Judge Maria Gall who serves on the Eighth Judicial District Court in department 9, will be ceremonially sworn in at an investiture on Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. Investitures are formal ceremonies with significant symbolism as new judges publicly swear an oath to uphold justice. The investiture will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/clarkcountycourts.

Following law school, Judge Gall served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Simpson III, judge for the U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky. Judge Gall began her practice in New York City, as a litigator with Cadwalader, Wickerhsam & Taft, the oldest, continuously run law firm in the United States. Judge Gall left the practice of law for a short time to serve as a visiting assistant professor of law at the University of Kentucky, where she taught business associations (corporations), international human rights law, and professional responsibility.  Upon returning to practice, Judge Gall joined the law firm of Stoll Keenon Ogden and then Ballard Spahr in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Judge Gall became the first woman partner of Ballard Spahr’s Las Vegas office in 2019, where she practiced complex commercial litigation. She co-led Ballard Women, a business resource group for the firm’s 250-plus women attorneys, and maintained an active pro bono practice, often partnering with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada to handle challenging pro bono litigations and appeals. Judge Gall also served on the steering committee for the firm’s Racial Equality and Diversity Initiative and is a Legal Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) fellow. 

Judge Gall was raised primarily in and around Fort Knox, Kentucky, by her mother who immigrated from South Korea, and where her father and step-father were career U.S. Army. Judge Gall graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law in 2006, where she served as production editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. In addition to her law degree, Judge Gall holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics & Political Science and a Bachelor of Music from Vanderbilt University. She is a trained concert pianist.

“Judge Gall joins the District Court bench at a dynamic time when everyone is working full speed,” said District Court Chief Judge Jerry Wiese. “Judge Gall’s education and experience will be an asset as she works through what is sure to be a complex and challenging docket.”