TAHOE-TRUCKEE BAR ASSOCIATION

History of the Tahoe Truckee Bar Association

In the late 1970’s, the then rather small group of attorneys who had full time practices in the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe areas met with the purpose of forming an association that would enhance and provide access to the system of justice in our local communities; assist in the delivery of legal services to the community; maintain the honor and dignity of the judiciary and legal profession; promote the ethical standards of the legal profession; advance the benefits enjoyed by the legal profession; encourage cordial relations within the legal profession; educate those in the legal profession; inform the community about the system of justice and the legal profession; and promote the betterment of the community which it serves.  This newly-formed local bar association would, however, need a name.

The obvious name options were “Truckee-Tahoe Bar Association” and “Tahoe-Truckee Bar Association”, but which community should have the honor of being listed first in the official name?  In the spirit of friendly competition and sport which is at the heart of the outdoors lifestyle our members enjoy, it was agreed that a game of softball would determine the name.  On a sunny afternoon in 1978, teams of attorneys and legal professionals from Truckee and Tahoe met on the field at Tahoe Vista to determine the name of the new bar association, with the winning team selecting the priority of names.  

Ties were worn by the Truckee team. The game itself had its share of tricks, stolen bases, non-lawyer ringers brought in as “legal assistants”, disputes over application of the infield fly rule, and an assortment of other claims.  A local judge of the Nevada County Municipal Court played and suffered a torn ligament on a misguided rounding of first base, which his Honor blamed on the poor signaling of the first base coach and interference from the first baseman (you get the picture).  The star of game was Greg Shanley, who played shortstop throwing out close to half the Truckee team hitters.  

As you may have already guessed, the Tahoe team won, and our local bar association was named the “Tahoe-Truckee Bar Association;” however, no one can remember if the game actually went a full nine innings, due to the immediate availability of cold beer at the 7th inning stretch.  Therefore the Truckee team lawyers have always maintained that the official naming of the Association may be subject to appeal.  The Truckee team claims that the Tahoe team has never produced an actual scorecard of the game, casting further doubt on the official result.  Perhaps it is time for a re-match?

The Tahoe-Truckee Bar Association has since grown in membership and impact. From collaborating with our local courts to providing continuing education classes and social events for members, to providing legal resources for the community and scholarships for local high school students, the Tahoe-Truckee Bar Association continues to promote the values and ideals that formed the basis of this association when it was first envisioned in the late 1970’s.  While not every dispute can be resolved through a softball game, the Tahoe-Truckee Bar Association’s commitment to integrity, professionalism and a healthy legal environment continues to make the Tahoe-Truckee (or Truckee-Tahoe) community a fantastic place to live and work.