AUGUST 2006
ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
78th Annual State Bar of Nevada Annual Meeting
By Beau Sterling, Esq.
When Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Bob Rose first came to Nevada, he was a young man just out of law school, 24 years old, and had accepted a clerkship with then Chief Justice Milton Badt. After a long car trip from New Jersey he arrived at the courthouse in Carson City for his first day at his new job. He was shown Badt’s chambers, and the two had a pleasant chat. “So nice to meet you,” Badt then said to the young lawyer. “I hope you’ll stop by again sometime when you’re in town.”
Evidently, the misunderstanding was quickly remedied, but it does make for a good story - one of several shared by the Chief Justice at this year’s annual meeting banquet held in his honor. After three terms on the Nevada Supreme Court, the Chief Justice will retire at the end of his term this year. It was fitting that the Bar should mark the event by dedicating this year’s banquet to him.
The dinner also included a very well done videotaped retrospective of the Chief Justice’s career and a warm tribute to his wife Jolene by the wives of several of the other justices and judges. The evening was surely the emotional highlight of the annual meeting; although I confess I missed the 70s Disco Party, which included an appearance by out-going president Vince Consul, strutting his stuff in a white, three-piece bell-bottom suit.
It should come as no surprise that the annual meeting in Kaua’i was among the best-attended. The island is breathtakingly beautiful and full of natural wonders, the weather is perfect, the accommodations at the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i both luxurious and relaxed and there are plenty of activities for those looking for adventure. This year was no exception with more than 223 attorneys and 159 guests signed up.
I attended with my wife Carmen and our 11-year-old son, Garrett. When we registered for the annual meeting most of the recreational excursions offered by the Bar were already filled up - let that be a warning to all to sign up early for next year’s meeting - but we had no problem finding things to do on our own.
We took a catamaran sailboat cruise along Kaui’i’s famed Na Pali Coast, where we marveled at the spectacular cliffs and waterfalls, were treated to the antics of the local spinner dolphins and snorkeled in the crystal-clear water near the shore.
On other days we attended a luau, hiked up to a secret waterfall and discovered a secluded beach. We kayaked on the Wailua River (most of which, as former Bar president Dan Polsenberg pointed out to me, is technically an estuary). We drove to the other side of the island and snorkeled with a Green Sea Turtle (Honu in Hawaiian) at Tunnels Reef. We sped over dirt roads, across streams and through muddy puddles on an ATV tour through old sugar plantations. By car we also toured spectacular Waimea Canyon, which Mark Twain aptly named the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”
Twain, as the story goes, rented a horse on his trip to Hawaii and, determined to cover as much of the islands as possible, rode until he had saddle sores. My family, I think, may have had a similar experience on our first trip here.
Of course, the annual meeting is not all banquets, fun and adventures. Chief Justice Rose also spoke on the serious issue of the state of Nevada’s courts. He outlined the substantial progress that has been made recently, both at the Supreme Court level and district court level, in handling Nevada’s crushing caseload. Much has been done and the courts are doing well now, according to the Chief Justice. Nevertheless, he warned, it will only take another surge in filings, not an unlikely prospect given Nevada’ phenomenal growth, to send the state’s court system back into crisis. He also expressed his concern over the cost of judicial elections.
The annual meeting also offered over 15 hours of CLE on a variety of topics. Many of these sessions, including the very interesting panel discussions on lawyer advertising and judicial independence, were attended by the members of Nevada’s judiciary who were present at the meeting. Some, including Justice Maupin, actively participated in the discussion along with other members of the audience.
Here is where our small bar and the annual meetings really shine. It is a place not only where lawyers can get together and network, but where individual members of the Bar can interact with members of the bench and share their thoughts, opinions and concerns.
As usual, the Bar staff did an excellent job putting the annual meeting together. If you have never been to an annual meeting, I highly recommend that you go. Next year’s meeting (the 79th) will be in Lake Tahoe, at the Resort at Squaw Creek.
Beau Sterling is a member of the Nevada Lawyer magazine editorial board and an attorney in Las Vegas, where he focuses on appeals, writs, and post-trial motions. He can be reached at beausterling@gmail.com.