In the campaign to fill the seat vacated by retiring Clark County Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman, former prosecutor Amy Ferreira is running against attorney Nancy Bernstein.

Bernstein is a native Las Vegas Vegan with 15 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator, according to her website. She received her law degree from UNLV’s Boyd Law School, served as a law clerk for former District Judge Lee Gates and interned in the district attorney’s office. She currently works as a personal injury lawyer at the Richard Harris law firm.

Ferreira moved to Las Vegas after graduating from Syracuse University College of Law in 2006 to work for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. She served as a prosecutor for 13 years and completed 35 felony jury trials, some before the Special Victims Unit, where she prosecuted cases involving sexually abused children. Ferreira founded the first Animal Cruelty Unit in the district attorney’s office and has a small farm where she houses rescued animals.

In 2020, Clark County Justices of the Peace appointed Ferreira as hearing master, where she has presided over several calendars over the past four years, including small claims, evictions, traffic and first appearances for criminal defendants.

“The court, in many cases, is a person’s first interaction with the criminal justice system,” she says, noting that the experience can influence perception. “When people have a good, positive experience in Court, it makes them want to participate in the process – whether they are a victim, a witness, a first responder or a defendant. It sets the tone for the future.”

Ferreira says she has managed to avoid perceptions of prosecutorial bias during her four years as a hearing officer, noting that she was named a Las Vegas Justice Court Associate in 2022.

“I think that says something about the kind of work I do,” she says. “If you were to question the attorneys, they would tell you that in the DA’s office I was always fair, reasonable, tough and a fighter, but never uncooperative or unprofessional in any sense. I think I have proven that I am a good judicial officer who takes their oath very seriously and will never be biased towards or against either party.”

Bernstein, who is raising a young son, said she initially planned to pass up the opportunity to run for an open seat, but decided at the last minute to enter the race.

She says she has “much more experience in court” than Ferreira. “I worked as a lawyer for many years and now as a managing partner at the office of Richard Harris. I have represented more than 100,000 cases in court. I know the system, I know the judges and I am ready.”

Bernstein admits that her experience in criminal cases is limited. She represented clients in traffic cases before they were decriminalized in 2023.

She declined to discuss the matter Valdez Jimenez Nevada Supreme Court ruling intended to level disparities between suspects during bail hearings. The ruling requires judges to impose the least restrictive conditions on suspects awaiting trial, while ensuring the safety of the public and the suspect’s return to court.

Bernstein said she has no experience representing a suspect at a bail hearing. “I have mainly worked in civil law.”

She notes that her opponent has never practiced civil law.

Ferreira agrees, noting that when she was appointed hearing officer, she “learned very quickly that I had to do a lot of work and learned a lot of things. When it comes to judges, experience and qualifications matter a lot. We are dealing with human lives.”

Ferreira says the Valdez Jimenez statement “had a great influence on the way I create the first appearance calendar every Sunday and every holiday. I feel very comfortable with the ruling in terms of understanding what it means, what it says and how to apply the facts of the case to that specific ruling.”

Bernstein takes issue with the Clark County Jail’s role as the largest mental health facility in southern Nevada and as a shelter for the unhoused.

“Sufferers shouldn’t be there. The staff is not equipped to help the mentally ill,” she said. “If we spend a certain amount of money to incarcerate someone, is that less or more than if we were to help solve the problem?”

As a hearing officer, Ferreira does not convict suspects.

She says specialist courts deal with homelessness and mental health issues, “but they are only as good as the services we have available in our community. While we have many community partners doing incredible work in these areas, the fact remains that our community is severely lacking in resources related to substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness. Judges can only order people to participate in existing programs.”

Bernstein says she is concerned about the court’s recent decision to abolish the Resort Corridor Courts. Cases involving individuals ordered out of the resort corridor on the Strip and in downtown Las Vegas are currently being handled in two designated departments, but will be spread across eight courts starting in November.

“I was quite surprised,” she says of the ruling. “It would be a shame if Las Vegas were so dangerous that we lost tourism. Maybe this will work. Maybe not.”

Bernstein recently found herself on the other side of a civil suit when she was named in a federal case brought by her ex-husband Ed Bernstein, a high-profile personal injury attorney. In 2022, Ed Bernstein accused his ex-wife and the Heidari Law Group, where she worked at the time, of violating trademark law by launching a website under the name Bernstein and Associates.

“For a short time, without my knowledge, Sam Heidari discussed some company names with the Secretary of State and created a website. I don’t even know how to do this,” she said.

The lawsuit alleged that Nancy Bernstein, who had been married and divorced twice since her divorce from Bernstein more than two decades ago and practiced law under her new married name, used the name Bernstein for marketing purposes.

“He included all seven of my last names in the lawsuit, just for fun,” she said of her ex-husband, with whom she has two adult daughters. “I had no idea what was going on. I called him and said, ‘Eddie. Like, I don’t know what you’re talking about. ”

Nancy Bernstein has quit her job at Heidari Law Group and her ex-husband has dropped the case.

“I stayed out of it,” she said.

Bernstein raised about $62,500 in July and had $2,200 on hand. Ferreira raised about $59,000 and had $29,000 on hand.