Maggie R. O’Flaherty

Maggie O’Flaherty is an attorney in our Government Affairs & Advocacy Group, supporting clients on legislative strategy, regulatory navigation, and stakeholder engagement across Nevada. With roots in northern Nevada and half a decade of experience living and working in Las Vegas, Maggie offers a deep understanding of the state’s diverse political and business environment. She has a proven ability to build relationships across constituencies and foster long-lasting coalitions. With a client-centered approach, Maggie is adept at translating policy objectives into actionable strategies and measurable results at every level of government.

Maggie’s public policy career began at McDonald Carano as a Policy Analyst from January 2019 to August 2021, assisting clients with legislative monitoring and advocacy. She returned to the firm in 2025 as an attorney after earning her J.D. from the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, where she graduated with Pro Bono Honors and was awarded the Frank D. Durand Leadership Award by faculty for her contributions to the law school community.

Before returning to McDonald Carano, Maggie completed a one-year federal clerkship with the Honorable James C. Mahan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, where she developed a pragmatic approach to legal analysis. Her experience includes drafting written orders on dispositive motions involving complex issues of federal and state law. She also managed all aspects of a civil and criminal docket, including coordinating with magistrate judges and court staff to ensure timely case progression. Maggie’s comprehensive experience in U.S. District Court proceedings offers crucial insight into federal trial practice and judicial decision-making.

Maggie’s professional experience during law school includes serving as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable James C. Mahan in the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also received a Janet D. Steiger Legal Fellowship in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Nevada Attorney General’s Office in Las Vegas where she drafted research memoranda on issues arising in antitrust and deceptive trade practice law and represented Nevada in multistate antitrust litigation meetings with the FTC and attorneys general from across the country. Maggie also served as a Summer Associate in a Nevada firm where she presented before the Clark County Planning Commission and supported civil trial teams in active litigation.

Maggie held numerous leadership positions at William S. Boyd School of Law, including President of the Student Bar Association and Vice President of the Policy and Legislation Society. She received 1st Place in the Making the Law Legislation Writing Competition and competed on the Client Counseling Team for the Society of Advocates, placing as a Finalist in the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition. Maggie also participated in the Thomas and Mack Legal Clinic in Public Policy, co-authoring an amicus brief on Massachusetts fiduciary law. As Student Bar Association President, Maggie represented her class at graduation by delivering the student commencement address alongside keynote speaker, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro.

• J.D., Pro Bono Honors, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2024)
  • Frank D. Durand Leadership Award, Boyd Law Faculty Awards, Spring 2024
  • CALI Award, Lawyering Process II (legal writing), Spring 2022
  • Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Recipient, American Bar Association, Summer 2022
• B.A. in Political Science; Minor in Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies, University of Nevada, Reno (2019)

• Nevada

• Member, Washoe County Bar Association
• Member, Clark County Bar Association

• La Voz Huellas Legal Mentorship Program, Mentor and Mentee, 2021-2024
• Christine Smith Community Service Program, Small Claims Court Legal Education Instructor, Fall 2023
• Lead On Nevada, Board Member, 2019-2022