Renee M. Finch is a Partner in Messner Reeves’ Las Vegas Litigation Practice Group. Ms. Finch’s career began as a manager overseeing claims professionals at a major insurance company. While excelling in that position, Ms. Finch also graduated in the top 20% of her class from The William S. Boyd School of Law, then put her career experience to work in the Las Vegas litigation arena. Ms. Finch’s practice is devoted largely to defending corporations, insurers and their insureds, in high-exposure cases in which claimed medical expenses and other alleged damages total in the millions. To date, she has tried 15 such cases to verdict, obtaining in each of them either complete defense verdicts or verdicts lower than the plaintiffs’ lowest settlement demand. Her practice also includes prosecuting civil actions involving insurance fraud and conspiracy among litigants and care providers. Representative clients include Massage Envy, J&B Trucking, State Farm, Allstate and Liberty Mutual. Ms. Finch also specializes in representing new and small business owners in structuring their businesses and ensuring compliance with local and state laws and risk management standards.

John C. Courtney, Esq. is an A-V Rated® Attorney, recognized locally by Nevada Business Magazine® (Legal Elite 2014, 2016) and Super Lawyers® (Mountain States Rising Star 2015-2018). As a Barrister, John recently served as the March 2016 Presentation Chairman for the Howard D. McKibben American Inn of Court. John has a proven track record of founding successful enterprises in Nevada. When John was the founding president of the Kappa Alpha Chapter (UNLV) of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, it became the largest fraternity on UNLV’s campus. John was also the founding president of the Weiner Chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (P.A.D.). Under John’s leadership, the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV) chapter of P.A.D. became the largest private student organization in the history of the law school. While committing a considerable amount of time to organizations aimed to advance service, fellowship, leadership, and scholarship, John has continuously dedicated his time to attain the most from his formal and informal educational endeavors, and he could have never made it all happen without the support of his wife and best friend, Angela Vanzant Courtney, whom he first met nearly 30 years ago when John was an aspiring roofer.

Patrick Kang has been representing the people of Nevada since 2007. For five years Patrick has worked tirelessly for his clients, seeking to always put the interests of his client above all else. In those five years, Patrick has fought and won many settlement and judgments.

Leonard H. Stone is a co-founder of Shook & Stone and has been a trial attorney for more than 26 years. As a founding partner, Leonard has played a significant role in establishing the firm as a highly regarded plaintiffs' law firm committed to individual rights. Leonard's practice focuses on personal injury litigation as well as all forms of Disability Law. He has represented adults and children injured or killed by killed as a result of defectively designed and manufactured products, as well as victims of malpractice, premises defects, motor vehicle negligence, and industrial accidents. As a trial lawyer and negotiator, Leonard has recovered millions of dollars for deserving clients, handling many of the firm's most complex and most valuable claims. For a more detailed description of Leonard's areas of practice, please visit the Personal Injury Section of this website. You are also referred to the firm case results for a sampling of the types of cases Leonard has handled during his career. Leonard received his Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors from Brandeis University before earning his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Marymount University Law School in Los Angeles. He was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1995 and is a long-time member of the Nevada Justice Association, currently serving on its Board of Governors. Leonard is a member of the American Association of Justice ("AAJ"), the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Nevada, and the Consumer Attorneys of California.

As a former extern with the Clark County District Attorney's Office, he learned firsthand how “the other side” prosecutes cases. Now he's able to “think like a prosecutor” and anticipate their strategies. Even Nevada's police rely on Mike to defend them when their officers get into trouble... the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers (NAPSO) is one of Las Vegas Defense Group's standing clients. As a criminal defense attorney, Mike has experience in motion practice at the trial and appellate levels in both criminal and juvenile courts. Mike has represented clients in numerous matters including Traffic Tickets, DUI, Battery Domestic Violence, Shoplifting and Drug Crimes. He received advance training on how to fight sexual assault cases (Savannah, GA, Oct. 2013). Mike has also first or second-chaired numerous jury trials including a murder trial and an attempted murder trial. Mike has also successfully represented clients in post conviction appeals in front of the Nevada Supreme Court and has two published opinions to date (State v. Gonzalez, 298 P. 3d 448; 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 22 (2013) and Barral v. State, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 52 (2015)). Mike tirelessly investigates the evidence in each criminal defense, personal injury, and family law case. He is always ready to go to trial. However, usually this preparation and tenacity allows him to secure favorable resolutions with opposing counsel that spare his clients the stress of trial. Prior to graduating magna cum laude from the Boyd School of Law at UNLV, Mike gained practical experience by clerking in the Henderson firm of Rands, South & Gardner as well as externing with the D.A's office. Hailing from the Midwest, he received his B.A. in Education from The University of Michigan and preceded his legal career by teaching Social Studies and English in Detroit and Las Vegas. Las Vegas criminal defense attorney Mike Castillo represents clients throughout Nevada with a focus on Clark County. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NADCL), the American Bar Association and the Clark County Bar Association. He lives in the Summerlin area with his wife.

Emily opened a solo law practice in Las Vegas in 2003 with the primary focus of family law. Since that time Emily has worked diligently to establish a reputation as a knowledgeable and aggressive attorney, gaining the respect of both her peers as well as Judges. Emily has grown her practice over the years and in 2010 gained the credential of Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of Nevada. This is the top Family Law credential an attorney can obtain in Nevada. Emily is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and Vice President of the Nevada Chapter, fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and an AV Preeminent Rated Attorney by Martindale Hubbell. Emily is a certified parenting coordinator and mediator, although her primary focus is litigating complex and/or contested divorce and child custody matters in southern Nevada and Nevada family law appeals. She is particularly knowledgeable in handling family law appeals, complex property division and financial issues, international child custody issues, parental kidnapping, and high conflict child custody cases. Prior to becoming an attorney, Emily worked for three years at the Tobacco Control Resource Center and Tobacco Products Liability Project in Boston, Massachusetts doing research projects on legal issues relating to tobacco. Emily has worked for the New Hampshire Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division and three law firms in Massachusetts in the areas of family law, tobacco and other toxic tort litigation, real estate, business transactions and estate planning. Emily writes children’s books for children going through family law issues and operates a publishing company for children’s books. While her practice is focused in southern Nevada, Emily is also licensed to practice in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Supreme Court, United States District Court – District of Nevada, as well as all state courts in Arizona and California.

Attorney Adam S. Kutner has spent more than 28 years fighting for fair compensation for victims of personal injury in Nevada. With more than 40,000 settlement cases behind him, Mr. Kutner knows his way around the court system and knows how to get clients their settlements promptly and trouble-free. Mr. Kutner got his start in Las Vegas working as an insurance defense attorney. Having seen the other side of personal injury lawsuits has made Mr. Kutner more prepared to negotiate and fight for his clients than other personal injury attorneys. Mr. Kutner’s business philosophy is to treat all clients with respect and dignity, keep them informed and minimize their anxiety as much as possible. He understands that his clients need reimbursement and compensation for their injuries immediately, so he works quickly to get them the maximum settlement. Mr. Kutner received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988 and graduated from law school at the University of Miami in 1991, after which he was admitted to the Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. He is a member of the Clark County and American Bar Associations, State Bar of Nevada, American Inns of Court, Nevada Justice Association and the Western Trial Lawyers Association. In April of 2008, he became a member of The American Trial Lawyers Association and was named one of The Association’s 2007 Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the state of Nevada. A resident of Las Vegas for the last two decades, Mr. Kutner is extremely proud to be in the position to now give back to the local community through generous sponsorships and donations. Mr. Kutner was honored to donate $5,000 to the National Association of Latin Americans (NALA) for sponsorship of a classroom in their facility’s daycare, which cares for children of working parents that can’t afford traditional daycare. Mr. Kutner was also proud to make charitable contributions to organizations such as the American Heart Association, Christmas Toy Drive, St. Christopher’s Church, Communities in Schools of Nevada, and a local children’s soccer organization. You can find Mr. Kutner and his staff helping out around town at events like the Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo Festivals.

Benjamin Carman is a practicing lawyer in the state of Nevada. Attorney Carman received his J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 2007.

Keen Ellsworth is practicing lawyer in the state of Nevada.

Joseph Gutierrez is a founding partner of Maier Gutierrez & Associates, focusing his legal practice on all phases of litigation, from obtaining fast and favorable pre-litigation results to handling cases through trial and appeal. He regularly represents clients in business litigation, employment litigation, and personal injury cases. His commitment to providing each client with the individualized attention and respect they deserve comes from personal experience. As a victim of a serious car accident as a teenager, Joseph experienced first-hand what it was like to have his case brushed aside by “big name” attorneys on television who were looking for nothing more than a quick settlement. “At Maier Gutierrez & Associates, clients can rest easy that their cases will be handled by skilled attorneys, not just legal assistants, and that no case will be settled out of fear of litigation or taking a case to trial,” says Joseph. Throughout his career, Joseph has successfully litigated numerous personal injury lawsuits, including medical malpractice and pharmaceutical cases. Additionally, he has represented homeowner associations (HOAs), major manufacturers, banks, hotels, production shows, and major restaurant chains. Joseph has also successfully represented clients in whistleblower claims and Title VII/retaliation charges. Joseph has extensive experience in negotiation, settlement, litigation, and trial, in both personal injury and complex commercial litigation cases. Joseph was lead trial counsel in the First 100, LLC v. Raymond Ngan, et al. litigation, which resulted in the largest judgment in Nevada history (over $2.2 billion). Recently, Joseph successfully represented Thrive Cannabis Marketplace in a six-week trial regarding the State of Nevada’s 2018 marijuana dispensary licensing process. The media labeled the marijuana licensing litigation “World War Weed”, as it involved many high-profile companies and law firms. The trial resulted in a verdict in favor of Joseph’s client Thrive Cannabis Marketplace, as well as the State of Nevada Department of Taxation and other marijuana dispensary companies. While in law school, Joseph worked for the United States Circuit Judge Arthur L. Alarcon of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Following graduation and admission to the State Bar of Nevada, he began his law career at a small Las Vegas litigation firm. Before founding Maier Gutierrez & Associates, Joseph served as a litigator with one of Nevada’s oldest incorporated law firms, Beckley Singleton, and then at the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig. After several years working for large law firms, Joseph and his law partner Jason Maier established Maier Gutierrez & Associates, with the goal of providing clients the highest level of personal service combined with big firm legal experience. In his personal time, he enjoys playing golf and basketball and supports the Los Angeles Rams and Vegas Golden Knights.