Noah Malgeri

Noah Malgeri is the Pro Bono Director for Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and a member of the Public Interest Advisory Board.

Tell me about your decision to serve on the Public Interest Advisory Board, and what makes Boyd Law’s mission meaningful to you.
 
As the Pro Bono Director for Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, I work full time in legal services. As a former large firm attorney, I understand how the demands of a busy practice can interfere with the best intentions to give back through pro bono service. Pro bono service is a practice and professional culture, which like other aspects of professionalism, must be intentionally developed. The attorney’s responsibility of pro bono service reflects our profession’s shared values. There is something wonderful about this shared sense of service transcending divisions in legal discipline, plaintiff and defense roles, and politics. Given the popular perception of attorneys and the legal field in general, pro bono may serve as one of the last, best redeeming features of our vocation’s proud tradition of justice. The leadership of UNLV Law understands this, and at every step in the ascent of Boyd Law on the state and national stage, careful thought has been given to ensuring that Boyd students will have the benefit of the best opportunities to develop skills and perspectives in the area of legal services and pro bono. UNLV Law’s leadership understands that training a new generations of community leaders, policy makers, jurists and influential practitioners brings an obligation to equip its students with a healthy understanding of professional responsibility. Because of this tremendous perspective, working with Boyd Law on public interest presents a real opportunity to contribute to our common mission with an organization for which a “Public Interest Advisory Board” is a fundamental part of an institutional mission.
 
When did you decide to get involved in public interest law?
 
I first had the opportunity to work directly in public interest law while serving as an associate at a large law firm with a well-supported pro bono program. In that position, I was able to take on pro bono case matters including representing renters in housing court, veterans’ benefits appeals, immigration asylum law, and even a criminal defense matter. Practicing law on behalf of paying clients while simultaneously representing indigent clients pro bono, I was struck that in many cases, the indigent clients had stronger and more sympathetic claims, but those claims would never be addressed absent an attorney taking them on pro bono. I also learned the critical importance of a meaningful culture of pro bono within a legal services organization, such as a law firm. Without the express encouragement and meaningful support of the pro bono work of its employees, most attorneys will simply not have the opportunity to volunteer their services on behalf the many deserving clients.
 
What advice would you give to current Boyd Law students?
 
Short of retirement, most of you likely won’t again have as much flexibility to choose the way you spend your time, or time to spend, as you do right now. Use that time and flexibility to explore different ways to use your education and skills to serve those who really need it. You’ll never regret helping someone who needs it. Finally, it is much wiser to spend your energy learning how to be content with less money than to spend your energy trying to get more money.

Do you have a motivational theme song?

So many songs are motivational to me; a couple I listened to recently on Pandora that come to mind include Working Man by Rush, Panama by Van Halen.