FAMILY COURT Q

Private attorney Tony Liker has run for public office so many times he said he can't remember the exact number. He's running again, this time for a newly-created judge's seat in Family Court.

He is one of five candidates seeking a seat in Department Q in a nonpartisan race. The others, all attorneys in private practice, are Allan Bray, Bryce Duckworth, Carl Piazza and Thomas Kurtz.

Liker is one of the more colorful candidates in the race. An attorney for 15 years who was a seventh-round draft pick in the NFL, Liker received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his law degree from the University of Oregon. His campaign slogan is "NFL Tough, Stanford Smart." He ran previously for Esmeralda County district attorney, a Las Vegas Municipal Court judgeship and Las Vegas Justice of the Peace.

Liker, 43, worked as a prosecutor for a year in the Nye County district attorney's office and for the Las Vegas city attorney for 31/2 years before going into private practice.

In 2005, Las Vegas police arrested him on allegations he choked and hit his roommate. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. And he recently sank $12,500 into a video production for a reality-based TV show he wants to star in that he describes as "Jerry Springer meets Judge Judy."

Duckworth, 43, earned his law degree from the University of Utah and focuses on family law. He is chairman of the state bar's Family Law Executive Council, a two-year position, and is in charge of updating the family law manual and overseeing state seminars about family law.

Duckworth said he wants judges to be more involved at the beginning of cases. This could help matters like divorce be resolved faster, he said.

"I've been dedicated to the practice, and to improving the practice, of family law," he said.

Duckworth was one of three attorneys named Tuesday by the State Judicial Selection Commision to fill the Family Court seat left vacant by retiring Judge Gerald Hardcastle.

Kurtz, 56, who has been an alternate hearing master in Family Court for almost a decade, said he has the broad experience needed to fill the seat. Kurtz, a graduate of the law school at New York State University at Buffalo, said he's experienced in child support, custody, visitation and delinquency issues, among others.

Kurtz, who has also worked as an alternate judge for Las Vegas Municipal Court, said he already has a proven track record on the bench.

Like Kurtz, Piazza said he has the experience necessary for the job. Piazza, 63, started his career in the Chicago public defender's office and then worked as a Chicago prosecutor for six years. He went into private practice after that and relocated to Nevada in 1979.

"I look at this as a commitment, not a job," he said.

Bray has been practicing law in Nevada for more than 30 years. He ran unsuccessfully for Clark County sheriff in 1974 and for district attorney in 1978. Bray, 70, said he has handled more than 1,000 divorce cases over the years.

Bray made news in 2000 when he represented a cocktail waitress who sued basketball star Dennis Rodman, who was alleged to have inappropriately grabbed the waitress.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.