Marissa Temple, our Attorney of the Month for July 2025, has an impressive history of dedicated participation in the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada's Pro Bono Project. Beginning her first pro bono case fifteen years ago, in 2010, Marissa has appeared in numerous pro bono Consumer cases and has expanded her role as an instrumental advocate in both our Small Claims and Landlord/Tenant Ask-A-Lawyer programs.
Initially participating in her first Ask-A-Lawyer session in 2018, Marissa quickly became an iconic, respected figure for her dependability and commitment. Providing apt, tailored legal advice to our deserving community members for years, Marissa continues to volunteer for multiple consultation sessions at various points throughout the week regularly. Further, in pursuit of securing justice for disadvantaged individuals, she readily adopts further responsibilities to ensure her clients have an opportunity to seek equitable legal outcomes: "I've taken on several pro bono clients that started out as callers in the Ask-A-Lawyer program. Oftentimes, participants will call with a question but I realize their situation is dire enough to warrant legal representation beyond a simple phone call." In her pro bono cases, Marissa often takes on complex Consumer cases with a focus on Landlord/Tenant disputes with the primary goal of 'leveling the playing field' for those who are uninformed of their legal rights.
One such case involved a client who sought legal advice regarding her concerns about substandard living conditions. Through our Landlord/Tenant Ask-A-Lawyer program, Legal Aid Center connected the client to Mrs. Temple, who uncovered a slew of pressing habitability issues. Despite the client's punctual monthly rent payments, the electricity in the unit was sporadic, running water was nonexistent, and she had absolutely no AC functionality during the heat of summer. Marissa emphasizes, "the landlord was taking her money but providing a space that was not fit for anyone to live in, especially this client and her two young children." Springing into action, Marissa contacted the landlord directly and demanded that the landlord remedy these conditions, resulting in a favorable outcome for the client: the landlord made the necessary repairs, removing the hazards, and the client's rent was significantly reduced thereafter. For Marissa, "housing and eviction matters is where legal advocacy can make a life-changing difference."
Although Marissa has always been a long-time champion of communal support, she cites her increasing involvement in our Pro Bono Program to her transition from large corporate firms to her jointly run personal injury law practice, Temple Injury Law. Ultimately, she states: "over time, I realized that giving back and using my training to help those without access to legal resources became more fulfilling to me than money making and financial gain."
Marissa came to Las Vegas 28 years ago from Mililani, Hawaii-- a small town in the center of Oahu. She attended UNLV on scholarship and competed as a member of UNLV’s debate team. Marissa had aspirations of being a lawyer from a very young age after witnessing how much her father enjoyed the practice of law. Marissa loves Las Vegas and knew she wanted to begin her practice in Nevada, so she accepted a scholarship to attend UNLV Boyd School of Law as a member of one of the school’s first classes. During law school, Marissa studied abroad at the University College of London, where she met her husband, Jeff. The two married in 2006 and have two wonderful children, Michael and Scarlett. Together, Marissa and Jeff own Temple Injury Law--a law practice focusing on personal injury. Marissa is a board member for the Nevada Crohn’s and Colitis Foundations and serves Legal Aid of Southern Nevada’s Ask-a-Lawyer program.
