College of Liberal Arts: Thomas M. Ware
Thomas Ware has spent his legal career helping nonprofit homeowners associations, their volunteer boards, and property managers navigate difficult regulatory and organizational challenges. He’s represented clients in numerous construction defect cases, developer disputes, CC&R enforcement matters, land use disputes, title issues, and controversies involving architectural modifications and other use restrictions.
A Los Angeles resident, Ware regularly gives his time to mentorship programs and community defense efforts. He draws on his liberal arts background in his work as a national speaker and legislative advocate for common interest developments.
What does being selected as the 2026 College of Liberal Arts Honoree mean to you?
Growing up in Las Vegas, I was the first in my family to go to college. When I arrived at UNLV, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it quickly became the place where I found my footing. Studying political science, serving as president of my fraternity and working as a student ambassador, I found opportunities that shaped who I became and laid the foundation for my legal career.
Being recognized by the College of Liberal Arts all these years later feels like a real full-circle moment. It brings me back to where it all began and reminds me how much UNLV has meant to me, my family, and our community.
How did your undergraduate experience prepare you for law school and your legal career?
As a first-gen student, I relied heavily on faculty to guide me through college. Both my advisor and [political science professor] Jerry Simich validated my goals and steered me toward rigorous courses — such as accounting alongside political science — that helped me strengthen my analytical foundation. I also took classes with Congressperson Dina Titus, who brought in guest speakers like Sens. Howard Cannon and Harry Reid.
Outside the classroom, serving as president of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), sitting on the Interfraternity Council and student senate, and working as a student ambassador forced me to develop leadership and interpersonal skills.
As an attorney, I have to be comfortable walking into a courtroom or boardroom, meeting people I don’t know, and earning their trust. UNLV gave me the chance to develop those skills long before I ever entered a courtroom.
Your legal practice focuses heavily on homeowner associations. How did you enter this specialty?
Early in my career at a Los Angeles law firm, I was assigned a defense case involving a homeowner who sued her homeowners' association over a pet restriction (Nahrstedt v. Lakeside Village Condominium Assn.). The case eventually reached the California Supreme Court, resulting in a landmark decision on the enforcement of deed restrictions in common interest developments.
That front-page precedent established my specialization in common interest development law. It blends property rights, constitutional law, contracts, land use, and municipal-style governance. Representing volunteer board members allows me to help protect community leaders who serve without compensation to maintain their neighborhoods.
How has your liberal arts education influenced the way you think, solve problems, and lead?
A liberal arts degree gives you something far beyond a specific set of rules or facts — it teaches you how to think, how to listen, and how to adapt. Through my undergraduate classes, that mix of rigorous classwork and student leadership taught me very early on that real-world issues are rarely straightforward. There is almost always more than one side to a story, and learning how to step back, ask the right questions, and evaluate a problem from multiple angles completely changed how I process information.
Good leadership isn't about having all the answers right out of the gate. It’s about staying curious, treating people with respect, and remaining flexible enough to find practical, common-sense solutions when challenges arise. That mindset started in UNLV's classrooms, and it has guided every step of my career since.
