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The following article was initially published in the January/February Edition of The Writ, the official publication of the Washoe County Bar Association. To view the original publication CLICK HERE >
I wouldn’t ordinarily compare myself to Tom Brady. After all, he is the greatest quarterback of all time winning seven Super Bowl titles, while I played third string for one year in high school. Poorly. But in one respect I’ve got Tom beat. Famously, Tom Brady came out of retirement after one month to play a final season in the NFL. Tom said you can’t un-retire twice. (Gisele Bündchen also came out of retirement to resume modeling after their divorce, but that’s another story). I’ve come out of retirement three times – once after sitting on the Family Court in New York, and twice from the Public Defender’s Office in Reno. Now I work for Northern Nevada Legal Aid. Proudly.
Speaking of New England Patriots, another great patriot from New England was Louis D. Brandeis. Justice Brandeis once said “If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you.” Brandeis was a pragmatic progressive, famous for his eponymous Brandeis brief – arguing from data and social science. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1916, Brandeis was known as “The People’s Lawyer,” taking cases without compensation to advocate for workers’ rights, against monopoly and the concentration of wealth, which he considered antidemocratic. He was also an early advocate for consumer protection. In 2009, The Economist called Brandeis “a Robin Hood of the law.” Brandeis’ innovation was to draw on the lived experience of ordinary people, demonstrating factually how they were affected by the law to advocate for fairness and for equity. Brandeis was one of the first public interest lawyers.
Here at Northern Nevada Legal Aid, we follow Justice Brandeis’ path, advocating for the protection of ordinary people seeking to keep their housing or protection from abusive partners, parents or creditors. We strive to ensure that people without means are treated fairly and with due regard in civil matters.
Life is hard. Within our practice we represent dependent children in Family Court. We represent survivors of domestic violence. We represent the elderly in many issues, including consumer protection, medical legal issues, social security disputes and guardianship. We represent people seeking legal immigration status. We run a self-help center where we provide guidance for under resourced people seeking legal advice.
It’s a hard knock life, as our former client Orphan Annie reminds us. But the knocks are somewhat softer with a dedicated lawyer in your corner. All of us who have made it to adulthood know that fate is fickle. In many families, including my own, we experience severe illnesses, debilitating injuries, addiction and mental health problems. Our friends and family lose jobs, suffer financial setbacks, have accidents. Our impulse is always to sympathy and to ease the suffering of others. Often, we are at a loss.
Fortunately, as members of the Washoe County legal community we are in a position to do more than sympathize. Northern Nevada Legal Aid has an active pro bono program. Your law license can be a talisman against calamity. We would be honored to work with you in any of our areas of practice to assist the neediest members of our community. So, if you are retired – come back. Beat Tom Brady’s record and become a “Brandeis” for Washoe.
ATTENTION NORTHERN NEVADA LAW FIRMS AND ATTORNEYS: Volunteer with Northern Nevada Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Program: probono@nnlegalaid.org. Obtain a Nevada law license under the Emeritus program for pro bono work: https://nvbar.org/access-to-justice/emeritus/
Lee Elkins is the Director of Strategic Advocacy and Impact Litigation for Northern Nevada Legal Aid. He previously served as a public defender in Washoe County for 10 years. He was a criminal court and family court judge in New York City for 17 years. You can reach Lee at impactlit@nnlegalaid.org.
The following article was initially published in the January/February Edition of The Writ, the official publication of the Washoe County Bar Association. To view the original publication CLICK HERE >
I wouldn’t ordinarily compare myself to Tom Brady. After all, he is the greatest quarterback of all time winning seven Super Bowl titles, while I played third string for one year in high school. Poorly. But in one respect I’ve got Tom beat. Famously, Tom Brady came out of retirement after one month to play a final season in the NFL. Tom said you can’t un-retire twice. (Gisele Bündchen also came out of retirement to resume modeling after their divorce, but that’s another story). I’ve come out of retirement three times – once after sitting on the Family Court in New York, and twice from the Public Defender’s Office in Reno. Now I work for Northern Nevada Legal Aid. Proudly.
Speaking of New England Patriots, another great patriot from New England was Louis D. Brandeis. Justice Brandeis once said “If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you.” Brandeis was a pragmatic progressive, famous for his eponymous Brandeis brief – arguing from data and social science. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1916, Brandeis was known as “The People’s Lawyer,” taking cases without compensation to advocate for workers’ rights, against monopoly and the concentration of wealth, which he considered antidemocratic. He was also an early advocate for consumer protection. In 2009, The Economist called Brandeis “a Robin Hood of the law.” Brandeis’ innovation was to draw on the lived experience of ordinary people, demonstrating factually how they were affected by the law to advocate for fairness and for equity. Brandeis was one of the first public interest lawyers.
Here at Northern Nevada Legal Aid, we follow Justice Brandeis’ path, advocating for the protection of ordinary people seeking to keep their housing or protection from abusive partners, parents or creditors. We strive to ensure that people without means are treated fairly and with due regard in civil matters.
Life is hard. Within our practice we represent dependent children in Family Court. We represent survivors of domestic violence. We represent the elderly in many issues, including consumer protection, medical legal issues, social security disputes and guardianship. We represent people seeking legal immigration status. We run a self-help center where we provide guidance for under resourced people seeking legal advice.
It’s a hard knock life, as our former client Orphan Annie reminds us. But the knocks are somewhat softer with a dedicated lawyer in your corner. All of us who have made it to adulthood know that fate is fickle. In many families, including my own, we experience severe illnesses, debilitating injuries, addiction and mental health problems. Our friends and family lose jobs, suffer financial setbacks, have accidents. Our impulse is always to sympathy and to ease the suffering of others. Often, we are at a loss.
Fortunately, as members of the Washoe County legal community we are in a position to do more than sympathize. Northern Nevada Legal Aid has an active pro bono program. Your law license can be a talisman against calamity. We would be honored to work with you in any of our areas of practice to assist the neediest members of our community. So, if you are retired – come back. Beat Tom Brady’s record and become a “Brandeis” for Washoe.
ATTENTION NORTHERN NEVADA LAW FIRMS AND ATTORNEYS: Volunteer with Northern Nevada Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Program: probono@nnlegalaid.org. Obtain a Nevada law license under the Emeritus program for pro bono work: https://nvbar.org/access-to-justice/emeritus/
Lee Elkins is the Director of Strategic Advocacy and Impact Litigation for Northern Nevada Legal Aid. He previously served as a public defender in Washoe County for 10 years. He was a criminal court and family court judge in New York City for 17 years. You can reach Lee at impactlit@nnlegalaid.org.
Are you a retired/semi-retired lawyer? Do you want to work 20 hours a week – receiving paid time off and qualifying for 401(k) matching – by representing adults in guardianship proceedings or children in foster care? We have a place for you! Please email careers@nnlegalaid.org.
Are you an out-of-state lawyer? Did you know you could be licensed in Nevada through working for NNLA? https://nvbar.org/licensing-compliance/admissions/
