Rachel Anderson

What is the most important thing you are working on right now?

I am currently the General Counsel and Public Records Official at the Office of the Nevada Attorney General. One of my most important projects right now is working on refining the Office’s public records request process. The Nevada Public Records Act (NPRA) promotes government transparency by ensuring that members of the public, including individuals, the press, lawyers, and others, are able to obtain copies of public records unless they are confidential pursuant to statute or case law. Responding to public records requests requires balancing competing values such as government transparency and personal privacy. In addition, it requires protecting attorney-client privilege, law enforcement sensitive information, e.g., sources and methods, and information protected by over 400 specific statutes in the Nevada Revised Statutes. This role has given me an opportunity to work on issues that are near and dear to my heart. As a former member of the board of directors of the national and Nevada American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU), I view it as a privilege and honor to play a role in implementing the legislative intent behind the NPRA. I am very grateful that Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford asked me to serve in his administration and that the William S. Boyd Law School of Law Dean Dan Hamilton and UNLV President Marta Meana allowed me to take leave to serve the State of Nevada and our citizens and residents in this different capacity.

How do you approach teaching your favorite topics?

One of my favorite classes to teach is Consumer Law. I like to draw examples from popular culture like television shows and case studies from current events and students’ own experiences. For example, in the Consumer Law class I am currently teaching as an adjunct, we have been discussing the effects of the Corona virus and responses to its spread on consumers in both the short and longer term.  

What is it about being a law school professor that inspires or motivates you?

I am so pleased that my career path led me to become a law professor. Seeing my current and former students demonstrate new knowledge and skills over the course of a semester is one of my biggest motivators. I also love to see what my former students do and achieve in their careers. Our alums make such substantive and meaningful contributions to advancing their clients’ interests, improving the law and the legal profession, and strengthening the administration of justice. Now, working at the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, I have the privilege of working with many of our alums and it is a pleasure to see the dignity, honor, high quality legal advice, and commitment to serving our communities that they bring to their work every day.