|   | | Law Firm in Reno, Nevada | |
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| | Address | | 6100 Neil Road, Suite 500 | | Reno, Nevada 89511 | | (Washoe Co.) | | Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2311, Reno, NV, 89505 | |  | Accepts Credit Cards |
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(Main Office)
| | Reviser of the Nevada Law Digest for this Directory. | Woodburn and Wedge practices in the following areas of law:
General Practice. Litigation, Mining, Corporation, Insurance, Bankruptcy, Labor and Employment Law, Real Property, Estate Planning, Taxation, Environmental Law, Water Law, Family Law, Commercial and Probate Law. Appellate and Trial Practice in all Courts. | | Year Established: 1918 | Firm Profile:
History: The firm was founded in 1918 by William Woodburn and is the oldest law firm in the State. In 1952, the law firm of Wedge and Blakey merged into our firm which has experienced a period of continuous growth by the addition of various lawyers with necessary expertise in the areas of the firm's practice. The firm presently consists of 21 lawyers. Areas of Emphasis and Growth: The firm provides a full range of services for a variety of national and local clients. Our clients require services involving individual tax and estate planning, business planning, corporate mergers and acquisitions, environmental matters, water rights, mining law, real and personal property law, probate and guardianship, family law, bankruptcy law and litigation. To service our clients, we have developed practice areas in Bankruptcy, Corporations, Litigation, Environmental Law, Mining, Natural Resources and Water Law, Real Property, Family Law, Estate Planning and Taxation, Employment Law and Construction Law.Client Base: Our firm's client base includes national manufacturing, mining, oil, printing, financial and service industries, together with statewide and local businesses, individuals, churches and hospitals.Firm Activities: Our firm encourages the involvement of its members and associates in professional organizations and involvement in civic functions as well as pro bono activities. All members of the firm are members of the American Bar Association; State Bar of Nevada and the Washoe County Bar Association; various members are associated with both national and local professional organizations in their respective fields of expertise.Significant Directions: The firm was selected by the United States Air Force to represent it in acquiring water rights for a significant national project. The firm successfully defended a major recording corporation and a rock band in a landmark suit involving subliminal speech and free speech issues. Present and past members of the firm have served in numerous positions of distinction such as President of the State Bar, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chairman of the National Public Land Advisory Council, Democratic National Committeeman and as chairman of numerous local boards and commissions. Former members of the firm left the firm for appointments to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Nevada Supreme Court and State District Court. | | Firm Size: 21 | Representative Clients:
Park Cattle Co.; Bombardier, Inc.; Walker River Irrigation District; Sierra Pacific Power Co.; Sierra Pacific Resources; Nevada Power Company; Nevada Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association; Connecticut General Life Insurance; Pep Boys; CB Richard Ellis; Roman Catholic Bishop of Reno, A Corporation Sole; Catalina Life and Health Reinsurance Co.; The TCW Group; Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Allstate Insurance Co.; Northbrooke Life Insurance Co.; Sequoia Insurance Co.; Hertz Corp.; Westco/Western World Ins. Co.; AIG Aviation; Statewide Insurance Co.; Standard Motor Products; Barker Homes; Textron Financial; Southern California Automobile Association Insurance Co.; Shell Oil Company; Emerson Electric Co.; ADT Security; Ford Motor Credit Company; Ford Motor Company; Equilon Enterprises LLC; Union Pacific Railroad; Life Insurance Company of North America; Belco Oil & Gas Corp.; Bema Gold Corporation; Advanta Corp.; Glamis Gold Ltd.; Bank of America; The Wilbur May Foundation. | Rate Information:
Accepts Major Credit Cards
 Visa
MasterCard | | MEMBERS OF FIRM | | Gordon H. DePaoli (Member) born Reno, Nevada, May 6, 1947; admitted to bar, 1972, Nevada; 1977, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1983, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Nevada (B.A., 1969); University of Colorado (J.D., 1972). Phi Kappa Phi; Order of the Coif. Recipient, Storke Scholarship, 1970. Associate Editor, University of Colorado Law Review, 1971-1972. Member, Ninth Circuit Advisory Committee on Rules of Practice and Internal Operating Procedures, 1985-1987. Chairman, Nevada Standing Committee On Judicial Ethics and Election Practices. Member: Washoe County (President, 1990-1991) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada. Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Public Utility Law; Water Rights Law; Natural Resources Law; Real Estate Law. Email: Gordon H. DePaoli | | John P. Fowler (Member) born Portland, Maine, December 4, 1946; admitted to bar, 1973, California; 1977, Nevada. Education: Bowdoin College (B.A., cum laude, 1969); University of California at Berkeley (J.D., 1973). Editor and Author, "Study of Nevada Corporate Law," recommending complete revision of Nevada Corporations Code, prepared for Nevada Secretary of State, 1991. Member, Advisory Committee to Nevada Legislative Commission's Subcommittee to Study Methods to Encourage Corporations and Other Business Entities to Organize and Conduct Business in Nevada, 2000. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada (Executive Committee, Business Law Section, 1994—; Chairman, 1994-2004); State Bar of California (inactive). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Real Estate Law; Business Law; Utility Law. Email: John P. Fowler | | John F. Murtha (Member) born North Plainfield, New Jersey, August 16, 1951; admitted to bar, 1980, Nevada. Education: Winona State University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1976); University of Illinois (J.D., magna cum laude, 1980). Phi Delta Phi; Order of the Coif. Rickert Scholar, 1980. Member, 1978-1980 and Administrative Editor, 1979-1980, University of Illinois Law Forum. Author: "United States v. Arciniega—Separation of the Jury in Federal Criminal Cases is Within the Sound Discretion of the Trial Court," 1979 University of Illinois Law Forum, 126. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada. [Sergt., USAF, 1969-1973]. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Business Law; Trial Practice. Email: John F. Murtha | | Stephen S. Kent (Member) born Reno, Nevada, July 6, 1952; admitted to bar, 1980, Nevada; U.S. District Court, District of Nevada; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Nevada (B.A., honors student, 1975); University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 1980). Second Runner-up Moot Court Competition. Law Clerk to the Honorable William N. Forman, Second Judicial District Court, 1980-1981. Co-Author: Limiting Damages in Nevada, Personal Injury Practice in Nevada, Default Judgments, Uninsured Motorist Law and Practice, Insurance Coverage Law In Nevada, and Advanced Personal Injury Practice in Nevada. Member: Washoe County Bar Association; American Bar Association (Litigation Section, Tort and Insurance Practice Sections; Committees on Trial Techniques, Insurance Coverage and Business Torts); State Bar of Nevada (Former Young Lawyers Section Board Member; Former Insurance Committee Member; Former Fee Dispute Committee Member); Northern California-Nevada Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute; International Association of Defense Counsel (Member, Committees on: Aviation; Life, Health and Accident Insurance; Casualty Insurance; Medical Malpractice); Reno Rotary, Reno Rodeo Association. (Certified Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy). Reported Cases: Kennedy v. Hertz Equipment Rental, 121 Nev., Advance Opinion _, No. 43384, (2005) (Joinder); Old Republic Ins. Co. v. Jensen, Griffin, 402 F. 3d 876 (9th Cir. 2005), 276 F.Supp.2d 1097 (D.Nev. 2003) (Aviation, Insurance Coverage); Dahya v. Dist. Ct., 117 Nev.208, 19 P. 3d 239(2001)(Jurisdiction/Service of process, treaties); Kirkpatrick v. Temme, 98 Nev. 523, 654 P.2d 1011 (1982)(Construction Contracts); Villa v. NN Investors Life Insurance Co. Inc., 914 F.2d 265, 1990 WL 131830 (9th Cir 1990)(Insurance Bad Faith); Rabbe v. Maddex, 103 Nev. 817, 809 P2d 45 (1987)(Receivers); Royal Insurance v. Eagle Valley Construction, Inc., 110 Nev. 119, 867 P.2d 1146 (1994)(Costs/Jurisdictional Amount); Judson v. Camelot Food Inc. 104 Nev. 324, 756 P2d 1198(1988)(Res Ipsa Loquitur); Levinson v. Second Judicial District Court, and Real Party in Interest Wister, 103 Nev. 404, 742 P2d 1024(1987)(Jurisdiction). Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Business Litigation; Insurance Defense; Insurance Coverage; Insurance Bad Faith; ERISA; Securities Litigation. Email: Stephen S. Kent | | Nicholas F. Frey (Member) born Twin Falls, Idaho, April 12, 1949; admitted to bar, 1980, Nevada, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; 1988, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A., honors program graduate with distinguished honors, 1976); University of Utah (J.D., 1979). Nevada Supreme Court Settlement Judge. Past President, Washoe Legal Services. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada; Association of Defense Counsel of Northern Nevada and Northern California; Defense Research Institute (Nevada State Representative); American Inns of Court (Bruce R. Thompson Chapter, 1988-1996). Special Agencies: President, Washoe Legal Services, 1990-1992 Reported Cases: Davis v. Eighth Judicial Dist. ex rel. County of Clark, 629 P.2d 1209, appeal dismissed and cert. denied 454 U.S. 1049 and 454 U.S. 1055; Orbit Stations, Inc. v. Curtis, 678 P.2d 1153; Maxit Financial Corp. v. Carson Realty,inc., 692 P.2d 1294; Cordova v. Harrah's Reno, 707 F.Supp. 443; Griffith v. Kremp and Lane, 810 P.2d 331; Cathcart v. Robison, Lyle, Belaustegui & Robb, 795 P.2d 986. Practice Areas: Insurance Bad Faith; Insurance Defense; Appellate Practice; Litigation. Email: Nicholas F. Frey | | W. Chris Wicker (Member) born Casper, Wyoming, November 21, 1952; admitted to bar, 1979, Utah; 1983, Nevada. Education: University of Wyoming (B.S., with highest honors, 1975; J.D., with honors, 1979). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi. Member, 1977-1979 and Water Division Editor, 1978-1979, Land and Water Law Review. Author: "The Co-Conspirator Exception to the Hearsay Rule, Jasch v. State," Land & Water Law Review, Volume XIII, No. 2, 1978; "Enforcement of Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution," Land & Water Law Review, Volume XIV, No. 2, 1979. Member: Washoe County and American (Member, Section on Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law) Bar Associations; Utah State Bar; State Bar of Nevada; Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation; American Trial Lawyers Association; Nevada Trial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Environmental Litigation; Construction Litigation; Insurance Trial Practice; Mining Litigation. Email: W. Chris Wicker | | Shawn B Meador (Member) born Moab, Utah, March 22, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: Utah State University (B.S. cum laude, 1980); University of Utah (J.D., 1983). Order of the Coif. Staff Member, Utah Law Review, 1982-1983. Member, State Bar Committee on Specialization, 1998-1999. Effective Negotiation and Mediation, December 2000. Member, Board of Directors, Washoe County Law Library, 2006—. Member, Nevada Board of Bar Examiners, 2006—. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada (Member, Executive Council, Family Law Section, 1995-1997; Chair, Executive Council, Family Law Section, 1997-1999); Washoe Legal Services (President, 2001-2003). Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Family Law; Family Law Mediation; Trial Practice. Email: Shawn B Meador | | R. Blain Andrus (Member) born Long Beach, California, September 28, 1951; admitted to bar, 1977, Utah; 1985, Nevada. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A., 1974); California Western School of Law (J.D., 1977). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards in Evidence, Wills and Trusts. Member, International Law Review. Author: "Access to Private and Public Lands Under R.S. 2477," Nevada Lawyer, Vol. 1, Number 6, June 1993, republished in the Public Land and Resources Law Digest, Vol. 31, No. 1 (1994); "Considerations Regarding the Use of Arbitration Provisions in Latin American Commercial Agreements," Oil and Gas Law and Taxation Review, issue 12:5 (1994). Member: Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation; National Landmen's Association. Practice Areas: Natural Resources; Mining Law; Property Law. Email: R. Blain Andrus | | Don L. Ross (Member) born Reno, Nevada, April 21, 1961; admitted to bar, 1989, Nevada; 1990, Utah and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada; 1991, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1994, U.S. Tax Court. Education: Brigham Young University (B.S., 1985; J.D., cum laude, 1989); University of Utah (M.B.A., 1986); University of Florida (LL.M., in Taxation, 1994). Member: Washoe County and American (Member: Taxation Section; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada. Practice Areas: Taxation Law; Estate Planning; Trust Law; Federal Tax Litigation. Email: Don L. Ross | | Gregg P. Barnard (Member) born Dallas, Oregon, September 25, 1964; admitted to bar, 1991, Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. Education: University of Nevada (B.A., 1988); Willamette University College of Law (J.D., 1991). Member: Washoe County and American (Member: Business Law Section; Commercial Finance Services) Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada (Member: Business Law Executive Committee; Ad Hoc Committees on Opinion Practice, Limited Liability Companies and Business Trusts). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Commercial Law; Real Property Law. Email: Gregg P. Barnard | | Dale E. Ferguson (Member) born Fallon, Nevada, January 24, 1964; admitted to bar, 1993, Nevada, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of Nevada-Reno (B.S.B.A., with distinction, 1989); University of Utah (J.D., 1993). Member: Washoe County and American (Member, Sections on: Litigation; Natural Resources) Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada; Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Water Rights Law; Natural Resources; Real Property Law; Public Utility Law. Email: Dale E. Ferguson | | Shawn G. Pearson (Member) born Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, January 19, 1971; admitted to bar, 1997, Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. Education: University of Nevada (B.A., with distinction, 1993); University of Utah (J.D., 1997). Member, Utah Law Review. Author: "Hype or Hypertext? A Plan for the Law Review to Move into the Twenty-First Century," 1997 Utah L. Rev 765. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada (Past Chair (2003-2004), Executive Council, Young Lawyers Section). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Real Property. Email: Shawn G. Pearson | | Dane W. Anderson (Member) born Bremerton, Washington, January 29, 1973; admitted to bar, 1999, Nevada; 2001, California. Education: University of Washington (B.A., 1995); Santa Clara University (J.D., 1999). Law Clerk to the Second Judicial District Court, 1999-2000. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation(100%). Email: Dane W. Anderson | | Michael W. Keane (Member) born Hartford, Connecticut, March 1, 1967; admitted to bar, 2000, Nevada; 2002, California. Education: Prescott College (B.A., 1990); McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific (J.D., with distinction, 2000). Member, The Traynor Society. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada; State Bar of California; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: State and Federal Civil Litigation; Contract Litigation; Contested Trusts and Estates; Guardianship; Judgement Enforcement; Mechanics Liens; Bankruptcy. Email: Michael W. Keane | | John F. Keuscher (Member) born Reno, Nevada, April 26, 1974; admitted to bar, 2001, Nevada. Education: University of Nevada, Reno (B.A., with distinction, 1998); Willamette University (J.D., 2001). Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada. Practice Areas: Family Law; Civil Litigation. Email: John F. Keuscher | | ASSOCIATES | | Sharon M. Parker (Associate) born Covina, California, March 16, 1969; admitted to bar, 2001, Nevada; 2002, California; 2003, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. Education: University of San Francisco (B.A., cum laude, 1990); Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (S.T.B., magna cum laude, 1994); Pontifical Gregorian University (J.C.L., cum laude, 1996); Catholic University of America (J.D., magna cum laude, 2001). Dean's Scholar, Catholic University of America. Associate Editor, The Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy, 2000-2001. Law Clerk to the Second Judicial District Court, Washoe County, Nevada, 2001-2002. Author: Comment, "Bringing the 'Gospel of Life' to American Jurisprudence: An Ethical, Religious and Philosophical Critique of Federal Funding for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research," 17 J. Contemp. Health L. & Pol'y 771, 2001. Member: Washoe County Bar Association; State Bar of Nevada; State Bar of California; Canon Law Society of America; National Diocesan Attorney's Association. Languages: Italian. Practice Areas: Religious and Charitable Organizations; Business Law; Civil Litigation; Probate; Guardianships; Will and Trust Contests. Email: Sharon M. Parker | | Jessica H. Hanson (Associate) born Reno, Nevada, September 30, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Nevada. Education: University of Oregon (B.A., 1998); University of San Francisco (J.D., 2002). Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associatons; State Bar of Nevada. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Family Law. Email: Jessica H. Hanson | | Brenoch Wirthlin (Associate) born Logan, Utah, July 5, 1978; admitted to bar, 2006, Nevada. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A., 2002); University of Alabama (J.D., 2006). Member: Campbell Moot Court Board; Robert F. Wagner Labor and Employment Moot Court Team. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Civil Practice. Email: Brenoch Wirthlin | | Benjamin R. Johnson (Associate) born Reno, Nevada, December 23, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Nevada. Education: University of Nevada, Reno (B.A., magna cum laude, 2004); University of California, Berkeley (J.D., 2007). Senior Executive Editor, California Law Review, 2006-2007. Member: State Bar of Nevada; Washoe County and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation(100%). Email: Benjamin R. Johnson | | RETIRED MEMBER | | Richard O. Kwapil (Retired Member) born San Francisco, California, November 4, 1938; admitted to bar, 1963, Nevada; 1979, U.S. Tax Court; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Santa Clara (B.S.C., 1960); Hastings College of Law, University of California (LL.B., 1963). Phi Alpha Delta. Associate Editor, Hastings Law Journal, 1962-1963. Reno Municipal Judge Protem, 1967-1977. Member, Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association, 1973—. Member: Washoe County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada; American Counsel Association. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Business Law. Email: Richard O. Kwapil |
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