William Turner, Esq.

Mr. Turner has had a long successful career in the Las Vegas legal community. He has mediated over 700 cases in many different areas of the law, including complex commercial, insurance, personal injury, employment and employment discrimination, wrongful termination, real estate, wrongful death and contractual and construction defect disputes. He has also taught numerous mediation and arbitration courses since 1996. He participated in Legislative hearing regarding proposed changes to the statutory Arbitration program in 2001 and in 2003 he participated with the Nevada State Legislature on changes in the Construction Defect Statute. He has served on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Nevada for three terms. He was appointed by the Nevada Supreme Court as Chair of two separate Commissions that wrote the Short Trial Program, both of which have received national recognition. He serves presently as a Short Trial Judge. He is the Co-Chair of the Nevada State Bar ADR section. He is also active in the community and has received a national award for community service.

Based on his experience as a Mediator, in 2005 he was appointed as one of the new 25 Mediators under the new Short Trial Rules to hear mediations that are stipulated to as an alternative to the mandatory Arbitration rules. In 2005 he was appointed by the Nevada Supreme Court to Chair a Statewide Commission on Lawyer Advertising to look at and revise the Nevada rules regarding Lawyer Advertising.

Areas of Expertise

Complex Commercial Litigation

Business

Insurance

Personal Injury

Wrongful Death

Real Estate

Contractual Construction Disputes

Construction Defect

Medical Malpractice

Education

Emory University, JD 1969
Georgetown University Law School
Prettyman Fellowship, Master of Trial Laws, 1971
Emory University; Atlanta, Georgia, B.A. 1966

Legal Experience

United States Securities and Exchange Commission Trial Attorney, 1971 - 1975
Special Assistant United States Attorney for District of Nevada, 1971-1975 assigned to assist United States Senate Watergate Committee and Special Prosecutor(1972-1974) Bebe Rebozo /Howard Hughes/ President Nixon Investigation
United States Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada, 1975 served as Chief of the Civil Division for eleven years.
Handled complex white-collar crime cases and received a Special Commendation from William Webster, Director, FBI, for his investigation, prosecution and conviction of individuals and professionals connected with money laundering and organized crime.
With over 37 years of litigation practice, has tried numerous cases in conjunction with his specific trial expertise.

Professional Appointments

Pro-tem Judge, Justice of the Peace and Municipal Court, Henderson, Nevada
Short Jury Trial Judge, EJDC (2002-2006
Statutory Mediator, EJDC (2005-2006
Statutory Arbitrator EJDC (1994 -2006)
Appellate Supreme Court (Mediation) Settlement Judge (1997-2006)
Private Mediator and Arbitrator
Chair of Alternative Dispute Resolution Section State Bar
Appointed Chair of First and Second Short Trial Commission by Nevada Supreme Court
Bench and Bar Committee and Committee regarding Mandatory Settlement Programs
Appointed Chair of Advertising Commission on Lawyers Advertising by Nevada Supreme Court
Elected to Nevada State Bar Board of Governors 2000, 2002, 2004
ABA "TIPS" Leadership Committee
Mediator and Arbitrator for the Nevada Real Estate Board
Mediator and Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association
Mediator and Arbitrator for the NASD

Published Articles

The Communiqué : Jurors Approve of the Short Jury Trial Program, Changes in Short Trial and the New Mediation Program 2002, 2005; The Effects of the Short Trial Program in Nevada on Jury Trials, Nevada State Bar Journal, 2003; Commission on Lawyer Advertising, Communiqué, 2006

Professional Teaching Legislative Processes and Experience

Testified before the Nevada Legislature regarding proposed changes to the Nevada Rules on Arbitration; 2001
Participated in Carson City 2003 Legislature on Construction Defect Rules regarding the "Right to Repair, Chapter 40
Taught numerous CLE courses for Nevada State Bar and for Clark County Bar Association and others involving Mediation & Arbitration
Taught numerous courses on complex litigation, personal injury, construction defect, appellate mediation, real estate, homeowner's disputes contract and construction contract disputes and commercial transaction
Taught Trial courses for 25 years; Training and Advanced Training at Boulder, Colorado Nita (National Institute of Trial Advocacy);Taught Nita nationally, and to various groups; Emory Law School, Loyola School of Law, Los Angeles ; Loyola School of Law , New Orleans, Department of Justice. Washington D.C. 1980-2006
Received Advanced Training for Mediation and Training as Chair by American Arbitration Association and by NASD.
Certified to act as mediator and arbitrator for complex commercial litigation, Construction Litigation personal injury real estate partnerships, etc.
Mediated Employment Disputes for United States Post office
Mediated numerous cases involving alleged insurance fraud, 1988-1992
Mediated and Arbitrated over 1,000 cases (1994-2006), many valued above a million dollars involving wrongful death construction defect, complex contract disputes, construction completion architectural, employment, labor, contract, real estate, commercial transactional, personal injury, homeowners appellate and other types of cases in litigation

Honors and Awards

Awarded National Community Service Award for Community Service by Farmer's Insurance 2002

Award for Short Trial and Mediation Program, National Association of Counties

Commendation by William Webster, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Prosecution of Money Laundering and Organized Crime Case

Commendation by Inspector General, Health and Human Services for successful investigation of Insurance Fraud conspiracy involving 4500 provable cases throughout the United States, the wrongful deaths of numerous cancer patients and the fraudulent claims amounting to over $10,000,000

Awarded by SEC for investigation and indictment of Howard Hughes for stock fraud and the recovery of $50,000,000 in settlement of the civil fraud case

Public Commendation by the Senate Watergate Committee for his assistance in the investigation of President Richard M. Nixon and the Watergate Burglary

This page was last modified in December 2009

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