Michael D. Rawlins

Michael D. Rawlins enjoys a diverse commercial litigation practice, including construction litigation, real estate litigation, intellectual property litigation, contract disputes, corporate law, and partnership disputes. He represents shopping center developers in landlord/tenant disputes and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.

Mr. Rawlins serves as a District Court Judge, Pro Tempore, presiding over cases in the short-trial program. He also volunteers for the Children’s Attorneys Project, representing abused and neglected children in court proceedings.

Education

Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School - J.D., magna cum laude (1994)

  • Order of the Coif
  • Managing Editor, Brigham Young University Law Review

Brigham Young University - B.A., Finance, with honors (1991)

Admitted to Practice

  • Nevada
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States District Court, District of Nevada
  • United States District Court, District of Utah
  • Utah

Professional and Civic Activities

  • Clark County Bar Association
  • State Bar of Nevada
  • Utah State Bar
  • Clark County District Judge Pro Tempore
  • Children’s Attorneys Project

Publications

  • "Taxation, Equal Protection and Inquiry into the Purpose of a Law: Nordinger v. Hahn and Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission," 1993 BYU Law Review 1001.

Representative Cases/Deals

  • Defended publishing company and its management from suit brought by minority owner alleging breach of judiciary duties and minority member oppression
  • Defended telecommunications company and its management from suit brought by minority shareholders seeking receivership
  • Defended high-tech start-up entrepreneur from claims brought by former employer alleging trade secret misappropriation
  • Defended a national shopping center developer in a partnership dispute relating to a prominent Las Vegas Strip luxury mall. The case involved claims of securities fraud, RICO, and breach of fiduciary duty.
  • Represented a major Las Vegas resort and its parent company in litigation to enforce a purchase and sale agreement of an operating property when the sale of the property fell through.
  • Prosecuted a trademark infringement action to protect one of Las Vegas’s most famous trademarks. 
  • Represented Clark County in construction litigation on a major public construction project and in inverse condemnation proceedings relating to McCarran Airport.
  • Regularly represents numerous large and small shopping centers in landlord/tenant, construction and mechanic’s lien disputes.