LAS VEGAS – (Feb. 1, 2019) James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice, PLLC, announce that Jordan Smith has rejoined the firm as of counsel. Mr. Smith joined the firm in 2012 and now returns after serving as Deputy Solicitor General of Nevada. He will represent the firm in matters related to appellate and complex litigation.
“I am pleased to be rejoining the firm and look forward to advocating for our clients,” said Smith. “It is an honor to be a part of one of the leading law firms in Southern Nevada.”
Mr. Smith has more than eight years of experience in appellate and complex litigation. He has argued 18 times in various state and federal appellate courts on a range of issues, including business disputes, administrative law, bankruptcy, habeas corpus, and the death penalty.
While at the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Smith represented the state in many constitutional cases and matters of statewide or national importance. He was lead counsel in the state’s first method of execution challenge since 2006, won a nationwide injunction against an unlawful federal regulation in a multi-state lawsuit, and successfully defended the state in the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit against an effort to jump-start the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project.
Mr. Smith has been recognized by his peers as one of Nevada’s leading litigators, including being named by Best Lawyers as the “Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year” for Las Vegas, a “Legal Elite” by Nevada Business Magazine, “Appellate Practice Rising Star” by Mountain States Super Lawyers, and a “Top Lawyer” in litigation by Desert Companion Magazine.
“We are excited to welcome Jordan back to our legal team,” said Pisanelli. “He returns to us with an impressive record of litigating in the state and federal courts, and we know that he will serve our clients well and with the highest skill level they have come to expect from Pisanell Bice.”
Mr. Smith is a member of the State Bar of Nevada and the Federalist Society and regularly argues pro bono appeals in conjunction with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. He has published several scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals on issues of gaming law and statutory interpretation. Mr. Smith also engages in continuing legal education presentations and other speaking engagements.
It is with deep sadness that Pisanelli Bice announces the passing of our colleague, mentor, and friend, Barry B. Langberg. Barry passed away on October 4, 2018, following a fierce and valiant battle with cancer. His love of life is reflected in the many and various stories he shared with family and friends. And, his love of and extraordinary talent as a trial attorney is reflected not only in the victories he accomplished for his clients, but also in the many lawyers privileged to learn and grow under his spirited tutelage and imbued with his passion and skill. Barry is and will be greatly missed by his Pisanelli Bice family and by all who knew him.
Click here to view his obituary.
LAS VEGAS – (Aug. 16, 2018) – James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, announced today that five of the firm’s attorneys were recognized by Best Lawyers©, a national peer-reviewed lawyer-ranking service. Pisanelli Bice attorneys will appear in the 25th edition of The Best Lawyers in America© publication for their litigation work in Las Vegas.
Founding partner Pisanelli has been recognized by Best Lawyers for the past 13 years. For 2019, he has been selected for his work in bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, construction law, construction litigation, and real estate litigation. He was honored as a “Lawyer of the Year” in 2013 and 2016 for his work in construction law.
The Best Lawyers in America publication listed partner Bice for the 12th consecutive year. For 2019, he has been selected for his work in commercial litigation, appellate practice, first amendment litigation, land use and zoning litigation, and mergers and acquisitions litigation. Bice was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year” in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
Managing partner Debra Spinelli has been recognized for the past seven years for her work in commercial and construction litigation. Attorney Barry Langberg was recognized again this year by Best Lawyers and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America publication for a total of 11 years.
New to Best Lawyers this year is associate attorney Magali Mercera who was recognized for her work in commercial litigation.
Recognition by Best Lawyers is solely based on an exhaustive peer review and only a single lawyer in each practice area and community is honored with a “Lawyer of the Year” award. Best Lawyers has provided this ranking service for over 30 years and has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Those selected to the Best Lawyers lists are recognized in the Best Lawyers publication, The Best Lawyers in America.
For more information about Best Lawyers, visit www.bestlawyers.com.
LAS VEGAS – (June 11, 2018) – James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, announced today that six of the firm’s attorneys were among select lawyers in Nevada who were recognized on the Mountain States 2018 Super Lawyers lists. Super Lawyers is a national rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Partners James Pisanelli and Todd Bice, and managing partner Debra L. Spinelli were honored once again as three of the elite Top 100 lawyers in the mountain region, which includes Nevada, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Pisanelli has earned Top 100 Super Lawyers distinction every year since 2013. The 2018 listing marks Bice’s fifth year in a row on the Top 100 list.
Managing partner Debra Spinelli was selected to the Top 50 Women Mountain States Super Lawyers list again this year. The 2018 listing marks the third consecutive year that Spinelli has been selected to the Top 50 Women list.
Both Pisanelli and Bice have been designated Super Lawyers for 12 consecutive years and Spinelli is a Super Lawyer for the sixth consecutive year.
Attorneys Dustun H. Holmes, Kirill V. Mikhaylov, Ava M. Schaefer were named 2018 Mountain States Rising Stars. This is the second consecutive year that Holmes and Mikhaylov have been named Rising Stars, and it is Schaefer’s third consecutive year appearing on the list.
Fewer than 5 percent of Nevada’s attorneys receive Super Lawyers recognition after undergoing a comprehensive, multi-step nomination and evaluation process. This multifaceted process includes a statewide survey of colleagues in the state’s legal profession, peer reviews, consideration of professional achievements, and independent research conducted by Super Lawyers’ parent company, Thomson Reuters, the world’s most respected source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.
For more information about Super Lawyers, visit https://www.superlawyers.com.
About Super Lawyers
Super Lawyers state and regional listings are published nationwide in Super Lawyers magazines, leading local and statewide publications and metropolitan newspaper supplements across the country. Super Lawyers magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit https://www.superlawyers.com.
LAS VEGAS – (June 1, 2018) James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, announced today that five attorneys from the firm were recognized on the list of Legal Elite 2018 by Nevada Business Magazine. The 11th annual list highlights the state’s most outstanding attorneys voted on by their peers.
James (Jim) Pisanelli was among select attorneys honored on the Legal Elite list of Southern Nevada’s Top Attorneys, along with Attorneys Dustun Holmes, Magali Mercera, Kirill Mikhaylov and Robert Ryan. Ms. Mercera also was recognized as one of the Best Up and Coming attorneys. This is the second notable recognition for Mercera who, earlier this year, was named one of 2018’s Women to Watch by Vegas Inc. magazine.
Legal Elite is an annual list honoring exceptional attorneys in Nevada. Lawyers are selected for Legal Elite based on peer nominations, and ranked according to where votes originated. This year’s Legal Elite polling included nearly 6,000 nominations. The attorneys featured on Legal Elite 2018 garnered the top voting scores throughout the state.
While there are currently 8,962 attorneys in the state, only 3 percent were featured on this year’s Legal Elite list for Nevada, and only 54 attorneys were included on the Best Up and Coming list. For more information about Legal Elite or Nevada Business Magazine, go to http://www.nevadabusiness.com.
