Employment lawyers within 300 miles of Reno 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.

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.

Mr. Morris has been practicing law since 1994 and is a diverse individual with many interests. Unlike other attorneys, Mr. Morris was working on an advanced degree in an unrelated field when he had a calling to become an attorney and he instantly switched from his science-based studies to law. Mr. Morris has owned a retail store, has written computer software and has been on the Board of several non-profit corporations, including the SPCA of Northern Nevada. After graduating from law school, Mr. Morris based his practice on "righting wrongs" and started a heavy practice in civil rights and employment law such as wrongful terminations, disability discrimination, medical leave issues, personal injury and medical facility injuries. His law practice philosophy led him to a specialized area of Tribal and Indian Law where he has represented many Tribes and their members. He was eventually asked to be a judge for the Appellate Court for the Nevada Tribes and he served as a justice for this Inter-Tribal Court of Appeals of Nevada. He has worked as both a plaintiff’s attorney in private practice as well as being General Counsel, Employment Counsel, and Senior Employment Counsel for large national and international corporations including the World’s largest equipment rental company. Mr. Morris has received published decisions in both Federal and State Courts and he is currently licensed in all Nevada Courts including the Nevada Supreme Court, Nevada Federal Courts, Federal Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals and multiple Indian and Tribal Courts. He has lived in both Reno and Las Vegas and provides services to all of Nevada including its rural towns. Due to the nature of the cases handled by Mr. Morris, the majority of them are filed in Federal Courts - which are located in either Reno or Las Vegas.

Cory A. Santos, Sr., Esq. is the owner/manager of Santos Law, PLLC. Attorney Santos has a long and distinguished history of helping clients throughout Nevada by equalizing the playing field for his clients. Practicing mainly in Workers’ Compensation, Entertainment Law, Personal Injury, and Criminal Law, he has helped thousands of clients over the last two decades. Mr. Santos has litigated several cases up to the Nevada Supreme Court. He was successful in a major precedent setting case in workers’ compensation. In Flamingo Hilton v. Gilbert, 122 Nev. 1279, 148 P.3d 738 (2006), the treating physician stated that the injured worker required ongoing medications to maintain maximum medical improvement (MMI), however, then inappropriately stated that the injured worker needed to pay for the medications with his own private insurance once the case closed after he took his Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) settlement. After several appeals, the Nevada Supreme Court agreed with Attorney Santos’ argument and now injured workers are able to accept their PPD and the insurance company has to provide ongoing medical maintenance if the physician recommends it to maintain MMI status. This case opened the door for injured workers to finally not have to utilize their PPD settlement or their own private health insurance to pay for maintenance that the workers compensation insurer is responsible for. Additionally, the Court held that when a doctor provides an opinion which goes beyond a medical opinion but becomes a legal conclusion, it is an improper opinion (in Gilbert, the treating physician stated Mr. Gilbert should use his private health insurance to provide for his medications). Lastly, the Court clarified that when an insurance company issues several determinations regarding a subject (in Gilbert it was claim closure) in a certain time frame, an injured worker need only appeal the last in time determination to perfect an appeal. This decision was a big win for injured workers in Nevada. In another case in which Attorney Santos represented an injured worker before the Nevada Supreme Court, CCSD v. Marshall, (Supreme Court No. 41374 (2005)), the injured worker had surgery on his shoulder and eventually was sent for a PPD evaluation. The first PPD doctor stated that Marshall was entitled to a 10% PPD award. The 10% PPD award was denied by the self-insured CCSD and it had another doctor review the information. The second doctor agreed with the first doctor and stated Marshall should get a 10% award. However, CCSD still refused to pay the 10% award and had a third doctor review the file. The third doctor stated Marshall should only get a 5% PPD award which CCSD then offered to him. Attorney Santos stood behind his client and argued to the Nevada Supreme Court that his client deserved the full 10% PPD award based on the first two doctors’ opinions. The Nevada Supreme Court agreed in an unpublished decision ruling for Marshall. At the forefront of Nevada Workers’ Compensation policy, Attorney Santos has testified before the Nevada Legislature regarding workers’ compensation issues and has written on Nevada Workers’ Compensation law in the Nevada Justice Association magazine, “Advocate”. Attorney Santos has had success in other areas of law for his clients. For example, in the area of Personal Injury, he successfully represented a person injured in the nationally covered infamous Mizpah Hotel Fire in Reno, Nevada obtaining a settlement for his client after a battle with the insurance company. In the area of Entertainment Law, he has been legal counsel for 2 feature films (1 Interrogation, Project: Puppies for Christmas), represented entertainers, producers, directors, musicians, athletes, and well known casting director Marilee Lear of Lear Entertainment. He has a background in acting, having worked in commercials and on several films (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8435386/) which augments his courtroom representation of his clients. In the area of Criminal Law, he has represented individuals charged with misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors and felonies. Charges have ranged from battery, assault, domestic violence and driving violations. He has also represented clients with traffic tickets all across Nevada (Goldfield, Tonopah, Hawthorne, Fernley, Searchlight, Las Vegas, Reno). Attorney Santos’ legal career started out as a law clerk for several law offices in Reno and Las Vegas. The son of Jeannette Santos and legendary trial attorney and Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Herbert J. Santos, Sr., Esq., he learned trial techniques and tactics at a young age watching his father in the courtroom. During law school, he was fortunate to law clerk for several experienced litigation firms. At one firm, he worked on the infamous Equinox pyramid scheme lawsuit. At another firm, he worked on motor vehicle accidents, trip/slip and falls, and premises liability. He also clerked at an insurance defense firm. While at these positions, he learned from some of the most experienced attorneys in southern Nevada. He took this valuable knowledge with him when he was admitted to the Nevada and Utah state Bars, respectively. In 2002, he made the choice to represent injured workers when he accepted a position as a Deputy Attorney for the State of Nevada at Nevada Attorney for Injured Workers where he worked in the Las Vegas office until 2008. He then litigated cases with his brother Joel for ten years. In 2018, he opened Santos Law, PLLC. where he now represents clients in northern and southern Nevada. A native Nevadan, Attorney Santos is proud to be a member of the prestigious charter class of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) William S. Boyd School of Law. At Boyd, he received several scholarships, most notably, the Nevada Trial Lawyers Scholarship and the Boyd School of Law Community Service Scholarship. Prior to receiving his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Boyd, he received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Nevada, where he received several academic scholarships in history. Graduating on the Dean’s List, he majored in history with a minor in criminal justice. At the University of Nevada, he was a member of the Nevada Boxing Team from 1993-1996, wrote for the university newspaper, and was a member of several university organizations. Prior to that, he graduated from Robert McQueen High School in Reno, Nevada in 1993 where he participated on the football and track teams. Attorney Santos is married to an attorney and has four children. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, The Prospectors' Club in Reno and the FBI InfraGard. Over the years he has been active in various non-profit activities such as serving on the Board of Governors for Bishop Manogue High School in Reno, Nevada, the Board of Directors for the UNLV Interfaith Student Center, and on the Child Abuse Prevention Council for Olive Crest Homes a