ABA Celebrates Anniversary of Landmark Case

On March 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that everyone charged with a felony offense had the constitutional right to a lawyer. This meant that criminal defendants no longer face possible sentences without legal aid. The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation is observing the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright by making available to attorneys a slew of resources and materials pertaining to the historic case.

Visit the ABA website to access to materials such as a video documentary, case facts, oral arguments, the decision, articles and rare, vintage video footage of Clarence Gideon himself. Also included is a video roundtable discussion with moderator Joanne A. Epps, Dean of Temple Beasley School of Law and panelists Professor Bruce Jacob, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Criminal law at Stetson Law School, who argued the case 50 years ago in the U.S. Supreme Court for the State of Florida; and the Honorable Carlos Martinez, a public defender for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Florida. 

The ABA believes attorneys nationwide will appreciate this opportunity to review and celebrate the important decision. 

Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Court Vacancy

Due to the retirement of the Honorable Bruce Markell, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is accepting applications for the position of Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Nevada. More information, including candidate requirements and application forms, is available on the Ninth Circuit website.

Applications are specific to this position. All applications are due to the Office of the Circuit Executive by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. One hard-copy application and a copy must be submitted along with a scanned copy.   

All applications are screened by a Merit Screening Committee and those selected for interviews will appear before the Judicial Council Committee, which will submit a nomination to the Court of Appeals. The nominee must pass FBI and IRS background checks before appointment.   

Seeking Inn of Court Members

The Executive Committee of the Howard D. McKibben Inn of Court in Las Vegas is accepting applications for new members for the 2013-2014 year, commencing in September 2013. 

To remain in good standing, all Inn members must be current on their membership dues, actively participate in their assigned program group (including attending a satisfactory number of pre-presentation planning meetings and "rehearsals") and attend at least 50 percent of all regularly scheduled Inn meetings. 

Interested attorneys, law clerks, judges and law students should e-mail brief letters of interest along with a curriculum vitae (no stamp necessary) to: The Honorable Linda Marie Bell, Eighth Judicial District Court, Department VII, 200 Lewis Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89155, or e-mail to BellL@clarkcountycourts.us.

The application deadline is March 22, 2013.

Expand Your Client Base with the State Bar's Lawyer Referral & Information Service

Advertising isn't the only way for State Bar of Nevada members to build a client base or expand a practice; consider joining the bar's Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) to do both.

The LRIS is a non-profit, public service provided by the state bar. LRIS refers more than 20,000 callers to member attorneys each year. The service can be customized to fit the needs of individual practitioners; when signing up, attorneys may select from a wide range of practice areas and Nevada locations in order to define the type of referrals they would like to receive.

To sign up or to learn more, e-mail Programs and Services Manager Lori Wolk at loriw@nvbar.org or apply online at the state bar's website.

Bishop Gorman Wins State Mock Trial Competition

Bishop Gorman emerged triumphant when Mock Trial teams from five Nevada high schools faced off at the Mock Trial State Competition on March 8-9.

The competition took place at the Bruce Thompson Federal Courthouse in Reno. Participating teams represented Galena, Bishop Gorman, Faith Lutheran, Reno and Wooster high schools.

Bishop Gorman took the first place trophy, having won all nine trials during the course of the competition. In May, Bishop Gorman's winning team will head to Indianapolis, where its members will represent Nevada in the National Mock Trial Competition. 

Serving Seniors Program and CLE

The Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the State Bar of Nevada and Nevada Legal Services are partnering to sponsor the Serving Seniors Program on April 19, 2013 in Reno and on April 26, 2013 in Las Vegas. Through Serving Seniors, attorneys may volunteer their time to teach senior citizens about estate planning and provide them with information that could protect them from becoming victims of fraud and abuse.

To prepare for the event, organizers are presenting a CLE seminar on simple estate planning and handling small estates. The Reno CLE is scheduled for March 25, 2013, at the Northern Nevada Bar Center, 9456 Double R Boulevard, Suite B; the Las Vegas seminar takes place March 22, 2013 at the offices of Gordon Silver, 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, sixth floor conference room.

The CLE is free to attorneys volunteering at the Serving Seniors event. Those interested in volunteering should contact northern Nevada YLS Chair Joe Gorman at joe@ejgormanlaw.com or southern Nevada YLS Chair Kristin Tyler at KTyler@gordonsilver.com.