Phil Aurbach was born in Hollywood, Florida. He earned a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1977. Aurbach's career experience includes working as a business owner and litigation attorney with Marquis Aurbach Coffing, with the Clark County District Attorney's office, and as a litigation attorney with Bell, Leavitt & Green, Colucci Minagil & Aurbach, and Lehman & Aurbach.[1]
Phil Aurbach completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Aurbach's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I have lived in Las Vegas since I was 2. My dad was a casino dealer. I had a paper route at age 14 getting up at 3:30am every morning. I played sports in high school and an athletic scholarship got me through college. Student loans got me through law school.
After law school, I started my legal career in the district attorney's office. In 1988, I started my own law firm. Over the next 32 years my law firm went from 5 attorneys to over 40. Some of the secretaries and staff have worked at the firm for over 20-30 years. Here is the thing-District Court Judges handle the most important and complex cases in Nevada. When I got out of law school, there were 6 Judges, now there are almost 60 so I have seen judges come and go - some good ones, some bad ones. The difference -the difference is their trial experience.
We need District Court Judges with real judge TRIAL experience in not only accident cases, but business cases like contracts, real estate, construction, employment law. I have had over 35 trials in front of a District Court Judge and I have handled 10 appeals.
For 30 years I have lectured and written articles on the law for new attorneys to make them better.
I have been endorsed by the Review Journal, the Latin Chamber of Commerce, the Culinary Union, & the Firefighters Union, to name a few.
I want to use my experience and skills to give back to our community as a judge by helping move cases through the system efficiently & fairly.
Public policy is what the government chooses to do about a particular issue or problem. Because public policy results in laws or regulations, or that govern a particular issue or problem, judges don't set public policy, they merely apply the facts of a case to the existing laws and regulations. Judges should not make the law, they follow the law.
I look up to former Nevada Governors Brian Sandoval and Richard Bryan. They are patient, good listeners, analytical, and always try to take different views into account when making decisions.
I was an early-morning paperboy in 8th grade. I saved up enough money to buy a motorcycle so I could deliver more papers faster. I had my route for 2 years.
There are over 100,000 civil case filed each year in Clark County, Nevada. Judges who delay moving cases along and who do not take into consideration the cost of litigation reduce public confidence in our judicial system. Justice delayed is justice denied.
I admire judges who work hard, read all the documents submitted by both sides, and consider the potential delays and costs that result from their decisions.
Having practiced law for over 40 years, I want to give back to our community by using my experience to help resolve cases faster, more fairly, and for less cost.
Since I was a Nevada Supreme Court Settlement Judge and mediator for 20 years, I believe I have the opportunity to help resolve disputes faster and more fairly.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Aurbach submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on September 20, 2020.
I have lived in Vegas most of my life. My dad was a pit boss at the Desert Inn when it opened in the 1950's. and except for college, I've been in Vegas ever since.
I am running for District Court Judge Department (courtroom) 4 because I believe I can put my 42 years of experience in District Court as a litigator, arbitrator and mediator to good use in helping to move cases to resolution quickly. A District Court Judge must have a broad base of experience because these judges handle the biggest and most complex of civil and criminal cases. District Court Judges handle cases that are similar to the cases I have handled in the 42 years I have been an attorney like a complex breach of contract cases or complex real property cases.
I have handled District Court Cases like breach of contracts, leases, eviction issues, complex foreclosure issues, property line disputes, construction cases, disputes between partners of a business, or representing doctors in medical malpractice cases. I represent people in the kinds of business problems that are most frequently seen in the District Court.
I have an understanding of our community and its issues because I have lived in Las Vegas most of my life.
I have the experience to be a District Court Judge because I represented people involved in the types of cases that District Court Judges see every day.
My goal is to use my experience as an arbitrator, mediator and litigator to fairly and economically move cases quickly through the system.
As a judge, I am sworn to follow the law and not make decisions based upon my personal views. I am passionate about finding a win-win solution and when that is not possible, to give each person their day in court. Although initially it doesn't seem like a public policy issue, a fair and economical court system where the parties can quickly be heard is critical to dispute resolution which in turn reduces community tension and allows people to get on with their lives. This is a public policy I am committed to pursue.
My friend, Craig. He is a good listener. He never makes anyone feel wrong even if he strongly disagrees with their position. He is fair, centered and smart. I have never seen him get angry. He has integrity and is a good father and a good friend. I hope that is how people view me.
I am a moderate and can't think of a movie that reflects this philosophy. Government can help business to such an extent it hurts people without a voice. Government can also overly focus on people to an extent that it hinders and impedes business. Moderation sees a balance.
The core responsibilities are giving each person their day in court, listening to their issues, and entering a fair and prompt ruling based upon the law and the facts.
I would like people to view our legal system as fair and impartial. I would like to help educate attorneys. The more experienced the attorney, the faster cases resolve.
All of Vince Flynn's series about a CIA operative Mitch Rapp. I got lost in the plot and details which were described in detail, but still absorbing. I liked that he was a hero for his country.
I have had friends with dependency issues. It has been a struggle watching them deal with these issues from the sidelines since they have to decide they want to do something to change-whether that is rehab or therapy or AA. The sad part is not to be able to solve their problem.
The news sources only report on the sensational cases, but District Court Judges have the ability to influence thousands of peoples lives from the county staff, to the attorneys, the litigants and the hundreds of people that come to court for jury duty. My goal is that all of these people come away with a positive view of our judicial system.
Absolutely. There are many times judges need to determine the motives behind behavior to determine what happened. The majority of the time one person says "X happened and another person says, "No, Y happened." The largest part of the job of a judge is to decide who to believe and part of that is to empathize with each person's emotional and financial situation.
I have the the qualifications and experience needed to be a District Court Judge. It is a natural progression for an attorney after 42 years as a litigator handling the cases that come before District Court Judges.
All experience is relevant to what is needed to be a good judge. Experience litigating cases in District Court as well as running a law firm is the kind of experience that I think will help me hit the ground running.
Martindale requests confidential information about attorneys from judges and other highly respected attorneys in town. I believe they have the most independent and accurate rating system.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Aurbach submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on July 12, 2020.
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