MAY 2004 (back to index)

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION: May 2004

Nevada-Specific Publications in the Works!
The State Bar of Nevada's Department of Continuing Legal Education is pleased to announce that the CLE Publications Committee is up and running. We have eight members ready to begin producing publications that will help our rapidly-growing membership better understand the nuances of Nevada-specific law.  

In 2003, the Bar's Board of Governors approved the creation of an entirely new committee and a full-time staff position, both dedicated solely to the publication of legal educational materials. The Bar began accepting applications immediately, and the committee was formed over the next few months.  

The committee's first official meeting was held March 30, 2004 in Las Vegas and was attended by members from both the north and the south. Andrew Gordon of McDonald Carano in Las Vegas was elected chair, and Walter Fey from Reno was elected vice-chair.  

Mr. Gordon, who has considerable experience with bar publications, and who most recently worked on the Nevada Appellate Practice Manual, will be the committee's liaison with the Nevada Revised Civil Jury Instructions project. Mr. Fey will coordinate a new project to publish a book on Nevada traffic and DUI law.  

Current committee members include Rene Feinstein of Mushkin and Hafer in Las Vegas; Jason F. Carr of the Clark County Public Defender's Office; Cassell Ross of Rogers, Shadek and Wolf in Incline Village; David Hardy of Reno; and Steve Smith of Nevada Power Company in Las Vegas. The committee is still accepting new members. For an application, please visit the State Bar's website at http://www.nvbar.org.  

The CLE Publications Committee has identified a few areas on which to focus its initial attention:
• Nevada Civil Jury Instructions
• Nevada Criminal Jury Instructions
• Nevada Civil Practice Manual
• Nevada Business Entities by Rew Goodenow
• Nevada Contracts by Rew Goodenow
• Nevada Real Estate and Foreclosure Law
• Nevada Traffic and DUI Law
• Nevada Wills and Trusts Law  

You can also learn more by calling the State Bar CLE Department at 800-254-2797, or by visiting the Continuing Legal Education Committee's web page at http://www.nvbar.org/cle/clecommit.htm. Future web page projects include committee reports and bulletin boards for interaction between committee members and the general Bar membership.  

2004 Family Law Conference at Ely
The Bristlecone Convention Center in Ely was invaded by attorneys from all over the state who were eager to network, eat and attend family law-centric CLE programming during the State Bar of Nevada's 15th Annual Family Law Conference in Ely. The March conference, which drew 230 attendees, is organized yearly by the State Bar's Family Law Section.  

Edward Kainen of Ecker and Kainen in Las Vegas and Gary Silverman of Silverman-Decaria in Reno kicked off the CLE portion of the gathering on Thursday morning with their popular and well-attended "Nuts and Bolts of Family Law" seminar. Both new and experienced attorneys attended to either learn the basics of family law or just to brush up on their techniques.

Gary Hengstler of the National Judicial College in Reno led a CLE session in the afternoon. Thursday night, more than a hundred attendees piled aboard a 100-year-old train for "Cocktails on the Rails." The historic steam-engine train encountered a few mechanical difficulties, but all riders were returned to the station safely, thanks to the friends and family of the train's conductors and museum volunteers and their pickup trucks.  

Friday morning began with a CLE program from Pat Lasher of the Fullenweider Group in Houston, Texas, and then the group split up to attend breakout sessions covering subjects such as immigration issues in family law, guardianship, and tax issues. Friday night's highlights included the annual banquet and entertainment choreographed by the Family Law Section. This year's entertainment included a spoof of "American Idol." Critiques were provided by attorney Peter Bellon of Las Vegas, Family Court Judge Robert Gaston, and Nevada Supreme Court Justice William Maupin.  

On Saturday, the conference concluded with an "Evidence in Family Court" session taught by Beverly Hills, Calif. attorney Steven Kolodny. Overall, we are pleased to report that everyone had a fun and educational time.  

The next Family Law Conference is scheduled for March 17-19, 2005 and will be held again in Ely. Keep an eye on the State Bar's website at http://www.nvbar.org for more information as it becomes available. NL