple low-wage jobs to provide for a growing family of six children. The Igelekes never wavered in stressing the importance of

education to their offspring. Josh went to Texas Christian University where he earned bachelor’s degrees in Electronic Business and Entrepreneurial Management with honors. Crislove also excelled academically, making the Dean’s List as she completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Lincoln University. After Josh’s acceptance at the Boyd School of Law, his father — who got his bachelor’s degree from UNLV in 1988 — shared that law school had been a dream of his. Nevada had no law school back then and he did not want to uproot his family. As Josh said, “His dream was fulfilled by having two of his kids go through law school at Boyd.”

2014 | UNLV Law

Keeping up with Boyd alumni

Class Actions

2000 A. Autumn Betke has joined Benson, Bertoldo, Baker & Carter, Chtd. as a personal injury attorney. She also teaches public speaking as an adjunct professor at the College of Southern Nevada. Michael Saunders was re-elected in July to serve as Vice-Chair on the Board of Trustees of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Michael is a Senior Deputy Attorney General at the Office of the Nevada Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

2001 Amy E. Boyd opened a solo practice, Boyd Law Offices, specializing in family law and personal injury in Helena-West Helena, Ark. She is certified by the State of Arkansas as an attorney ad litem in child custody and guardianship cases, and served as Assistant City Attorney and Assistant Prosecutor for the City of Helena-West Helena from 201213. Amy has served as the President of the Phillips County Bar Association since 2012 and is a Criminal Justice instructor at Phillips College of the University of Arkansas. Amy Honodel is a staff attorney with the Children’s Attorneys Project at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. Meridith Jane Strand is an Associate General Counsel at Southwest Gas Corp. in Las Vegas. Leon R. Symanski is the president of Legends Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting UNLV Men’s Basketball alumni. He is an attorney at Craig P. Kenny & Associates in Las Vegas.

2002 Susan Kaye Bush is a partner at Bush & Levy, LLC in Las Vegas.

2003 Bonnie M. Lonardo and Janice E. Jacovino ’09 are excited to announce the opening of their new Las Vegas firm, LJ Law. Anneliese Purser resides in Henderson with her five children. She is a public defender for 46

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found on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in his red sea kayak. He also enjoys hiking with his wife and two Chinese Pugs.

Saunders ’00

Bush ’02

the Henderson Municipal Court. Daniel Royal filed a patent for use of autologous stem cells in clinic practice in January 2010. He has recently replied to an Office action with Rob Phillips at Greenberg Traurig, LLP as part of the patent prosecution process. He is the Medical Director at the Royal Medical Clinic in Henderson.

2004 Sonya Boun is the Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer for Lewis Roca Rothgerber, LLP in Phoenix. Belisa M. Brownlee is now a high school English teacher in Las Vegas. Jay Karmarkar is currently implementing novel patented technology which integrates E-Gaming and E-Commerce. He is partnering with United States and overseas entities to capitalize and deploy pending patents in mobile, targeted consumer advertising for brick-mortar retailers and 24/7 remote behavioral wellness monitoring. Jay is the CEO of WristOffice Inc. in Aptos, Calif., and regularly attends CLE seminars in Silicon Valley.

2005 Tiffany S. Barney is an associate attorney at Anthony L. Barney, Ltd. in Las Vegas. Brian Putnam is a Major with the United States Air Force. He serves as the Director of Contracting Operations, Supply Chain Management Division at Tinker Air Force Base in Okla., where he leads 133 personnel with a $3.1 million budget supporting rotating aircraft and engine inventory worth $9 billion. He served with distinction while serving in Afghanistan from July 2012 through January 2013. Major Putnam received the Bronze Star medal.

2006 Ken Hogan has left Gordon Silver, where he

Boun ’04

Putnam ’05

worked since graduation, and opened the doors to his own Las Vegas practice, Iglody Hulet Hogan. The firm focuses on commercial litigation. Ken appreciates his fellow alumni who supported him during this transition. Jessie Humphries published her debut young adult novel, Killing Ruby Rose, in May. It became a #1 Amazon Bestseller in its category. She resides in Henderson. F. Peter James has opened his own Las Vegas family law practice, the Law Offices of F. Peter James, Esq. Maria E. Lavell serves as a Chief Deputy District Attorney in Clark County. Evangelin Lee Nichols is the Assistant General Counsel at International Medical Corps (IMC) in Washington, D.C. IMC is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training, relief and development programs. Sharon Byram Rigby recently moved from Denver to Elko, Nev. She married Mark Rigby in June.

2007 Alison Brasier of Las Vegas was admitted to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocate’s Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. Alison practices exclusively in the area of personal injury, including wrongful death, auto accidents, premises liability and product defect cases. Janell R. Bryan was honored as the Trial Attorney of the Year by the Parental Defense Alliance of Utah this year. She is a Juvenile Court Public Defender for the Utah County Public Defender Association in Midway. Christian Hale is an attorney at Fitzwater Meyer Hollis & Marmion, LLP in Portland, Ore. When not in the office, Christian may be

Lauren A. Pena is the co-founder of Project Duo, a matchmaking company dedicated to matching elite Vegas singles. Lauren was certified as an International Matchmaker from the Matchmaking Institute. Homa Woodrum is the co-founder of the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference which brings together national and international food allergy advocates and the companies that serve them. During the second annual conference held in September in Las Vegas, Homa spoke on a panel with William Devine II ’08 and Assly Sayyar ’04 entitled “Blog and Order,” which covered topics such as intellectual property, FTC regulations regarding disclosures on blogs, and defamation.

2008 Kyle A. Conder and his wife welcomed their first child, a boy, Ellis, in August 2013. Kyle recently completed his third year as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Robert J. Flummerfelt of Las Vegas is a founding attorney and canon lawyer at Canon Law Services, LLC. Sherry Ane Moore is an associate at McCarthy & Holthus, LLP in Las Vegas. Rob Stephens serves as a criminal prosecutor for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas.

2009 Ethan Featherstone and Matthew McArthur were recently hired by Clear Counsel Law Group in Henderson.

2010 Eric Allen and Kareema Mitchell were married on August 1 in Kareema’s hometown of Virginia Beach. They currently reside in Salt Lake City. Julian Robert Gregory opened his own law office this year. He practices exclusively in criminal defense, focusing on felony appeals and post-conviction. As of July, Julian is now

a contract holder for a Las Vegas Municipal Court track, providing indigent defense services for misdemeanants charged with city crimes, as well as his private practice.

Lonardo ’03 and Jacovino ’09

Jennifer Koonce Hostetler is an associate at Lewis Roca Rothgerber, LLP in Las Vegas, specializing in litigation. Steve Parke and his wife, Deborah, are expecting their third child in December. Steve was recently named one of the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers. He currently resides in Henderson. Dana P. Oswalt was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 2014. She is now an associate attorney at Benson & Bingham Attorneys at Law in Las Vegas, where she represents plaintiffs in personal injury matters. Matthew J. Stafford recently became the General Counsel for NYX Gaming Group. NYX has offices in Las Vegas, Stockholm and Sydney.

2011 Tyson Cross recently returned to Reno from San Diego and has opened a law firm specializing in federal and state taxation, including audit defense, U.S. Tax Court litigation and tax debt relief. Ellen Harr welcomed the newest addition to her family, Penelope Rose, on June 3.

clerkship for U.S. District Judges Andrew Gordon and Jennifer Dorsey. He will join the litigation practice group at Lionel Sawyer & Collins in Las Vegas.

Eric Hinckley and Zachary P. Lowe have partnered to form the Lowe Law Group in Ogden, Utah. The firm specializes in personal injury and mass torts. Jason R. Margolis is a proud father of two beautiful girls. He has been with Mace J. Yampolsky, Ltd., a criminal defense firm in Las Vegas, since graduation and recently moved his family into their new home in Green Valley. Keith F. Pickard moved from an associate attorney position in a local law firm to starting his own firm, Pickard Parry, Chtd., in Henderson. He practices in the areas of real estate (transactions and litigation), divorce, child custody, commercial litigation and business formation and operation. Keith recently won a four-day trial resulting in an attorney’s fees award of $25,000. He has been quoted on numerous occasions in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Colin Seale has been appointed to the Board of the Charter School Association of Nevada, an advocacy and support organization for all of Nevada’s existing and developing charter schools. He is an associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP in Las Vegas.

2013 Jeanette “Jae” Barrick of Las Vegas is an associate attorney for Gallian Welker & Beckstrom, L.C. She also is the new graduate fellow for the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution. Jason Adam Close is the Vice President of Orange Realty Group in Las Vegas. Dawn Davis and Bill Flinn are excited to announce that they are getting married this December.

2014

2012 Chandeni Kaur Gill and Brandon C. Sendall ’13 will be married this October.

Adrian Amir Karimi is a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Abbi Silver in the Eighth Judicial Court, Las Vegas.

Matthew Knepper recently completed a

Alumni Events The Boyd School of Law will host an Alumni Weekend Oct. 17-18. For more information and to register, go to law.unlv.edu/AlumniWeekend2014.

UNLV Boyd School of Law Alumni Weekend

Save the Date Boyd School of Law

WE WELCOME ALL BOYD ALUMNI

AND THE REUNION CLASSES OF 2004

AND 2009.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! OCTOBER 17-18

October 17, 2014

Alumni Golf Tournament The Legacy Golf Club, Henderson 1:30 pm shotgun start

WILLIAM S. BOYD

SCHOOL OF LAW

law.unlv.edu/alumni2014golf Co-sponsored by WILLIAM S. BOYD

SCHOOL OF LAW

Have alumni news? Contact Carolyn Barnes at carolyn.barnes@unlv.edu or submit your updates online at law.unlv.edu/alumni/StayConnected.

Boyd Alumni Chapter Board of Directors Gabrielle Angle ’10 Chelsie C. Campbell ’05 Daron Dorsey ’01 Brett Harris ’11 Mark Hesiak ’11 Kirk D. Homeyer ’11 Amy Ismail ’13 H. Sunny Jeong ’12 Sarah Killer ’12 Jenny Lee ’12 Danny J. Lovell ’05 Ashley C. Nikkel ’12 John J. Piro ’10 Chaz Rainey ’07 Francesca M. Resch ’12 Amber Robinson ’06 Colin Seale ’12 Quinton Singleton ’07 Raymond Smith ’03 Mark M. Weisenmiller ’10 Brenda Weksler ’02 Amy Yonesawa ’11 Daniel W. Hamilton, Dean Keith A. Rowley, Faculty Liaison Carolyn Barnes, Director of Alumni Relations Daven P. Cameron, Student Liaison ’16 Jenn Odell, Student Liaison ’16 Dean’s advisory council Ogonna Atamoh ’01 – Cotton, Driggs, Walch, Holley, Woloson & Thompson Michael Bonner – Greenberg Traurig Judge Richard Boulware – U.S. District Court, Nevada William Boyd – Boyd Gaming Corporation Greg Brower – Snell & Wilmer Joseph Brown – Fennemore Craig Jones Vargas Senator Richard Bryan – Lionel Sawyer & Collins Barbara Buckley – Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Patrick Byrne – Snell & Wilmer Jennifer Carleton – Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Catherine Cortez Masto – Nevada Attorney General Miles Dickson ’11 – The JABarrett Company Jason Frierson ’01 – Nevada Assembly, District 8 Kelley Goldberg ’06 – Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Gerald Gordon – Gordon Silver Brian Irvine – Gordon Silver Sam Lionel – Lionel Sawyer & Collins Richard Morgan – Lionel Sawyer & Collins, Dean Emeritus UNLV Boyd School of Law Judge Gloria Navarro – U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada Michael Saltman – The Vista Group Ellen Schulhofer – Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Tom Thomas – Thomas & Mack, Co. Dan Waite – Lewis Roca Rothgerber 2014 | UNLV Law

Class Actions

Alumni Remembered In this inaugural issue of UNLV Law Magazine, we wish to recognize all of the William S. Boyd School of Law alumni our community has lost since the school’s inception. Kendrick S. Grauberger ’01 James G. Griffin ’09 Robert E. Hager ’10 Susan M. Harrelson ’02 William M. Kapalka ’04 David A. Kimball ’01 Kit M. Lindsey ’06 Adrian Mendoza ’01 Mariana MeterMelendrez ’01 Gregory L. Millspaugh ’02 Kenneth R. Nichols ’01 D. C. Nickerson ’02 John Novak ’03 Bernadette S. Roldan ’03 David C. Schubert ’01 Joanna T. Sellers ’05 Duane W. Stephens ’02 Le Ann P. Truesdale ’02 Rona-Kaye T. Tuitele ’05 Terry L. Weis ’01 Lisa A. Willardson ’02 Barbara J. WilliamsRollings ’02

UNLV Law | 2014

In Memoriam The William S. Boyd School of Law community recently lost four very dear friends. James E. Rogers On June 14, 2014, the UNLV community lost James E. Rogers, a prominent businessman, philanthropist, lawyer and advocate for higher education. Rogers, who served as chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) from 2005 to 2009, was honored in 2010 by the NSHE Board of Regents with the title of Chancellor Emeritus and awarded the Board’s highest honor, Distinguished Nevadan. In December 2013, he received the President’s Medal from UNLV. Rogers was instrumental in the creation and success of the William S. Boyd School of Law, and his family’s philanthropic support continues to strengthen academic, cultural and athletic programs at the university. Richard L. Brown The Boyd School of Law community lost one of its finest when Richard L. Brown passed away on July 5, 2013. Professor Brown was the founding director of the Wiener-Rogers Law Library from 1998 to 2002 and a founding senior faculty member from 1998 to 2008. He played a pivotal role in starting Boyd’s community service program. For many years the school has awarded a scholarship to an outstanding student in this program. Because the program was dear to Brown’s heart, in 2013 the law school paid tribute by naming the scholarship the Richard L. Brown Community Service Award. To make a contribution to the scholarship award, visit unlv.edu/foundation/csp, select William S. Boyd School of Law, and designate the Richard L. Brown Community Service Award.

Robert D. Faiss On June 4, 2014, the Boyd School of Law community lost one of its greatest supporters when Robert D. Faiss passed away. Faiss was considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on gaming law. Among countless distinctions earned in his lifetime, Faiss was named the premier gaming attorney in the United States and one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. He was named a Distinguished Nevadan in 2013, the highest award granted by the NSHE Board of Regents. He taught gaming law and policy as an adjunct professor at the Boyd School of Law from 2001 to 2013. The lecture series bearing Faiss’s name is dedicated to his area of expertise, gaming law and policy. To support this series, visit unlv.edu/foundation/ csp, select William S. Boyd School of Law, and designate the Robert D. Faiss Lecture Series. Fred D. Gibson III Las Vegas lost a beloved resident when Fred Daniel “Pete” Gibson III passed away on April 6, 2014. Gibson served as a captain in the U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General Corps, and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada. He was also engaged as general manager for two professional sports franchises, the Continental Indoor Soccer League and Arena Football League, and was past president of the Arena Football League. He became a shareholder and senior litigation partner at Lionel Sawyer & Collins in 2005. To contribute to the tribute fund established in Gibson’s memory, visit unlv.edu/foundation/csp, select William S. Boyd School of Law, and designate the Fred Gibson Memorial Fund.

upcoming events and Other Happenings at Boyd

Calendar & Connect

Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., past president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, speaks during the inaugural Robert D. Faiss Lecture on Gaming Law & Policy in spring 2014. As part of the annual series, experts in the gaming industry deliver public lectures at UNLV.

Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic 15th Anniversary and Joyce Mack Professorship Celebration On Oct. 2, the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law will celebrate the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic 15th Anniversary and the dedication of the UNLV law school’s new named professorship: the Joyce Mack Professor of Law. The event will honor Mary Berkheiser, founding faculty member and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic, who will be awarded the professorship. Symposium on UAS in Nevada: Implications for Privacy, Law and Technology The Boyd School of Law will host a symposium on Oct. 16 featuring a panel discussion on the future of UAS applications in Nevada and a keynote address by Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Irvine School of Law. Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution 10th Anniversary Celebration In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution on Nov. 1 will present “Making Peace with Your Enemy: Nelson Mandela and his Contributions to Conflict Resolution.”

Kids’ Court School Milestone Celebration: Helping 1,000 Kids The Kids’ Court School was established to help educate children about the courtroom process, reduce their anxiety before legal proceedings, and help increase their credibility in court. On March 13, the Kids’ Court School will celebrate a milestone – assisting 1,000 children. annual lecture series • • • •

Philip Pro Lectureship in Legal History Dean’s Speaker Series Judge Lloyd D. George Lecture on the Judicial Process Robert D. Faiss Lecture on Gaming Law & Policy

learn about these and other activities at law.unlv.edu

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“Access to a high-quality law school in my home state and the possibility to fund my legal education through scholarships has meant the world to me. This support enabled me to focus on helping my community and building a career in public interest law. Community support for the Boyd School of Law enables students to make meaningful changes in the state during law school and immediately upon graduation.” – Shannon Phenix ’14

Joshua Igeleke ’14

Annual Giving

Shannon Phenix ’14

Richard Andrews ’13

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