34 Attorneys Apply to Fill Five Vacancies in the Eighth Judicial District
January 18, 2023
Chief Justice Lidia Stiglich announced this afternoon the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection received 34 applications from individuals who wish to fill the judicial openings in Departments 7, 29, C, N and O of the Eighth Judicial District Court.
This judicial nominating commission will nominate panels of three to fill each of the five vacant seats. The Department 7 vacancy comes from the election of the Honorable Linda Bell to Supreme Court Seat A. The Department 29 vacancy is from the retirement of the Honorable David Jones in mid-January 2023. The Department C vacancy is through the resignation of the Honorable Rebecca Burton in late December of last year. The Department N vacancy came with the passing of the Honorable Mathew Harter in November 2022. The Department O vacancy comes from the retirement of the Honorable Frank P. Sullivan in February of this year. The applicants in alphabetical order by Department are as follows:
Eighth Judicial District Department VII | ||||
Name | Age | City of Residence | Employer | Job Title |
Danielle Chio | 50 | Las Vegas | Clark County District Attorney’s Office | Chief Deputy District Attorney |
Patrick Ferguson | 52 | Las Vegas | Nye County District Attorney’s Office | Senior Deputy District Attorney |
Adam Ganz | 51 | Las Vegas | University of Las Vegas Ganz Resolution Center | Adjunct Professor Self Employed |
Daniel Hooge | 44 | North Las Vegas | State Bar of Nevada | Chief Bar Counsel |
James Dean Leavitt | 60 | Las Vegas | Law Office of James Dean Leavitt | Owner |
Nadine Morton | 52 | Las Vegas | Morton Law, PLLC | Owner |
Craig Newman | 59 | Las Vegas | Sklar Williams, PLLC | Member |
Berna Rhodes-Ford | 51 | Las Vegas | Nevada State College | General Counsel |
Robert Allen Stephens | 42 | Las Vegas | Clark County District Attorney’s Office | Chief Deputy District Attorney- Assistant Team Chief of SVU |
Marni Watkins | 46 | Las Vegas | 1909 Group, LLC | Partner |
Eighth Judicial District Department XXIX | ||||
Name | Age | City of Residence | Employer | Job Title |
Adam Breeden | 45 | Las Vegas | Breeden & Associates, PLLC | Owner |
David Gardner | 41 | Las Vegas | State of Nevada, Office of the Attorney General | Senior Deputy Attorney General |
Douglas Hedger | 56 | Henderson | Clear Counsel Law Group | Partner |
Lindsey Moors | 39 | Las Vegas | Clark County District Attorney’s Office | Chief Deputy District Attorney |
Blair Parker | 62 | Henderson | Parker Dispute Resolutions LLC | President |
Jacob Reynolds | 43 | Las Vegas | Scholer & Sons, LLC | Chief Legal Officer |
Trent Richards | 43 | Henderson | Sagebrush Lawyers | Co-Managing Partner |
Kimberly Paige Stein | 51 | Las Vegas | Flangas Law Group | Partner |
Eighth Judicial District Department C | ||||
Name | Age | City of Residence | Employer | Job Title |
Audrey Beeson | 46 | Las Vegas | Law Offices of Frank J. Toti Esquire/Audrey Beeson, Esq. | Of Counsel |
Lynn Hughes | 53 | Las Vegas | Roberts Stoffel Family Law Group | Of Counsel/Associate |
Emily McFarling | 47 | Las Vegas | Law Office of Emily McFarling LLC Accident Attorneys of Southern Nevada | Managing Partner Owner |
Louis Schneider | 62 | Henderson | Self | Attorney |
Timothy R. Treffinger | 36 | Las Vegas | Law Office of Timothy Treffinger | Owner |
Eighth Judicial District Department N | ||||
Name | Age | City of Residence | Employer | Job Title |
Kristine Brewer | 52 | Las Vegas | Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada | Staff Attorney |
Paul M. Gaudet | 57 | Las Vegas | Paul M. Gaudet, Attorney at Law | Owner |
Stephanie McDonald | 48 | Las Vegas | Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada | Directing Attorney, Family Law Self Help Center |
Jason Stoffel | 45 | Henderson | Roberts Stoffel Family Law Group | Partner |
Eighth Judicial District Department O | ||||
Name | Age | City of Residence | Employer | Job Title |
Robert Cerceo | 62 | Las Vegas | Naimi Cerceo Law | Partner |
Robert Hill | 52 | Las Vegas | The Hill Law Group | Owner |
Stephanie Keels | 51 | Las Vegas | Mountaintop Faith Ministries, Inc. Keels Law Group | Legal Counsel Attorney |
Robert O. Kurth, Jr. | 55 | Las Vegas | Kurth Law Office | President |
Kerri Maxey | 46 | Henderson | Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada | Staff Attorney, Minor Guardianship Advocacy Program |
Regina McConnell | 49 | Henderson | McConnell Law, Ltd | Owner |
Janette Reyes-Speer | 48 | Henderson | Department of Administration, Hearings Division, Appeals Office | Appeals Officer |
Nevada attorneys with 10 years of legal experience, including two years of Nevada practice were encouraged to apply for the opening. Interviews to fill vacancies are scheduled for February 7 – 10, 2023, in Las Vegas. The interviews will be streamed live through the Supreme court’s YouTube channel and are open to the public. After the interviews, the Commission will nominate three finalists for each vacancy to Governor Joe Lombardo.
The Commission is composed of seven permanent members – the Supreme Court Chief Justice, three non-attorneys appointed by the Governor, and three attorneys appointed by the State Bar of Nevada. Neither the Governor nor the State Bar may appoint more than two permanent members from the same political party and cannot appoint two members from the same county. For District Court vacancies, two temporary members are appointed from the judicial district where the vacancy occurs – a non-attorney by the Governor and an attorney by the State Bar – bringing the Commission membership to nine.
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