Nev. Sup. Ct. R. 3.7

As amended through October 9, 2024

Rule 3.7 - Participation in Educational, Religious, Charitable, Fraternal, or Civic Organizations and Acthities

(A) Subject to the requirements of Rule 3.1, a judge may participate in activities sponsored by organizations or governmental entities concerned with the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice and those sponsored by or on behalf of educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organizations not conducted for profit, including but not limited to the following activities:

(1) assisting such an organization or entity in planning related to fund-raising, and participating in the management and investment of the organization's or entity's funds, and assisting in fund-raising, but only if the organization or entity is concerned with the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice, and the judge does not personally solicit funds other than as permitted by Rule 3.7(A)(2);

(2) soliciting contributions for such an organization or entity, but only from members of the judge's family, or from judges over whom the judge does not exercise supervisory or appellate authority;

(3) soliciting membership for such an organization or entity, even though the membership dues or fees generated may be used to support the objectives of the organization or entity, but only if the organization or entity is concerned with the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice;

(4) appealing or speaking at, receiving an award or other recognition at, being featured on the program of, and permitting his or her title to be used in connection with an event of such an organization or entity, but if the event serves a fund-raising purpose, the judge may participate only if his or her activities would not appear to a reasonable person to be coercive or an abuse of the prestige of judicial office. If the event does not concern the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice, the judge must also be a member of the organization or have had a close association with the organization or the event being celebrated;

(5) making recommendations to such a public or private fund-granting organization or entity in connection with its programs and activities, but only if the organization or entity is concerned with the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice; and

(6) serving as an officer, director, trustee, or nonlegal advisor of such an organization or entity, unless it is likely that the organization or entity:

(a) will be engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before the judge; or

(b) will frequently be engaged in adversary proceedings in the court of which the judge is a member, or in any court subject to the appellate jurisdiction of the court of which the judge is a member.

(B) A judge may encourage lawyers to provide pro bono publico legal services.

Nev. Sup. Ct. R. 3.7

Amended effective 1/19/2010.

COMMENT

[1] The activities permitted by paragraph (A) generally include those sponsored by orundertaken on behalf of public orprivate not-for-profit educational institutions and other not-for-profit organizations, including law-related, charitable, and other organizations.

[2] Even for law-related organizations, a judge should consider whether the membership and purposes of the organization, orthe nature of the judge's participation in or association with the organization, would conflict with the judge's obligation to refrain from activities that reflect adversely upon a judge's independence, integrity, and impartiality.

[3] Mere attendance at an event, whether or not the event serves a fund-raising purpose, does not constitute a violation of paragraph (A)(4). But before participating in other activities, a judge should analyze the overall event and evaluate whether the judge's activities may be viewed as coercive oran abuse of the prestige of judicial office.

[3A] For law-related organizations only, a judge may be listed as a host or member of an honorary dinner committee for an organization or entity's fund-raising or member solicitation event, and also may be a speaker or guest of honor at such an event. Otherwise, a judge may not be a speaker or guest of honor at an event that is primarily for fund-raising or serve on an honorary dinner committee for an organization's fund-raising event, unless the judge is a member of the organization or has had a close association with the organization or the event being celebrated, or is a close friend of the person being honored. The judge, however, should not use his or her title when serving on any such committee, unless comparable designations are listed for other persons. Paragraph (A)(3) precludes a judge from soliciting membership for any organization or entity except those concerned with the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice.

[4] Identification of a judge's position in educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organizations on letterhead used for fund-raising or membership solicitation does not violate this Rule. The letterhead may list the judge's title or judicial office if comparable designations are used for other persons. In addition, a judge must also make reasonable efforts to ensure that the judge's staff, court officials, and others subject to the judge's direction and control do not solicit funds on the judge's behalf for any purpose, law-related or otherwise.

[5] In addition to appointing lawyers to serve as counsel for indigent parties in individual cases, a judge may promote broader access to justice by encouraging lawyers to participate in pro bono publico legal services, if in doing so the judge does not employ coercion, or abuse the prestige of judicial office. Such encouragement may take many forms, including providing lists of available programs, training lawyers to do pro bono publico legal work, and participating in events recognizing lawyers who have done pro bono publico work.

[6] Recruitment of lawyers or law firms to provide pro bono legal services pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 191 is not membership solicitation. A judge may assist an organization in recruiting attorneys so long as the recruitment effort cannot reasonably be perceived as coercive. A judge may provide an organization with general endorsement or solicitation material for use in the organization's recruitment materials. Similarly, this Rule does not preclude a judge from requesting an attorney to accept pro bono representation of a party in a proceeding pending before the judge.