RICHARD DREITZER
Richard Dreitzer serves on Fennemore’s six-person management committee and is the managing partner of our Las Vegas office. He works in the business litigation practice group, where he focuses primarily in the areas of labor and employment law, administrative law, and general commercial litigation, including construction. With more than two decades of experience as a business litigator, he has guided a broad range of clients through traditional labor matters such as Title VII defense, ERISA claims, wage and hour disputes, OSHA proceedings, collective bargaining, and representation of employers before the National Labor Relations Board.
In the construction and real estate litigation arena, Richard represents clients in construction law matters, serving as lead counsel on behalf of general contractors, subcontractors and materials suppliers in litigation involving public and private projects in both state and federal courts.
In the administrative law space, Richard was formerly a deputy attorney general in Nevada, where he served as Board Counsel and Prosecutor for a variety of State of Nevada Boards and Commissions. Since leaving government service, Richard has continued his representation of state agencies in a private capacity, prosecuting regulatory infractions by professional licensees, and serving as Board Counsel and Prosecutor during hearings and in appellate proceedings before the Nevada District Courts and the Nevada Supreme Court.
Beginning in 1996 with a clerkship in Las Vegas, today Richard is a fixture in the Nevada legal community, and he thoroughly enjoys the mental challenges of working at a large law firm on complex litigation matters with a dynamic team of business litigation attorneys. He views his work like looking at a puzzle — seeking new approaches to solving problems, which may be unseen at first glance.
Rich is presently in his fifth term as a member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Nevada (having served since 2013), and was recently elected Vice President of the State Bar of Nevada. Rich also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nevada Public Radio and was recently chosen to serve on the Advisory Council for The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas.
Education
- J.D., Washington University School of Law
- B.S., College of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
Areas Of Practice
Experienced, forward-thinking advocates who go beyond the expected for clients in dispute prevention and resolution.
Our construction attorneys have substantial experience with the diverse and often complex aspects of the construction business.
Our attorneys practicing in the employment and labor relations area advise and defend management in virtually all aspects of the employment relationship.
We have an extensive practice counseling employers on all aspects of employee benefits.
Our real estate practice is one of the largest in the American West, including Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada with experience in all aspects of the real estate development process, from due diligence, acquisition and finance, through land use permitting and entitlements, to leasing and sale.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
- Insurance Regulatory and Compliance
- Life, Health and Disability
- Manage Care Litigation and Compliance
Awards and Honors
- Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation/Employment Law – Individuals/Employment Law—Management/Litigation –Construction/ Litigation– Labor & Employment, 2019-2025
- “Legal Elite,” Nevada Business Magazine, 2020-2021
- “Rookie of the Year,” State of Nevada Office of the Attorney General, 2005
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell
Articles and Presentations
- Featuring, “ON THE MOVE: Wells Fargo announces promotion,” Las Vegas Business Press, July 10, 2023
- Featuring, “People on the Move: July 10, 2023,” Las Vegas Sun, July 10, 2023
- Featuring, “Nevada Business: Industry Focus,” Nevada Business, December 2, 2022
- Featuring, “Mandatory overtime: What you need to know,” Clockify, April 7, 2023
- Interview, “It is only in the presence of humility that learning and professional growth becomes possible,” Fennemore Blog, October 7, 2021
- Interview, “Labor, employment specialist discusses President Biden’s vaccine mandates,” KTNV Las Vegas, September 9, 2021
- Interview, “Can employees who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine get unemployment benefits?” KTNV Las Vegas, September 8, 2021
- Quoted, “Las Vegas small business owner leaves mask decision to customers,” KTNV Las Vegas, May 14, 2021
- Quoted, “Mask guidance relaxed for vaccinated individuals, employers can impose their own mask requirements,” KTNV Las Vegas, May 13, 2021
- Quoted, “BACK TO WORK: Can remote employees be forced back to work in-person?” KTNV Las Vegas, May 3, 2021
- Quoted, “Get vaccine or submit to weekly test: Wynn Las Vegas employee fumes over options,” KTVN Las Vegas, April 8, 2021
- Podcast, “Fenn.Talks: Reaching New Heights with Richard Dreitzer,” April 7, 2021
- Quoted, “COVID-19 Vaccine and Employers,” KTNV Las Vegas, December 8, 2020
- Quoted, “COVID-19 Vaccine and Employers,” KVVU Fox 5, December 7, 2020
- Quoted, “Insurer fires back against Durham business owners’ Covid claims,” Triangle Business Journal, September 30, 2020
- Speaker, “Pandemic Paradigm Shift: The Perils and the Promise,” State Bar of Nevada Webinar, June 30, 2020
- Quoted, “As Georgia Reopens Nail and Hair Salons, Lawyers Say Companies May be Putting Themselves at Risk,” Yahoo Life, April 24, 2020
- Quoted, “How to Keep Your Employees Healthy During the Coronavirus,” Business.com, April 7, 2020
- Interview, “Small business loans: How and when to apply,” Fox 11, April 7, 2020
- Interview, “Assistance for Small Businesses,” Fox 11, April 7, 2020
- Co-author, “COVID-19: Health Plan Coverage For Furloughed Employees,” Fennemore Client Alert, March 26, 2020
- Co-author, “Understanding the Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act and Emergency Paid Sick Leave in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” Fennemore Client Alert, March 20, 2020
- Interview, “Coronavirus Relief Bill,” Fox 5 News Las Vegas, March 19, 2020
- Quoted, “Q + A: Las Vegas Lawyer Talks About Labor Law as Coronavirus Alters Workplace,” Las Vegas Sun, March 17, 2020
- Co-author, “Frequently Asked Questions About the Coronavirus in the Employment Setting,” Fennemore Client Alert, March 17, 2020
- Interview, “MGM Resorts report layoffs: Local attorney explains workers’ rights,” KTNV News, March 14, 2020
- Quoted, “New Trade Deal Provisions Give US Tech Firms Legal Shields,” eCommerce Times, October 9, 2019
Professional and community activities
- President, State Bar of Nevada, 2024
- Vice President, Board of Governors, State Bar of Nevada, 2022-present
- Member, Advisory Council, The Mob Museum, 2022-present
- Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nevada Public Radio, 2021-present
- Vice Chair, Nevada Public Radio, 2019-2021
- Member, Board of Governors, State Bar of Nevada, 2013-present
- Board Member, Nevada Public Radio, 2013-present
- Member, Fee Dispute Committee, State Bar of Nevada, 2011-present
- Member, Lawyers Referral Information Service Committee, State Bar of Nevada, 2011-2014
- Member, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, State Bar of Nevada, 2001-2004
- Member, State of Nevada Board of Continuing Legal Education, 2014-2021
- Justice of the Peace, Pro Tempore, Justice Court, Las Vegas Township, 2009-2018
- Small Claims Court Referee, Justice Court, Las Vegas Township, 2009-2020
Admissions
- Arizona
- Missouri
- Nevada
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Nevada