LAS VEGAS (August 15, 2017) – 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 Best Lawyers in America© 2018, a prestigious nationwide peer-review publication. Managing Partner Debra L. Spinelli was also selected for the fifth consecutive year by her peers for inclusion in the publication.
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.
The publication listed Bice for the fourth consecutive year in the appellate practice category, recognizing Bice’s expertise and success in the appellate arena. The publication also listed Bice in four other legal categories, including: commercial litigation, litigation – first amendment, litigation – land use and zoning, and litigation – mergers and acquisitions.
Bice was also named Best Lawyers© Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” in the Litigation – First Amendment category. 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; Deborah Drooz was listed in the litigation – first amendment category and Barry Langberg listed in the categories of entertainment law – motion pictures and television and litigation – first amendment.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers© has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. It is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. Over 50,000 leading attorneys cast more than 7 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Corporate Counsel Magazine has called Best Lawyers© “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
The lawyers listed in Best Lawyers in America© do not have a say in deciding which practice areas they are included in. They are voted into practice areas entirely as a result of the votes they receive from their peers. The subspecialties listed after their names are based on information from a variety of sources.
LAS VEGAS (June 12, 2017) – Five attorneys from the Las Vegas litigation firm Pisanelli Bice, PLLC, have been named to the esteemed Mountain States Super Lawyers list, as was announced today by the firm’s founding partners.
Founding partners of the firm, James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, and managing partner Debra L. Spinelli were chosen for the Super Lawyers “Top” lists, which is a rating service that recognizes outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas.
Pisanelli, Bice, and Spinelli were honored once again as three of the elite Top 100 lawyers in the mountain region that includes Nevada, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Pisanelli has earned Top 100 Super Lawyers distinction every year since 2013. The 2017 listing marks Bice’s fourth year in a row on the Top 100 list. Spinelli earned Top 50 Women Super Lawyers distinction.
Both Pisanelli and Bice have been designated Super Lawyers for 11 consecutive years. Spinelli is a Super Lawyer for the fifth consecutive year.
In addition, Ava Schaefer and Dustun Holmes were selected to the 2017 Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list. Schaefer was named for the second consecutive year.
Fewer than five 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.
LAS VEGAS (April 28, 2017) – James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, are proud to announce renowned attorneys – and longtime mentors – Barry B. Langberg and Deborah Drooz have joined the firm.
“It’s an honor to call these respected attorneys friends, but we’re especially honored to have them joining us in practice,” Pisanelli said. “We have worked together on several cases over the years, and have shared many victories in the courtroom. Both my partner and I have learned so much from Debbie and Barry throughout our careers, so this is a natural fit.”
Both Mr. Langberg and Ms. Drooz bring impressive experience to Pisanelli Bice, and to Las Vegas. Both Mr. Langberg and Ms. Drooz have represented some of the world’s most recognized celebrities in libel and defamation proceedings, securing landmark victories for their clients.
Barry B. Langberg is one of the nation’s preeminent trial attorneys. Over his 45 year career, he has won numerous jury verdicts in defamation, entertainment, real estate and commercial cases. Hailed as “one of the nation’s premier libel attorneys,” by the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Langberg won a landmark victory in the libel case of Carol Burnett vs. National Enquirer. Mr. Langberg has represented several well-known public figures and companies in several high-profile defamation matters, including Martha Stewart, Kevin Costner, Rodney Dangerfield, Berry Gordy, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wynn, Sears Corp., Fluor Daniel, MGM Resorts, and Wynn Resorts.
Deborah Drooz brings a strong record on appeal to the firm, having a number of published and precedent-setting appellate victories in state and federal courts including Gordy v. New York Daily News, Steam Press Holdings. Inc. v. Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Union Local 996, and Star Editorial v. Dangerfield. Ms. Drooz also has a number of notable unpublished appellate victories which include Alexander Haagen III v. Saks & Company, and Meyers v. Tempesta, et al. In addition, Ms. Drooz advises public figures and corporations on First Amendment issues. She also counsels clients in intellectual property, appellate, and entertainment transaction matters.
Ms. Drooz earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles, and a J.D. from the Southwestern University School of Law. Ms. Drooz was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America (2013-2014) and is currently an adjunct professor of defamation and privacy law at Southwestern University School of Law where she also has lectured for the LL.M. program on Entertainment Law.
“This addition is an illustration of our ongoing commitment to provide our clients with the unrivaled level of service they expect from us,” Pisanelli said. “Barry and Debbie are incredibly well-respected by their clients and peers. They are assets to the firm and we’re so proud to have them onboard.”
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 1, 2016) – Founding partners James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice announced today that the firm earned six Tier 1 rankings in Las Vegas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” for 2017.
The firm’s top-level designations are in the areas of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Construction Litigation, First Amendment Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation. The firm was also ranked in Tier 2 for Land Use & Zoning Litigation. Pisanelli Bice has long been a fixture in the U.S. News – Best Lawyers rankings. The firm earned five Tier 1 awards in both 2015 and 2016.
Pisanelli Bice was named to the top tier based on a comprehensive evaluation process that includes client and peer evaluations of the firm’s responsiveness, client needs assessment, integrity, competitiveness, civility and cost-effectiveness, as well as a review of additional information provided by law firms themselves as part of the submission and application process. To be eligible, firms must have at least one attorney in the current edition of Best Lawyers in America©, which is one of the oldest and most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession.
“Recognition by our clients and colleagues is especially gratifying as it reinforces Pisanelli Bice’s approach to personal service and comprehensive representation,” said Debra Spinelli, the firm’s managing partner. “We believe our decision to remain a small, boutique firm concentrating on litigation enables us to focus our resources on delivering customized legal solutions for our clients.”
Pisanelli Bice’s Tier 1 rankings will be featured in U.S. News & World Report’s Legal Issue this month. The rankings also are available online at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com.
About Pisanelli Bice
Pisanelli Bice is a Las Vegas-based law firm focused primarily on commercial litigation. The firm, founded by attorneys James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, represents clients ranging from single-entity developers and entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, public agencies and some of Nevada’s largest gaming companies. For more information, please visit pisanellibice.com or on Twitter @pisanellibice.
About “Best Law Firms”
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer reviews from leading attorneys in their field, and reviews of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers in America© in that particular practice area and metro. For more information on U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms,” please visit http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/.
LAS VEGAS – (Sep. 14, 2016) – James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, founding partners of Pisanelli Bice PLLC, announce that Brittnie T. Watkins has joined the firm as an associate attorney. Ms. Watkins will primarily practice commercial litigation.
Prior to joining Pisanelli Bice, Ms. Watkins was a judicial law clerk to Justice Michael L. Douglas of the Supreme Court of Nevada for the 2014-2016 term. During her term, Ms. Watkins assisted the Court in making precedential legal determinations in a variety of matters, including corporate and contractual, gaming, constitutional, intellectual and real property, medical malpractice, and construction defect.
While earning her juris doctor and doctorate degrees at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Ms. Watkins served on the Nevada Law Journal, Boyd’s nationally recognized Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition team, and as a member of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition team. Ms. Watkins also served as a public interest fellow and graduate research and teaching assistant. Ms. Watkins gained experiential learning as a student attorney in the Family Justice Clinic, legal extern for the Children’s Attorney Project of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, and law clerk for the Office of the Clark County Public Defender. Amid extra-curricular activities, Ms. Watkins achieved a top 30% ranking and Dean’s List honors. Upon graduation, Ms. Watkins received the Barbara Buckley Community Service Award and the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Leadership. Ms. Watkins’ dissertation focusing on courtroom stress in witnesses was recently bestowed the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award.
Ms. Watkins received two bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, with high honor, and psychology, with honor from Michigan State University. She also received her master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
About Pisanelli Bice
Pisanelli Bice is a Las Vegas-based firm focused primarily on commercial litigation. The firm, founded by attorneys James J. Pisanelli and Todd L. Bice, represents clients ranging from single entity developers and entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, public agencies as well as some of Nevada’s largest gaming companies. For more information, please visit pisanellibice.com.
