Family Court Judges Training

Free Recorded Webcast (September 2019)

Training Description: Nationwide, courts are moving towards the use of evidence-based risk assessment tools because they help guarantee that a pretrial release decision is based on the individual's risk of failure to appear or the threat that he or she poses to public safety rather than the individual's ability to pay bail. This instills greater fairness and consistency into the process.

(Recorded June 20, 2019)

Training Description: Robin Sweet leads an interactive discussion on 2019 legislative changes that will impact Nevada court administration. 

Free Recorded Webinar (March 6, 2019)

Training Description: Faculty will review and provide commentary on criminal opinions published by the Nevada Appellate Courts in 2018.

Free Recorded Webcast (June 28, 2018 and January 10, 2019)

Welcome to the Uniform System for Judicial Records training. This course is an online video training. It requires access to the Distance Education Program (DEP) secure password-protected website for use by Nevada’s Judiciary and court staff. 

Course Description:This is a two-part series on the Uniform System for Judicial Records (USJR) statistics. USJR reporting began in fiscal year 2000. These statistics are submitted monthly by the Nevada trial courts and published yearly in the Nevada Supreme Court’s Annual Report and separate Appendix File. Both publications can be found on the Nevada Supreme Court’s website. The statistics are used by the trial courts, State Legislature, county commissions, and city councils to understand filing trends affecting the courts, and to aid in making policy and funding decisions.

Free Recorded Webinar (May 15, 2018)

Training Description: In January 2018, the Nevada Supreme Court ordered the newest version of the Minimum Accounting Standards. This training will cover the updates made to the Minimum Accounting Standards V3.1 and the associated Minimum Accounting Standards Guide for External Audits V1.1. Information will address: the intent of the standards; submission requirements and deadline changes; the court’s role and responsibility applying standards in its daily operations; the mandatory independent, external audits required every four-years, including the required audit report format; and the court’s role and responsibility in the audit process.

Free Recorded Webcast (February 9, 2018)

Course Description: The statewide Juvenile Dependency Mediation Program (JDMP) was launched in July 2016. The purpose of the Program is to improve system processing of dependency cases; thereby decreasing time to permanency and termination of parental rights (TPR). In so doing, it helps stabilize children’s lives by getting them into safe, secure, and permanent homes in a timely manner consistent with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. This course provides an overview of Nevada’s Juvenile Dependency Mediation Program, its purposes and processes and basic tips and strategies to ensure successful participation in juvenile dependency mediations.

Free Recorded Webinar (March 8, 2018)

Training Description: Faculty review and provide commentary on criminal opinions published by the Nevada Appellate Courts in 2017.

Free Recorded Webcast (September 18, 2017)

Course Description: During this session, presenters will review the "Code of Professional Responsibility for Nevada Court Interpreters". The training will outline the 10 different areas of the Nevada Code of Professional Responsibility and discuss various ethical considerations for credentialed court interpreters.

(Recorded August 31, 2017)

Training Description:The sovereign citizen movement is experiencing a resurgence in the United States as illustrated by the Bundy standoff and other recent events. This course will provide information on the complex, conspiracy theory fueled, antigovernment beliefs held by sovereign citizens as well as information on the background and growth of the movement. The “paper terrorism” employed by movement adherents will be detailed, along with examples of the more extreme and violent tactics employed by sovereign citizens that have resulted in murder of criminal justice personnel. Ways to identify sovereign citizens and tips on handling encounters with them will also be explored.

Free Recorded Webcast (July 25, 2017)

Course Description: The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was passed in 1978 after two years of Congressional hearings determined that Native children were being removed from their families and communities at disproportionately high rates. Since passage, courts around the country have struggled to understand the intent of the law and inconsistent implementation has left many individuals and families feeling frustrated and unable to trust the system. Many workers assigned to ICWA cases have felt similar frustration as terms like “active efforts” and “good cause” have not been adequately defined. In December 2016, federal regulations went into effect adding new requirements for judges. These are the first legally-binding changes since the law was passed. 

(Recorded September 28, 2017)

Training Description: The 79th session of the Nevada Legislature concluded on June 6, 2017. There were 522 Assembly Bills and 555 Senate Bills introduced during the 120-day session. Please join Ben Graham, Esq. and John McCormick for an interactive webinar as they guide you through the bills that may impact the courts.

(Recorded June 20, 2017)

Training Description: In an effort to maintain the integrity of criminal records, the Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS), General Services Division (GSD), Records, Communications and Compliance Division (formerly General Services) will focus on the importance of criminal record maintenance and how it impacts the criminal justice community. The goal is to further enhance that balance of information sharing by gathering important information to enable DPS to better serve the community as a whole. Based on feedback from a presentation on this subject at the limited jurisdiction judges winter seminar, this session will focus on specifics identified as needing extra attention.

(Recorded June 20, 2017)

Training Description: During this training, faculty will discuss 2017 legislative changes that will impact Nevada court administration. 

(Recorded May 23, 2017)

Training Description: We are individually and collectively affected by trauma through the work we do each day. We are traumatized by what we see, hear, and read and by the questions we must ask and the answers we receive. Most of us have lived with the message that “if we care enough, we’ll tough it out.” We are learning very quickly that we have been deceiving each other and ourselves with such a mantra. In fact, the toll that trauma takes is significant and serious. As representatives of the courts, we cannot be delinquent in tending to our needs while embracing our roles as public servants.

(Recorded April 6, 2017)

Training Description: During this interactive session, Kay Engler, Esq., will discuss the meaning of addiction, how it affects those in the court and legal community and those on the bench in particular. Ms. Engler will also help you explore questions such as, What are our duties to report substance abuse? What are we seeing on the bench? How do you handle certain situations that arise in and around your courtroom? Where do you get help and what more, if anything, needs to happen?

Free Recorded Webinar (March 21, 2017)

Training Description: Social media and technologies have become interwoven in the lives and communication of families and interwoven into domestic violence, familylaw, and protection order cases. In the conclusion of this 2-part series, Ian Harris, JD, will discuss the evidentiary issues surrounding this technology.

This project was supported under 2016-VAWA-61 awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program and the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/ exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice, OVW.

Free Recorded Webinar (March 7, 2017)

Training Description: Faculty will review and provide commentary on criminal opinions published by the Nevada Appellate Courts in 2016.

Free Recorded Webinar (January 17, 2017)

Training Description: Social media and technologies have become interwoven in the lives and communication of families and interwoven into domestic violence, family law, and protection order cases. The presenter will discuss the wide range of technology, such as spoofing and spyware that can be misused to cause harm.

This project was supported under 2016-VAWA-61 awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program and the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/ exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice, OVW.

Free Recorded Webcast (October 20, 2016)

Training Description: In this training, Mr. Scott Sosebee presents and discusses methods to easily access and understand court data to improve court efficiencies, as well as explains how data can be used to assist with operational needs. Mr. Hans Jessup and Ms. Rebecca Edwards presents on currently available data reports, the upcoming JWorks case management system, and future reporting functions.

Free Recorded Webcast (August 18-19, 2016)

Training Description: Intended to assist in judicial decision making, the Nevada Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument will be introduced in this training session. Background, methodology, and implementation plans for the Nevada Pretrial Risk Assessment instrument developed by the Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release will be provided. Validation, reliability factors, and actuarial approaches will be examined. Over-ride capabilities and revalidation plans will also be discussed.