- Quickdraw McLaw
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- The Supreme Court of Nevada approved allowing attorneys to receive 1 CLE credit for 3 hours of uncompensated pro bono hours completed for approved organizations, for a maximum of 4 credits per year.. You can review the language of the order here. What do you think? Will this make any difference in the number of people doing pro bono? Are you more likely to do pro bono now or just pay the money and attend actual CLEs? [NVcourts]
- Wilson Elser was one of two firms (in the press) that experienced cyber incidents this week. [ABA Journal]
- UNLV football is having scheduling issues at the new stadium because the agreement gives priority to the primary tenant. [RJ]
- No end in sight over the battle to re-develop the Badlands golf course. [RJ]
- Attorney Stephen Reid promoted a boxing match last night. [8NewsNow]
Poor UNLV gets no respect.
But UNLV signed a contract. On the equity side? A 4th rate college team that does not draw a large crowd vs NFL seat filling and paying attendees? Hmm… tough call (not).
Stephen Reid is a good dude.
I hope Reid is successful in staging small local fights. I used to go to the Friday night fights (I think it was Fridays) at Orleans, and if I had heard about Reid's card at the Westgate last night, I would have tried to fit it into my schedule.
blog is dead, and so is my love life. cheers to Team Snapchat for sending me the annual valentine
I used to take a lot of pro bono cases but stopped completely and will never, ever touch another one because it's a political process run by, really, an extension of the Democratic Party machine in Nevada. I serve people, not ideologies. The State Bar and Nevada Supremes should reconsider this approach.
I've had a terrible experience with pro bono, too, though not because of political affiliation.
(1) As a big law firm drone, my promotions are tied to profitability, and I'm stressed out enough just trying to get my billable work done while also having some semblance of a home life. Adding in pro bono I basically get zero credit for just makes the stress worse.
(2) I've had bad luck with my clients. Usually some high minded do-gooder sets up the representation with some basic idea like "slum lords are bad" or "parents shouldn't abuse their kids"–all really laudable ideas. But because the do-gooders don’t actually run any cases, they have no experience with how the real world works. The slum lord? Usually some family trying to rent out an old place, and our client is the dirt bag that totally destroyed the house because he or she doesn’t know how to take care of things, and sure as hell didn’t teach the kids how to. The abusive parents? Usually some weary couple with out of fucking control kids that went and told a school counselor the day after they got a spanking by the only people trying to get them off the path to jail. I’ve won all my pro bono cases; unrepresented “slum lords” and “child abusers” really have a hard time going against trained lawyers. But I’ve never had any satisfaction.
(3) At least one time the case was a direct shake down where the firm forced all the associates to go to a conference room, where a judge on the 8th extolled the virtues of pro bono, and then wouldn’t let anyone leave the room until each person there took a case.
(4) It never ends up being a “learning experience.” The cases don’t result in a trial (which I admittedly don’t get enough of). Instead they’re just more bullshit discovery and motion practice until the other side gives up and throws in the towel—i.e., exactly like 90% of my other cases.
Thank you for the thoughtful comments that mirror my own experience. Your (3) touched me deeply. Some of the cases I had to work up at my former firm damaged me a bit. Forcing an innocent business into bankruptcy while providing pro bono representation to a dirt-bag affected me.
Is Nevada Legal one on the list? I am not a Babs Buckley fan.
Thank you for saying that, I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
The purpose of CLE is to help ensure that attorneys are competent, right? That they undergo continuing education to make them, if not better, at least no worse than the previous year?
Why the hell should the SBN and NSC get to swap that justification for a carrot approach to get attorneys to do what they want them to do?
I agree. This makes no sense. How about vouchers for free SBN CLE based on the number of pro bono hours?
This seems like a fantastic idea
I need to look at the order. Who signed it, Reno Jim and Pickering?
Three hours of pro bono equals one hour of CLE? Must be an error. Certainly they meant one hour of pro bono equals three hours of CLE. Out of touch bureaucrats trying to fix their pet project problem. You want to fix a problem with the legal system? Get rid of elected judges. Will be looking to see how many judges show up on the Nevada Law Pro Bono Roll Call.