ON THE BOULEVARD: Judge Glass goes from TV trials to Private Trials

After substantial experience with some very public trials, former District Judge Jackie Glass has joined the Private Trials arbitration and mediation firm.

Glass, who as a district judge presided over the high-profile O.J. Simpson robbery trial, most recently has starred in "Swift Justice with Jackie Glass," a courtroom show syndicated by CBS Television Distribution. The show will continue to air through September, but wasn’t renewed for another season.

That left Glass with an opening on her career calendar, and now she’s joined former District Judge Gene Porter’s mediation and arbitration outfit.

"I am here doing mediations and arbitrations at Private Trials," Glass said Thursday. As for her Hollywood experience, she adds, "I had a great time. The show is still on the air until September, but we’ve completed taping, it wasn’t renewed, and I'm back in here in Las Vegas working."

One big change is her husband Steve Wolfson’s new job status as the Clark County District Attorney. Leaving the district court bench for the TV gig was fortuitous, she says.

"It’s interesting how life works," Glass says. "Had I still been on the bench when that opportunity (for Wolfson) became available and I did criminal law, it would have been maybe a different outcome. By me being off the bench, it certainly paved the way for him to be able to get that job. It’s interesting how life has a way of working itself out."

Glass has years of mediation experience. Even the television show was an example of binding arbitration.

"Mediation and alternative dispute resolution as a whole helps people to more efficiently and economically resolve their legal issues and avoid having to go to trial," she says. "And if you can get your matter resolved through mediation, it’s a wonderful thing."