CLE: Judicial Settlement Conferences: Tips from the Bench

Description

Join 2nd Judicial District Court Judges Kathleen Drakulich, Cynthia Lu, Tammy Riggs, and Tamatha Schreinert for an interactive dialogue on judicial settlement conferences, how to prepare for them, and best practices to get cases resolved.

Learning objectives include:

• Providing practitioners with helpful information about judicial settlement conferences;
• Learning how to overcome obstacles to settlement; and
• Discover how to prepare cases and clients for settlement conferences.

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FACULTY

Judge Kathleen Drakulich was appointed to the Second Judicial District Court by Governor Brian Sandoval on June 30, 2017. As a general jurisdiction judge, she oversees criminal and civil matters and specializes as a Business Court Judge for complex business disputes under Nevada’s trade and securities laws. She also earned a Water Law Certification from the Nevada Supreme Court in 2023.

Judge Drakulich holds a BA from UC Berkeley, studied economics at Oxford, and earned her J.D. from the University of the Pacific. Her career includes roles as a Washoe County prosecutor, associate at Anderson Pearl, Assistant General Counsel at NV Energy, and attorney at McDonald Carano, handling regulatory proceedings and energy projects.

She has served on boards such as Renown Health and the Nevada Economic Development, and is recognized for her pro bono work. Notably, she was named a Best Lawyer in America annually from 2008-2017 and received the Energy Lawyer of the Year award twice. Judge Drakulich is an advocate for renewable energy and community education in Nevada.

Judge Cynthia Lupresides over family court cases in Department 5 of the Second Judicial District Court, including divorce, custody, abuse cases, and more. She was the first minority elected to the Court in 2014, following her role as the first minority Family Division Court Master in the district.

Judge Lu is an active speaker and trainer on child and family welfare in the legal system and has served on several prominent committees including the Nevada Supreme Court’s Specialty Court Funding Committee and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ advisory committees. She is currently a member of the Access to Justice Commission and various committees within the Second Judicial District Court.

She initiated the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program in partnership with Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, funded by a SAMHSA grant, to provide outpatient treatment to adults with serious mental illnesses under court oversight, reducing hospitalizations and incarceration rates among participants.

Additionally, Judge Lu launched Nevada’s first Safe Babies Court program to support infants in foster care by focusing on their development and minimizing adverse experiences, in collaboration with local agencies and the Zero to Three organization.

Judge Riggs was elected to the Second Judicial District Court, Department 3, in 2020. Raised in Northern Nevada, she attended local schools before earning a degree in Geography/Environmental Studies from Boston University, and an M.S. in Environmental Toxicology from UCLA. She earned her law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 2000.

After clerking for the Honorable Peter I. Breen, Judge Riggs spent seven years as a Deputy District Attorney in Washoe County, specializing in prosecuting felony crimes against children and vulnerable victims, and received commendation for her work. Post-9/11, she represented the District Attorney’s office in the USDOJ’s Anti-Terrorism Working Group for Northern Nevada.

Transitioning to private practice, she represented clients in criminal, juvenile, and administrative proceedings, as well as in civil forfeiture cases. Judge Riggs was elected to the Reno Municipal Court in 2016, where she founded two specialty courts: the High Intensity Services and Supervision (HISS) Court and the Community Court, both aimed at rehabilitating frequent offenders and integrating homeless individuals into society by providing comprehensive services.

She is actively involved in numerous judicial and legal committees, and enjoys outdoor activities with her family.

Tamatha Schreinert was appointed In April 2019 by Governor Steve Sisolak to the Family Division of the Second Judicial District Court, Department 14, with Chief Judge Freeman officiating her swearing-in the following May.

Born and educated in Reno, Nevada, Judge Schreinert graduated from McQueen High School, earned her psychology degree from Whitman College, and completed her law degree at Harvard Law School. She started her legal career in Los Angeles, advocating for children in foster care.

Returning to Reno in 2006, she consulted with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and wrote Bench Books for family court judges. She was appointed a Court Master in 2010, handling domestic violence, custody, and divorce cases among others. In 2012, she established Schreinert Law for family law mediation and later joined Silverman Kattelman Springgate, Chtd. in 2013, focusing on mediation and family litigation.

A certified mediator with extensive training, Judge Schreinert has dedicated her career to guiding families through legal challenges with a focus on amicable resolutions. She is active in several legal associations and enjoyed her time with Nevada Collaborative Divorce Professionals and the mediation panel for child protection cases in Family Court.

Judge Schreinert values family time, outdoor activities with her dogs, and reading.