Photo caption: Artemus Ham IV, great-grandson of the first CCBA president, with current president Joel Henriod
By Joel D. Henriod
On February 20, we will honor and celebrate a century of legal practice in the Las Vegas valley. The entire Underground at the Mob Museum will be ours from 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. The first CCBA president Artemus W. Ham will join us in spirit when his great-grandson Artemus W. Ham IV gives a toast. Costumes and 20s-inspired fashion are encouraged. [Editor’s note: The CCBA’s anniversary party on Feb. 20, 2025, is sold out.]
This is more about fun than historicity. Don’t hold me to precise dates. There were fits and starts. A small group of attorneys organized the Las Vegas Bar Association in 1922, convened sporadically for a few years, apparently shelved the project during the Great Depression, and then founded the CCBA itself in 1934. But this much is clear: attorneys in Clark County have been “roaring” since the 20s. That’s excuse enough to party in 2025.
The legal landscape has changed. For example, we are larger now. In 1920, only a few lawyers served the Clark County population of 4,859. By the decade’s end (1930), 24 attorneys lived in the county to represent a population of 8,532, and the county had one judicial department. Now, over 10,000 attorneys and more than 50 judges serve a population of over 2.1 million.
We are more diverse. For instance, the 1920s saw very few women practicing law. Now, over 35 percent of attorneys admitted in Nevada are women, as are five (of seven) justices of the Nevada Supreme Court. At long last, the community also is served by a bar of exponentially greater racial, ethnic, and sexual diversity. And the CCBA has an active DEI committee committed to maintaining that momentum.
On the other hand, those pioneers had inspiring grit. Seriously, can you imagine volunteering to join a new community under construction on caliche soil in the Mojave Desert, several hours’ travel from anywhere else, with very little fresh produce, and no air conditioning? They had vision, investing their talent and resources to foster community, a legacy entrusted to us. And they knew each other, forming a meaningful network of relationships that served the citizens.
Today, over two million residents rely on the Clark County Bar Association to foster that vision of legal excellence even in the desert, and especially to maintain that collegiality and familiarity as much as possible. That’s why we love parties.
Join the party on February 20 to celebrate a century of outstanding lawyers in southern Nevada.
About the author
Joel Henriod is a litigator specializing in appeals at Henriod Law, PLLC, practicing in substantive areas ranging from personal-injury and product-liability to commercial and public-sector disputes involving election law, breach of contract, taxation, eminent domain, and governmental regulation, etc. He serves as CCBA president through 2025.
About the article
This article was originally published in the Communiqué (Feb. 2025), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2025/communique-feb-2025/
The articles and advertisements appearing in Communiqué magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CCBA, the CCBA Publications Committee, the editorial board, or the other authors. All legal and other issues discussed are not for the purpose of answering specific legal questions. Attorneys and others are strongly advised to independently research all issues.
© 2025 Clark County Bar Association (CCBA). All rights reserved. No reproduction of any portion of this issue is allowed without written permission from the publisher. Editorial policy available upon request.