Clark County Bar President’s Message: A New Year and a New President

As this year comes to an end for my presidency at the Clark County Bar Association, I want to welcome James E. Harper, our incoming 2021 President.

Also, I want to reflect on this year’s accomplishments and thank the many volunteers and our staff who make things happen in our organization. Little did I know what was in store for me after my swearing in at the beginning of the year.

After the COVID 19 pandemic reared its ugly head, it kept us from offering many of our networking activities at CCBA, including our customary volunteer opportunities. But it did not stop us from going forward to serve our members in the best available way possible. As many others had to do, we had to close our offices for a while, work remotely, establish new protocols to meet in public, we became nimble, and we pivoted.

We published every issue of Communiqué as planned for the year. The Publication’s Committee, as always, did an incredible job coordinating, editing, and reviewing each issue before it was published. Contributing authors, who wrote for those issues, deserve our thanks too. We also acknowledge and appreciate those who provided presentations for our CLE programs.

Our last “in person” event was in March, for the 40 Year Club. It was a memorable event at the Smith’s Center for the Performing Arts. Since then, everything we have done has been on Zoom. We managed to have some Ice Breaking and Mixer events with Boyd Law School students. CCBA along with the Clark County Law Foundation, held a fun Trivia Contest. The New Lawyers, CLE, and Community Service Committees continued to work diligently to fulfill their committee’s mission. Our Blanket the Homeless will again have distributed blankets this year, albeit in a modified format. We owe thanks to all our members who donate to make it possible. Our signature event, Meet Your Judges Mixer, sadly had to be postponed and it is scheduled for next May at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Also, of note, we managed to begin offering health insurance, a new member benefit.

Special thanks go to James E. Harper, our President Elect, Nedda Ghandi, and our Secretary Treasurer, for their help and wisdom at a moment’s notice. Many thanks to all the Executive Board members who attended our monthly meetings and worked on special projects. And last, but not least, to the most efficient and conscientious staff you may ever want, Donna Wiessner, our Director, and Stephanie Abbott, our Communications Manager.

Thanks to all of you for making this unusual, difficult, and different year bearable and if I dare say it, enjoyable. For your dedication and support, I am forever grateful.

About the author

Mariteresa Rivera-Rogers is an associate at the Las Vegas criminal defense firm Wright Marsh & Levy. Her areas of practice include criminal law and juvenile law. She is fluent in Spanish, and both the federal and state courts recognize her as a certified court interpreter. Mariteresa is a committee member of the AOC Judicial Council of the State of Nevada Language Access, the Interpreter Certification Advisory Committee, and the Clark County Indigent Defense Selection and Appointment Committee. Her spirit of community and professional service has also led to involvement with the Latino Bar Association, Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys, Clark County Law Foundation, and Nevada Supreme Court Task Force on Racial and Economic Bias. Mariteresa serves as president of the Clark County Bar Association through December of 2020.