Leif Reid is a partner in Lewis Roca's Litigation Practice and was elected by his partners in 2016 to serve as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. For more than 25 years, clients have frequently retained Leif to lead trial teams in “bet-the-company” litigation. Leif handles the most complex cases facing businesses and individuals in Nevada, with a particular emphasis on preparing and taking cases to trial. Leif’s cases involve complex and varying subject matters, filed in all jurisdictions across the state of Nevada, including: antitrust, unfair competition, liquor distribution, utilities and renewable energy, contract and business disputes, and product liability and mass torts.
Leif’s representations involve nearly all possible aspects of complex litigation – multiple parties, extensive discovery, layers of procedure in different jurisdictions, and complex strategic decision-making. Leif also has handled independent investigations and other confidential engagements for clients on sensitive issues.
Leif has been the lead lawyer in numerous months-long jury and bench trials, as well as hundreds of other trials, hearings, and proceedings, including utility rate cases, injunction hearings, multi-district litigation, and contested evidentiary hearings. Leif practices in nearly every federal and state regulatory environment in Nevada, litigating before administrative law judges and boards, and challenging administrative decisions in state and federal courts. Leif has also successfully argued numerous cases on appeal to both the Nevada Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Leif has an extensive Liquor Law practice. He has frequently, and successfully, represented clients in matters adverse to breweries, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Heineken, and Deschutes. Leif has assisted his liquor clients to obtain multimillion-dollar jury verdicts, permanent injunctive relief to protect brands and distribution rights from infringement, and regulatory and legislative changes strengthening Nevada’s three-tier liquor distribution system from black and gray market products.
Leif gained extensive trial and appellate argument experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the White Collar Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas prior to entering private practice.
More About E. Leif Reid
Education
- J.D., Stanford Law School, 1995
- B.A., Brigham Young University, 1992
Bar Admissions
- Nevada, 1996
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Community
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
Representative Matters
- Las Vegas Sun, Inc. v. Las Vegas-Review Journal (obtained multimillion dollar judgment against Las Vegas newspaper in antitrust dispute involving a Joint Operating Agreement and the Newspaper Preservation Act).
- Barone Imports v. JAM Cellars, Inc., et al. (successfully defended winemaker of Butter Chardonnay in multimillion dollar franchise dispute).
- Southern Wine & Spirits of America v. Chateau Vegas Wines (obtained permanent injunction and multimillion-dollar punitive damages award to stop gray market sales of Cristal, Dom Perignon, and first-growth Bordeaux wines).
- NV Energy v. Alliance for Solar Choice (successful rulemaking proceeding before Public Utilities Commission of Nevada involving rooftop solar energy rates and subsequent litigation).
- Crown Beverage v. Sierra Nevada Brewing (successfully defended wholesale distributor against wrongful termination of distribution rights by brewery in violation of Nevada Franchise Act).
- Nevada Resort Association v. Sierra Pacific Power (obtained a $55 million disallowance of utility’s rate increase request on behalf of the Nevada gaming industry in a contested rate case).
- Moapa Band of Paiutes v. Nevada Power (successfully defended administrative approvals obtained for a power plant expansion involving NEPA, CWA, and RCRA claims).
- Nevada Beer Wholesalers Association v. MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev (successfully litigation and legislative matters to prevent consolidation of distribution franchises following brewery mergers).
- Nevada Mining Association v. Erdoes (successfully obtained a writ of mandamus allowing for enactment of landmark energy legislation).
- Ecoenergy Solutions v. Gunnerman (obtained a $0 defense verdict in a licensing dispute involving clean fuel technology).
- State of Nevada v. Wyeth (represented pharmaceutical company in bellwether MDL mass tort product liability trials in both Las Vegas and Reno).
- Steamboat Development Corp v. Sierra Pacific (obtained affirmance of multimillion dollar arbitration award against utility for violating geothermal power purchase agreement).
- TRPA v. Glenbrook Homeowners Association (successfully defended development approvals at Lake Tahoe involving complicated easement rights).
Honors & Recognitions
- Nevada Business Magazine, Northern Nevada's Top Rank Attorneys, 2024
- Benchmark Litigation, "Local Litigation Star," 2022-2025
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow, 2022
- The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Aiken, S.C., Commercial Litigation and Real Estate, 2010-2022, 2024-2025; Construction Law, Litigation - Banking and Finance, 2024
- Mountain States Super Lawyers, Administrative Law, 2008-2022
- Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel, 2009-2022
- Martindale-Hubbell, "AV/Preeminent Attorney" rating 2007-2022
Clerkships
- Chief Judge Procter Hug, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
News
Publications
Events
- Honors & Recognitions | 10/3/2024
- Press Release | 09/10/2024
- Honors & Recognitions | 08/15/2024