March's Scoop

A Word From Our President
- By Marilee Cate, Esq.
​It is time for us to celebrate Women’s History Month!  In 1980, President Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8th, National Women’s History Week.  In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity and encouraged this country to honor the extraordinary achievements of American women annually.
 
The 2018 theme of Women’s History Month is “Nevertheless she Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.”  This theme goes hand-in-hand with our recent discussion at our February luncheon with Judge Cooke, Ann Morgan, Mary Dugan, and Professor McGinley.  When we initially decided on the topic for our February luncheon, the 2018 Women’s History Month theme had not been selected, but it is evident that it is a topic that needs attention.  It frustrates me that discrimination and  harassment based on gender are still such issues in 2018 that we need to focus luncheons and the Women’s History Month theme on the issues, but at the same time I am glad the discussion is happening.  We cannot ignore discrimination, harassment, or sexism and certainly cannot let the issues get swept under the rug.  In that vein, I must take this opportunity to thank our fabulous speakers for leading an informative and thought-provoking discussion at our February event. We are fortunate to have these strong and intelligent women in the Nevada legal community.  
 
Mary Dugan ended our February presentation by reminding us to ask for help and support from our colleagues if we are faced with discrimination or harassment.  Her comments made me think about the importance of mentors and finding a support system in our field.  Not only to have someone to confide in if you are faced with discrimination, harassment, or sexism, but also to discuss the everyday issues that we face as women and as lawyers.  I have been fortunate to have many mentors in my career.  One of the most influential mentors in my career has been Judge Steinheimer.  Judge Steinheimer is currently the longest sitting Nevada state court judge on the bench.  I feel very fortunate to have had an opportunity to work for Judge Steinheimer as a law clerk and to have a continued friendship with her now.  She was a trial lawyer before she took the bench and has presided over hundreds of trials.  One of my favorite parts of clerking was watching trials and discussing what the lawyers were doing well, what they could be doing better, and how it seemed to be playing to the jury when we were in chambers at breaks.  I still think about those discussions when I am preparing for an evidentiary hearing or trial.  I am thrilled that she is leading our March members only event on trial practice so our members have a similar opportunity to learn from her.  I hope you are able to join us on March 23rd for this great event.  For more details, please visit the events page on our website: http://www.nnwla.com/events. 
 
Again, happy Women’s History Month!  I look forward to seeing each of you at a future NNWLA event. 

​March 23rd Trial Practice Seminar with Judge Steinheimer
On March 23rd we will have a members-only trial practice seminar with Judge Steinheimer from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the Second Judicial District Department 4 Courtroom.  We will be limited on space and want this to be a more intimate event where participants and Judge Steinheimer can have a discussion, so this will be a members-only event.  (Our memberships are by calendar year.  You can sign up on the membership page of our website.)  The cost of this seminar will be $20.  CLE credit is pending approval.  Lunch Totes from the Cheese Board will be provided.  Please select your lunch option when you sign up on PayPal.  You will have a choice of a turkey sandwich, veggie sandwich, or grilled chicken caesar wrap.  Your selection will come with red potato salad, dessert, and a bottle of water.  The current RSVP deadline for this event is March 19th, but we encourage you to sign up early to ensure you have a spot.  
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Thank You For a Successful February Event
Thank you again to everyone who attended our February CLE Luncheon.  We hope everyone enjoyed this wonderful event.  Additionally, thank you to our wonderful speakers! 

We are also extremely grateful that Professor McGinley is willing to share the PowerPoint presentation that she created for this event.  Below, please find her presentation.  In case you are interested in reading more, Professor McGinley wrote an op-ed piece that was recently published in The Nevada Independent: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/wynn-allegations-are-the-tip-of-the-iceberg.  

Additionally, here is the link to the EEOC Report of the Task Force on Sexual Harassment: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/task_force/harassment/report.cfm. 

​Save the Date for a 1 hour Legal Writing CLE on April 19th
On April 19th we will have a 1 hour CLE luncheon on Legal Writing.  Our Speaker will be Professor Mary Beth Beazley from Boyd.  She has taught legal writing for 35 years and authored numerous articles and texts on the subject of legal writing.  Her current scholarship focuses on the behavioral aspects of legal writing and legal reading, and on the impact that digital platforms have on the cognitive aspects of legal reading.  Please save the date and check back on our website for more details regarding signing up for this event.  

​We Need Volunteers for our May 1st Lawyer in the Library Event
Over the past few years, NNWLA members have staffed a large lawyer in the library event once a year.  This year we are holding our event on Law Day, which is Tuesday, May 1st.  The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m.  We now organize the volunteers and the participants by practice area, so do not worry about being in a situation where you are going to be paired with someone who has a question in an area of law that is completely outside your practice.  We have had wonderful feedback from the community and the Judges from the Second Judicial District Court on our lawyer in the library events.  Each year we have been able to serve over 60 participants, which would not have been possible without you.  The earlier you volunteer, the more people the law library can get on their list to participate.  Let’s make this the best year yet! 

​Please e-mail [email protected] to volunteer for this event.  When you volunteer, please indicate what your practice area is or what areas you are comfortable assisting in.

​​ Sustaining Member Spotlight
- By Samantha Rice
What better way to kick-off our Sustaining Member Spotlight Series than to honor one of NNWLA’s founding members, Jann Chubb?

Jann began her legal career as a law clerk for the Superior Court in Los Angeles, where she worked for three years.  She has also been a City Attorney in Winnemucca, NV.  Jann’s passion for skiing ultimately brought her to Reno, where she has practiced law for almost 45 years.  Jann currently practices bankruptcy law, mediation, real estate, and construction law at Kaempfer Crowell.
 
Her secret to success?  “Live-in help!”  Seriously.  A legal career is demanding, but she and her children's father, Gary Silverman, reared four successful children.  Notably, one of her sons, Noah Silverman, co-founded the Reno Bike Project and serves as the organization’s Executive Director.​  Another son, David Silverman, established and owns the Silver Peak restaurants.  Her daughter, Leah Chubb, recently graduated from school with her MBA.

One of Jann’s most notable accomplishments is being the first Nevada attorney inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy, an organization of approximately 800 elite bankruptcy professionals worldwide that was formed in 1989.  For information on how individuals are nominated for this prestigious title, please visit https://www.americancollegeofbankruptcy.com/about/.
 
Jann was a founding member of NNWLA and the organization’s fifth president. The initial vision of NNWLA was to provide a group for women lawyers to collaborate.  Jann supports NNWLA’s continuing goal of providing a community for comradery, referrals, and an open network for women lawyers to discuss legal issues, problems, and solutions amongst themselves.  Jan places significant importance on mentoring young attorneys and has participated in a mentoring group collaborated through NNWLA for many years.

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​Missing NNWLA File
To:  All current and former members of NNWLA,
 
I kept a file of the events and activities of Women Lawyers  for many years.  At some point, I recall lending it to someone who was gathering and compiling that information.  It never got back to me.  The info inside would probably identify it as mine.  It might have a 0003 number (that’s how long ago it was).  

If you have any information or files of this kind, return mine to me (or I’ll come for it).  Thanks for looking into this.  I’ve searched everywhere and have the replacement file but not the original.
 
- Jann Chubb

​​The Art of Justice CLE

International Women's Day

A Child's Voice Luncheon

​Membership Renewal
There is still time to renew your NNWLA for 2018.  NNWLA memberships are for the calendar year.  Members not only get special pricing on events, but NNWLA is also working on a webpage where members can look to get and give referrals.  Please click on this link to be directed to our membership page or print the attached form by clicking on this link.  You can email the form to [email protected] or mail it to Jenna Garcia, P.O. Box 40953, Reno, NV 89504. 

Please make sure to send us your membership form so that you can be added to our members referral page!