Mike has earned his experience the hard way. He spent the first dozen years of his legal career either in a courtroom, conducting dozens of jury and bench trials, hundreds of evidentiary hearings and motion practice, or in a public building somewhere in Northern Nevada navigating rural politics to accomplish the goals of his client. Paired with his extensive civil litigation experience, he is the firm’s most experienced trial lawyer. However, because he values efficient results in the advocacy of his clients’ interests: he considers himself simply a “problem solver.” As an attorney that  lives and works in Northern Nevada, Mike has a singular and in-depth understanding of the mix of values rural community members hold and the unique issues these communities face. This also means Mike knows, through his years of experience, what it takes to successfully navigate, plan, and develop major energy projects in these jurisdictions.
 

Mike graduated with distinction from the McGeorge School of Law, where he was able to attend a semester abroad learning constitutional law from Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in Salzburg, Austria. His high academics and unique experiences earned him a coveted position in the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California prosecuting federal crimes alongside DVC partner Bob Sweetin.
 

After law school, Mike accepted a position as a Judicial Law Clerk in the Seventh Judicial District of Nevada, clerking for Hon. Dan L. Papez (ret.), and Steve L. Dobrescu. After his clerkship, Mike was hired and worked as a Deputy District Attorney in the White Pine County District Attorney’s Office. He immediately began conducting the vertical prosecution of hundreds of felonies and Nevada civil cases annually. Seeing an opportunity for improvement in his community, he ran for and was elected to two terms as White Pine County’s District Attorney. As District Attorney, Mike oversaw litigation against SNWA over the preservation of critical water rights in Northern Nevada. Mike adroitly navigated that matter into a successful resolution for the County, demonstrating his ability to take on large, well-capitalized, incumbent utilities.
 

After earning his stripes in government litigation, Mike’s statewide reputation and work ethic led to his hiring as a civil litigator for a major data center developer in Las Vegas, where he successfully leveraged his talents and mastery of the evidence code on behalf of this world-class data center giant. Eventually, an opportunity to diversify his professional experience arose, and Mike was called back to government politics when he was appointed as the first County Manager of White Pine County, Nevada where he served until joining the DVC team in Nevada. As County Manager, Mike implemented many policies to take advantage of White Pine County’s unique location near critical utility infrastructure interconnecting the western states through Northern Nevada, to make White Pine County one of the few pioneering rural Nevada Counties in large-scale utility development.
 

As most energy development occurs in undeveloped, rural parts of the West, Mike brings his experience to the team in understanding and skillfully navigating these beautiful frontier communities. His unique exposure and extensive experience advocating for county governments in water and environmental law, and his dual ability to also file or defend a suit for our clients through jury trial and appeal, if necessary, are rare and valued assets.

 

Mike is admitted to practice in the following jurisdictions:

• Nevada

• Idaho