James Pisanelli and Todd Bice started their law firm, Pisanelli Bice, four years ago and have quickly risen to prominence in the Las Vegas Valley and internationally. Among the cases they are handling are the well-publicized dispute between Wynn Resorts and former board director Kazuo Okada, as well as a wrongful termination case brought by the former CEO of Sands China. Pisanelli says he owes his firm’s success to the cultures of teamwork and service fostered within it.
What is the best business advice you’ve received, and whom did it come from?
Two things: The first came from our former partner and lifelong friend, Frank Schreck. From the time we were very young associates working for Frank to the last days of our partnership with him, Frank always implored us to surround ourselves with smart people. Not only did we have the comfort as young lawyers of being surrounded by smart, experienced people who could help us with any given problem on any given day, but we were also constantly challenged to elevate our practice and thinking to a higher level.
Todd Bice and I brought that philosophy to our new firm. We hand-picked every member of the firm and continue to challenge and elevate one another. It is a remarkable experience to be challenged on a daily basis as the senior member of a firm in the same manner I was challenged as one a member of Frank’s firm.
Whether you need help growing a business, planning your estate or you just want to ensure you get a fair shake in court, this is the list for you — 346 of the valley’s top lawyers.
What makes them the top lawyers in their specialty? Professionalism, expertise, experience and a host of other factors. How did we determine who made the cut? This year, we turned to Avvo, a Seattle-based company that rates and profiles attorneys nationwide. Avvo’s proprietary algorithm rates all attorneys on a 10-point scale, factoring in peer endorsements as well as experience, education, training, speaking, publishing and awards. These dynamic ratings are continuously refreshed based on new information gleaned from attorneys, as well as from licensing and disciplinary authorities.
While the list in the pages that follow is wide-ranging and carefully researched, many good attorneys don’t appear on the list. This reference is best used as just one step in the careful journey toward finding the attorney who is right for you.
LAS VEGAS– James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of the litigation firm Pisanelli Bice PLLC, were recently selected by their legal peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2015, a prestigious nationwide peer-review publication. Managing Partner Debra L. Spinelli was also selected by her peers for the third consecutive year for inclusion in the publication.
For the first time, Best Lawyers listed Pisanelli in the category for bet-the-company litigation, a primary focus of the law firm. The publication also listed him in four additional legal categories, including: commercial litigation, construction law, litigation – construction, and litigation – real estate.
In addition, Best Lawyers listed Bice for the first time in the category for appellate practice, recognizing Bice’s successful practice in the appellate arena. The publication listed Bice in four more legal categories, including: commercial litigation, litigation – first amendment, litigation – land use and zoning, and litigation – mergers and acquisitions.
Bice was also named the Best Lawyers 2015 Land Use and Zoning “Lawyer of the Year” in Las Vegas. The publication recognizes a single lawyer as the “Lawyer of the Year” in each practice area and designated metropolitan area.
The law firm received additional recognition in the publication with Spinelli listed in the commercial litigation category.
LAS VEGAS – James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, announced Michael R. Kalish has joined the firm as an associate attorney. Mr. Kalish primarily practices in complex commercial disputes, such as claims of breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, tortious interference and breach of fiduciary duties.
Prior to joining Pisanelli Bice, Mr. Kalish served as a judicial law clerk with the Eighth Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada. His experience also includes working as a legal intern at the University of San Diego Entrepreneurship Clinic and as a corporate counsel intern at One World Lab in San Diego, Calif.
A 2012 graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, Mr. Kalish has received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award from The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction for international environmental law and for business planning.
Mr. Kalish received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego, graduating magna cum laude, in accounting in 2008.
North Las Vegas Councilman Wade Wagner won a legal judgment against the city Tuesday, collecting more than $70,000 in court-awarded legal fees to defray the cost of a three-year legal battle over his disputed 2011 election.
First-term Republican Wagner, who won his council seat by a single vote over incumbent Democrat Richard Cherchio, first took the city to court in June 2011, filing a lawsuit meant to block a planned special election aimed at settling Ward 4’s closely fought municipal race.
The city, faced with questions about a Ward 3 ballot mistakenly cast in Ward 4, had opted to hold a special election in lieu of recounting contested votes in Precinct 4306.
Wagner, who had already agreed to a recount, sued days later, arguing the city didn’t have the legal right to do anything more than canvass and recertify his narrow Election Day victory.
That lawsuit was upheld more than two years later by the Nevada Supreme Court, which found the councilman’s legal action “precluded the city from conducting an improper revote,” and saved city taxpayers the expense of holding a special election.
The December 2013 Supreme Court ruling reversed and remanded a District Court decision handed down by Judge Elizabeth Goff Gonzalez.
