February's Blog

"Ethics in the Digital Age" CLE: February 26, 2019

NNWLA is hosting an Ethic CLE on February 26, 2019 at noon with Kait Flocchini from the Office of Bar Counsel. 

The internet and social media have impacted every aspect of modern life, including your ethical obligations as an attorney.  During this lunch CLE, Kait Flocchini will review topics like responding to online reviews, attorney websites, communicating with clients and prospective clients through digital platforms, and the digital storage of client information.

This discussion will be held in a large conference room at the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, which is located at 1 South Sierra Street in the South Tower on the 3rd floor. Please note you will have to go through a metal detector to enter the building.  We will be serving lunch starting at 11:45 a.m., so please feel free to arrive early to ensure that we can start promptly at noon.

The cost of the event is $15 for members, $20 for non-members, and $30 for a member plus one guest. Lunch will be catered by The Cheese Board and will include assorted sandwiches, a baby green salad, and freshly made desert bars and cookies. Please RSVP by February 22 here.

History Making Legislative Session Begins February 4, 2019
- Bronagh M. Kelly

​Nevada’s 80th Legislature officially begins on February 4, 2019, and yet it has already made history. Following the election in November 2018 and the subsequent appointments to fill vacancies in the state Assembly, Nevada became the first U.S. state in history to have an overall female-majority in the Legislature.
 
Women now hold 23 out of 42 seats in the state Assembly and 9 out of 21 in the state Senate, totaling 51 percent of the 63 legislative seats. No state has ever had a female-majority legislature, or even a 50 percent-female legislature, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University.

Sustaining Member Spotlight - Kait Flocchini
- Andolyn R. Johnson

Kait Flocchini is a sustaining member and former President of NNWLA. She will be the speaker at NNWLA’s ethics CLE on February 26, 2019, presenting on the topic of “Ethics in the Digital World.” As Assistant Bar Counsel with the State Bar of Nevada, Kait has a fascinating career that impacts all Nevada attorneys.

Kait is an Assistant Bar Counsel in the Reno Office of Bar Counsel and she is responsible for prosecuting all attorney discipline cases in this region. Kait shared a brief overview of the disciplinary process. The State Bar prosecutes grievances against attorneys in a standalone process that has elements of both civil and criminal proceedings. Disciplinary actions are first presented to a three-person screening panel, similar to a grand jury, comprised of attorneys and non-attorneys. If the screening panel finds cause to continue, the State Bar files a Complaint and proceeds with the disciplinary action against the attorney. Kait represents the State Bar before a new three-person panel in proceedings similar to a trial.

Kait has a unique role that she defines as “fairly disciplining attorneys and protecting the public.” She considers it “an honor to uphold the integrity of our profession.” Kait has a passion for protecting the public and respects the principles of due process and attorneys’ rights to defend themselves. 

Kait grew up in the Central Valley region of California. She took a non-traditional path to her legal career, graduating from Boston University with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her science background led her to work as a secretary for patent attorneys, which prompted her to attend night school at University of San Francisco School of Law. After obtaining her law degree, Kait went to work for a large firm in San Francisco practicing construction defect defense litigation. She moved to Reno in 2006, where she practiced commercial litigation at Hale Lane (now Holland & Hart), family law at Silverman Decaria & Kattelman (now Silverman Kattelman Springgate), and insurance defense litigation at Bauman, Loewe, Witt & Maxwell. Kait served seven years as a member of the Northern Nevada Disciplinary Board for the State Bar, which helped her when she started as Assistant Bar Counsel in 2014.

Kait juggles her career and personal life “very carefully” and with a lot of help from her partner. Kait loves her career and tries to balance that with remembering that her quickly-maturing kids won’t want to spend as much time with her soon enough. She enjoys spending time with her family on the ski slopes and supporting her daughters as they develop their own passions. She was a collegiate track athlete and still participates yearly in the Reno Tahoe Odyssey Relay Run Adventure, a 178-mile, 12-person team relay race.

---

Save the Date: Supreme Court Event, March 20, 2019

In honor of Women's History Month, NNWLA will be hosting a special event at the Supreme Court in Carson City on March 20, 2019. In the recent elections, Nevada elected a female majority Supreme Court for the first time in our state's history. We always enjoy the opportunity to hear from our distinguished Supreme Court Justices, and we hope that you will join us for this special event with our history making Supreme Court.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., and will include a drinks reception and food catered by LA Bakery.The cost for the event is $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and $40 for a member plus one guest. Please RSVP here.

Mock Trial Judges Wanted

The Northern Nevada Regional High School Mock Trial competition is scheduled for Friday, February 22, 2019.  Trials will run (8:30, 11:00 and 2:00) at the Bruce Thompson Federal Courthouse.  Washoe County Bar Association is looking for volunteers to serve as scoring judges.  Each trial lasts approximately 90 minutes. 

If you are interested, please email [email protected] with the time(s) you are available.

Job Alert!

Are you an experienced secretary that is looking to take your career to the next level? Apply now for a Legal Secretary position with Washoe County! The deadline to apply is Monday, February 4, 2019 Read the full announcement here.

---