By James T. Leavitt
For this month’s issue of the Communiqué, I’d like to spotlight a new committee that we here at the CCBA are in the process of putting together. In December, I attended a holiday party for one of our amazing sponsors, First Legal. At that party, I had a conversation with a paralegal regarding the CCBA. She asked me why the CCBA doesn’t have networking events oriented toward paralegals and other legal professionals. I thought about it, and I didn’t have a good answer.
In response to that conversation, I proposed to the board that we create a new standing committee dedicated to creating networking opportunities for our paralegal and legal professional members. Many of you may not know this but the CCBA has long had a membership tier for legal professionals. As such, we would like to increase this tier of our membership and help create contacts between the legal professionals in our community.
Some may ask why? Isn’t the CCBA primarily an organization for and by practicing attorneys? The fact of the matter is that most practicing attorneys and judges rely on legal professionals and paralegals to assist us in helping our clients. On a practical basis, it is useful and beneficial for our staff to know the staff members in other firms and those who work for the court. This committee and the events they create will provide an environment where legal professionals can network with each other and other CCBA members.
I’m very excited about this new committee, which will have had its first meeting by the time this president’s message goes to print. Our legal community is not just limited to practicing attorneys. Administrative staff, in many cases, are essential to what we accomplish for our clients. They have an important place in our legal community and the CCBA. This new standing committee is a sign we recognize this fact and embrace those legal professionals that do so much to help us help our clients.
Once the committee gets going, I have no doubt they will put together some amazing events we will all remember in the years to come. I encourage all of you to invite your staff and other legal professionals to join the CCBA and become active in this new committee. I envision these events as a step in bringing our legal community closer in the years to come.
About the author
James T. Leavitt operates Leavitt Legal Services, P.C. in Las Vegas, Nevada. His practice focuses primarily on bankruptcy law and criminal law. James earned his Bachelors degree in U.S. History from UNLV and his Juris Doctorate at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. James serves as CCBA President through December 2026.
About the article
This article was originally published in the Communiqué (Mar. 2026), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2026/communique-mar-2026/.
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.
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