FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Thomas Main

A renaissance man in the true sense of the phrase, Professor Main is an award-winning teacher, a scholar and prolific author, a mentor to junior faculty, and an ambassador for Boyd throughout the state and the academy. Professor Main, the William S. Boyd Professor of Law, joined Boyd in 2012 and this year became associate dean for faculty development and research. As associate dean, Professor Main has used his contacts in the academy to bring to Boyd a prestigious group of scholars from around the world. His outreach efforts extend throughout Nevada and the nation as well; he has worked with, among other organizations, both the National Judicial College and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to explore opportunities for the law school and its students to contribute to the mission of those groups.

Professor Main’s scholarship centers on civil procedure and conflicts of law. He incorporates perspectives from history and rhetoric, and his articles often consider the international context in which United States courts increasingly operate. His most recent work, The Fourth Era of American Civil Procedure, co-authored with Stephen Subrin at Northeastern, will appear in a 2014 issue of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.

Among Boyd students, Professor Main is best known as an outstanding and entertaining teacher.  It is the rare instructor whose students produce a video that not only highlights a law school course but that also stars the professor.  But Professor Main’s first year students did just that this past fall semester; the video – which focused on a rule of civil procedure – was posted on YouTube.  It has proved to be not only exceptionally popular among the Boyd community, but also an excellent example of Professor Main’s commitment to his students and their education.  Professor Main has received numerous teaching awards throughout his career; his excellence as a teacher is well-recognized throughout the academy.  He has taught not only throughout the United States as a visiting professor, but in law schools in London and Salzburg as well.  Professor Main’s civil procedure casebook, co-authored with Stephen Subrin, Martha Minow, Mark Brodin, and Alexandra Lahav, is in its fourth edition. 

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Brandi Loffer

“When I was young, I viewed the world a little differently than others. I spent half my time looking at things upside down. I set foot in my first gymnastics club before I even knew how to walk.” Perhaps that experience looking at things from odd angles has been useful to Brandi Loffer as she approaches the conclusion of the infamous, equilibrium-changing first year of law school.

Born and raised on gymnastics in Portland, Oregon, 12-year-old Brandi moved with her mother to California to seek greater opportunity to develop her skills, with an eye toward realizing a dream – competing as an NCAA Division I athlete. Countless early mornings, hundreds of hours of practice, and three high schools later, the dream was fulfilled when Brandi signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Iowa as a member of its gymnastics team.

The following four years in Iowa City were grueling but fulfilling. But what then? Was Brandi ready to leave gymnastics behind after it had been such an integral part of her being? No, she was not. Soon after graduation, she was in touch with a casting scout for Cirque du Soleil. And soon after that she was on her way to Cirque’s international headquarters in Montreal to join the production of Viva Elvis! “After three months of training, we relocated the show to its final destination in Las Vegas where I set foot on stage for the very first time. I cannot describe the feeling I felt that night when the curtain dropped and I saw 2,000 faces staring back at me.”

After two years as a performer on The Strip, Brandi was ready to pursue a new passion, which she is doing -- examining complex issues from varying perspectives -- here at the Boyd School of Law.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Brenda Weksler ’02

For the past 11 years, Brenda Weksler ’02 has been a Las Vegas Assistant Federal Public Defender. She is a trial attorney representing indigent clients, most of whom are facing federal felony charges. Brenda has also handled appeals before the Ninth Circuit. Prior to becoming a Federal Public Defender, she clerked for the Honorable Kathy Hardcastle, at the Eighth Judicial District Court. Brenda holds a B.A. in English from UNLV.

Born in Buenos Aires, Brenda moved to Las Vegas when she was 14 and has planted strong roots in this community. While Las Vegas has grown significantly over the years, she explained that “the legal community is still relatively small, thereby allowing greater access to many opportunities that would be unimaginable elsewhere.” Brenda is extremely grateful for the doors that Boyd opened for her. “My first legal job came about as a direct result of an externship with Judge Hardcastle, an opportunity which was arranged through the law school’s career development office. Boyd has instilled in me the notion that giving back to the community is a social duty each of us has.”

Brenda serves on the board of the Clark County Bar Association and is involved in several activities, including the development of CLE courses. She is a member of the Latino Bar Association and is currently mentoring students who are interested in becoming attorneys through Huellas, a program designed by Boyd School of Law's La Voz. You may also find Brenda in the hallways of federal and state courts talking to 5th graders about the role of attorneys in the criminal justice system, through a program called "Your Day in Court," sponsored by Project Real. In addition, she volunteers for the Legal Aid Center’s Landlord/Tenant Ask-A-Lawyer program.

Brenda maniacally juggles between being an attorney and a mother of two, but assures us she would not change anything at all.