CLARK COUNTY FAMILY COURT K

Both judicial candidates for Family Court District K dislike the way the division's courts operate, although their ideas differ on what to do about it.

Cynthia Giuliani and Vincent Ochoa are both attorneys seeking office for the first time, and both have experience practicing law before the Family Court.

"I'm doing this to make change and to make a consistent outcome to those who come before the court," Giuliani said. "It won't be like a Magic 8 Ball where you shake it and the answer is whatever the judge feels like saying that day."

Ochoa, 56, said he decided to run after learning the incumbent wasn't seeking re-election.

"In the past, a lot of inexperienced attorneys have run," Ochoa said, although a new rule requiring 10 years of experience as an attorney has tempered that.

"If I don't do it, then I'm going to be in front of a judge who may not have the experience," Ochoa said.

Ochoa and Giuliani are running to replace embattled Family Court Judge Nicholas Del Vecchio, who failed to advance to the general election.

Like other judicial candidates in the nonpartisan races, Ochoa and Giuliani complained about clumsy scheduling in Family Court that often has people waiting while contentious cases are hashed out.

"That backs up not just the attorneys, but the litigants," Giuliani said. "Most of them are taking time off work."

Ochoa said the workload could be reorganized so that judges would specialize in certain kinds of cases -- some would handle "low-value" cases in which there's not much property at stake and people frequently represent themselves, while others would focus on the complicated cases that involve large sums and batteries of lawyers and accountants.

Courts could also hold sessions on evenings and weekends, he said.

Ochoa graduated from the University of Notre Dame's law school and has practiced law in Nevada since 1979.

Giuliani, 41, received her law degree from the City University of New York law school and has practiced law in Nevada since 2001. She also was a lawyer in New York.

Ochoa emphasized his long experience in local courts: "A lot of the problems stem from people who were not experienced," he said.

Giuliani said her work and common sense make her just as qualified: "It's not the quantity of working," she said. "It's the quality."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.