Nada Novakovich

Nada Novakovich Aluevich was among the earliest women to practice law in Nevada. Born February 24, 1924, in Wilmington, California, she graduated from Reno High School in 1942 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree from George Washington University Law School in 1950. Admitted to the District of Columbia Bar that same year, she returned to Reno to build her career in the Silver State.

Known throughout her career by her maiden name, Novakovich became a notable figure in Nevada's legal community. In 1952 she represented Ethel Kaupp in a case remembered locally as the "Battle of the Petticoats" - recalled as the first time two women attorneys faced one another in a Nevada courtroom. She was an active member of the Nevada State Bar, the American Judicature Society, and the Washoe County Bar Association, where she served four years as secretary. Her professional standing was recognized with inclusion in Who's Who of American Women in 1957.

Beyond the courtroom, Novakovich served as executive secretary to U.S. Senators George W. Malone and Edward P. Carville and stood as a Democratic candidate for Congress in 1956 and 1958. She contributed to public service on the Governor's Advisory Commission on the Status of Women and the Governor's Fulbright Scholarship Committee. She died October 20, 1998, at her home in Reno, remembered as a pioneering figure among Nevada's women in the law.