By Judge Stephanie Charter and Judge Margaret Pickard

Judge Frank Sullivan shows a Russian judge a few of his chess moves as part of the Open World program.
Judge Frank Sullivan suited up in proper holiday attire for a holiday adoption event.
Judge Frank Sullivan suited up in proper holiday attire for a holiday adoption event.
Judge Frank Sullivan with Dave Courvoisier & former Mrs. Nevada Wendy Smith-Thomas
Judge Frank Sullivan at adoption fair.
Judge Frank Sullivan with one of the many forever families in his court.
Judge Frank Sullivan Offers up info on the American justice system to a delegation of judges. 
Judge Frank Sullivan & Judge Margaret Pickard with a class of new CASA volunteers.

The Honorable Frank P. Sullivan will retire on February 3, 2023, his 70th birthday, after serving the Family Court for more than 32 years.  Judge Sullivan has touched the lives of thousands of families in the child welfare system and is well-loved throughout the Las Vegas community.

A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University and DePaul University Law School, Judge Sullivan worked as a public school teacher in Chicago from 1975 to 1984.  Following law school, Judge Sullivan briefly worked in private practice before becoming a Deputy Attorney General for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office in 1986, representing the State of Nevada in proceedings to protect abused, neglected, and abandoned children.  In 1990, Judge Sullivan briefly returned to private practice as Deputy General Counsel for Bechtel Nevada/EG&G Energy Measurements, Inc., where he remained for nearly a decade.  However, Judge Sullivan’s heart was always with the families of Clark County, and in 1991, while working at Bechtel, he was appointed as an Alternate Hearing Master in Dependency Proceedings in the Eighth Judicial District.  He went on to serve the Court as a Domestic Violence Commissioner for five years (1999-2004), prior to being appointed as a Juvenile Hearing Master for child abuse and neglect cases in 2004.  In 2009, Hearing Master Sullivan was elected to the District Court bench, becoming our beloved Judge Sullivan.

Judge Sullivan’s passion and commitment to furthering the best interests of children in dependency cases are unmatched.  Each week, Judge Sullivan opens his heart to parents struggling with addiction as he presides over the Family Treatment Court, encouraging parents to participate in substance abuse and mental health treatment services with the goal of reuniting with their children.  Judge Sullivan’s commitment extends to his innovative work in creating and presiding over a mental health calendar for youth in foster care with significant mental health needs requiring in-patient treatment.  Judge Sullivan has been instrumental in focusing County and State entities on the plight of youth with physical, emotional, and mental health challenges and leading the quest to find community service providers and in-patient treatment facilities in Clark County to meet the those needs within the least restrictive placement option.  

Throughout his career, Judge Sullivan has also been the judicial liaison for the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, which matches a child in foster care with a community volunteer who advocates for the child’s physical, emotional, social, mental and educational needs and represents the child’s best interests in court proceedings.  Whether Judge Sullivan is planting pinwheels on the Family Court lawn, swearing in CASA volunteers, or representing the Court at community events, Judge Sullivan’s knowledge, compassion, and quick wit will be his legacy.

Judge Sullivan served the legal community tirelessly.  He was elected by his peers as the President of the Clark County Bar Association, two-term President of the Southern Nevada Domestic Violence Task Force, Chairman of the CCBA Trial by Peers Program, Truancy Diversion Judge for Garside Junior High School, and served as a Committee Member for the Clark County Citizens’ Advisory Committee and the Clark County Mental Health Consortium.  Nationally, Judge Sullivan served as the Lead Judge for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Model Court Program.  Judge Sullivan stopped counting his awards, but our research indicates that he was twice awarded the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada’s Judicial Excellence Award, the CASA Foundation President’s Award, the Southern Nevada Domestic Violence Task Force STAR Award, the Mediators of Southern Nevada’s Peacemaker of the Year, the CASA Child Advocate of the Year, the Foster & Adoptive Parents Association Open Your Heart, the CCBA Trial by Peers’ Instructor of the Year, the CCBA Trial by Peers’ Judge of the Year, the UNLV Outstanding Teaching by Part-Time Faculty, UNLV Panhellenic Council Professor of the Semester, and awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award twice by the Clark County Bar Association.

Throughout his career on the bench, Judge Sullivan also educated and mentored thousands of students as he continued to pursue his love of teaching.  For more than 15 years, Judge Sullivan served as a Guest Lecturer and Adjunct Faculty at UNLV and Boyd Law School, teaching in the areas of business law, social work, domestic violence, and hospitality law.

Judge Frank Sullivan with new Trial by Peers grad.
Judge Frank Sullivan cheers on the Champions for CASA
Judge Frank Sullivan congratulates a new batch of CASA volunteers.
Judge Frank Sullivan congratulates a new CASA volunteer.

Judge Sullivan is committed to ensuring that every child in the child welfare system achieves permanency in a timely manner through placement in a loving, nurturing and stable home environment.  His words of encouragement, humor, and firm hand throughout his 32 years on the Family Court Bench have led him to help thousands of children reunite with their families or find a forever family through adoption.  Judge Sullivan has been a true champion of justice for families in Clark County and will be missed by his colleagues and our community. 

Judge Frank Sullivan shows a Russian judge a few of his chess moves as part of the Open World program.