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Leon F. Mead II
Managing Partner | Attorney | Consultant
Nevada | California | Texas
p. (702) 745-4800 | c. (702) 610-3045
e. leon@meadlawgroup.com
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Main Bio
Leon Mead has been handling construction law matters almost exclusively for over 30 years. His practice is primarily devoted to representation of public and private owners, developers, contractors, specialty contractors, construction managers, material suppliers and design professionals, in construction contract preparation, negotiation and implementation; LEED Certification/Green Building compliance, litigation, arbitration and mediation, construction claims, mechanics lien remedies, construction defect defense including residential and commercial deficiency design and construction claims, delay, disruption, acceleration and other impact claims, bid protests, professional licensing, construction related administrative & criminal defense, construction industry issues, commercial and business litigation.
On construction and development related transactional matters, Leon has significant experience in planning, negotiating, drafting and coordinating contracts as unique as design and construction of multi-billion-dollar complex commercial multi-use projects, and as routine as form UCC Article 2 sales transaction / credit agreements for construction goods and materials. His experience has included myriad delivery method options (including Design-Bid-Build (Competitive Bidding), Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, Construction Management as Agent, Owner-Builder, Design, Build, Operate and Maintain, Fast-Track and Flash-Track), utilizing various financing and compensation methods (including lump sum, cost plus fee, guaranteed maximum price (“GMP”), joint venture funding, public private partnership, etc.). This experience allows him to partner with and advise clients as to various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks that each of these construction methods pose, and recommend strategies to manage the particular issues unique to the project circumstances. Leon has also advised clients on necessary construction administration and management processes that avoid pitfalls created by legislative enactment.
Leon is dedicated to development of Nevada laws that impact construction and to advising his clients and the Nevada construction industry of their implications: Testifying before numerous state legislative committees on construction related topics and cited by the Nevada Supreme Court in support of construction related opinions. Leon is a frequent lecturer and prolific author on construction law and industry issues. He is the author of the first (and only) comprehensive “Nevada Construction law” treatise, published by Thompson Reuters / West, 2009 through 2012; DHG Publications 2013 through 2016 (and cited with approval by the Nevada Supreme Court in multiple published decisions), and numerous articles on construction law topics. He teaches Construction Law as faculty adjunct at the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV), an invited lecturer on construction law to the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, and State Bar of Nevada Annual Meetings. He has served since 2013 on the Editorial Board of the Nevada Lawyer, the official magazine of the State Bar of Nevada. He also serves as an independent mediator and arbitrator of construction disputes.
Leon’s work is recognized by his 2006-2020 Tier 1 Construction Litigation ranking by Chambers USA®; Selection as 2013 & 2015 Construction Lawyer of the Year in Las Vegas by Best Lawyers®; 2006 through 2021 inclusion in Best Lawyers®; 2006 through 2020 listing in Superlawyers®, his AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubble® in both Attorney and Judicial Editions, selection as a Fellow by the Litigation Counsel of America® and Construction Litigation Counsel of America®, as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation®, 2015 Associate Member of the Year of the Nevada Contractors Association®, 2007, Associate Member of the Year of the Nevada Framing Contractors Association®, and as the 2005 Associate member of the Year by the Associated General Contractors, Las Vegas Chapter®. In 2005, he received the distinction as the only practicing lawyer elected to the Nevada Contractors Association (fka Associated General Contractors, Las Vegas Chapter) Board of Directors and served on its Executive Committee from 2016 through 2017. In 2015 he founded the Nevada Association of Construction Counsel, a group Nevada-based construction lawyers dedicated to the betterment of Nevada construction law.
Education
Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, California (J.D., 1990)
Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California (B.A., Psychology, 1986)
Life Bible College, Los Angeles, California (A.A., Theology, 1985)
Court Admissions
Supreme Court of Nevada
Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of Texas
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Professional Memberships & Activities
State Bar of Nevada
Construction Law Section
State Bar of California
State Bar of Texas
Adjunct Professor, Construction Law, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Green Building Credentialing Institute
LEED Green Associate (inactive)
American Bar Association
Clark County Bar Association
Los Angeles County Bar Association
Nevada Contractors Association (fka Associated General Contractors, Las Vegas Chapter)
Executive Board (Associate Officer, 2016)
Board of Directors (2005-2016)
Government Affairs Committee (1998-2016)
Nevada Association of Construction Council
Founder
Nevada Lawyer Magazine
Editorial Board (2013-2019), Chair (2017)
Framing Contractors Association
Board of Directors (2007-2009)
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
Nevada Resort Association
Associated Builders and Contractors
US Green Building Institute, Nevada Chapter
Representative Presentations & Publications
Books
Nevada Construction Law, Author, 2009-2016 editions, Thompson Reuters/West, pub. (2009-2012 ed.), DHG Publications, pub. (2013-2016 ed.) (Available through Amazon.com)
The Uncertain Future and Certain Challenges of Green Building Projects in Today’s Economy, Chapter Author, Inside the Minds: New Developments in Green Construction Law, Thompson Rueters/Aspatore Books (2011)
Contractor’s Guide to Mechanics Liens: Arizona, California, Nevada, Co-Author, BNI Publications (2005 Edition)
Articles
Straight Talk. Sound Counsel. Practical Solutions, Quoted, Attorney at Law Magazine Greater Las Vegas, Vol 2 Issue 3, Straight Talk. Sound Counsel. Practical Solutions.
The Nevada Supreme Court Clarifies Nevada Mechanics’ Lien Priority, Nevada Lawyer, State Bar of Nevada, June 2013.
HOLDING OUR BREATH: Hoping not to Turn Fountainbleau, Author, State Bar of Nevada Construction Law Section Newsletter (September 15, 2012)
Nev. Jobs First Act: Potential Nightmare for Contractors, Author, Law360 (December 13, 2011)
Nevada Prompt Payment Act, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (June 22, 2011)
Contractual Indemnity Provisions Must Expressly Provide for Indemnity in Contributory Negligence Circumstances, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (June 9, 2011)
“Nevada Jobs First” Act Alters Nevada Preference Requirements on Public Works Contracts to the Detriment of Nevada General Contractors, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (May 20, 2011)
Arbitration Provisions That Waive Nevada Chapter 40 Rights Found Unconscionable, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (March 15, 2011)
Nevada Supreme Court Carves Actual Notice Exception to Preliminary Notice Requirement, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (January 5, 2011)
The Use of LEED, Integrated Project Delivery and Building Information Modeling in Nevada, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (December 15, 2010)
Nevada Supreme Court Offers Guidance on Motion to Expunge or Reduce Mechanics Liens, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (October 19, 2010)
Nevada Requires Union Trust Funds to Give Statutory Notice to Assert Claims Against Public Works Payment Bonds, Snell & Wilmer, Under Construction (October 2009)
Contractor’s Board Responds to General Contractor’s Concerns, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (June 2009)
Tough Times for General Contractors: Nevada Contractor’s Board Investigations Unit Refuses to Recognize Pay-If-Paid Clauses, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (March 2009)
Nevada Supreme Court Limits Pay-If-Paid Clause Ruling to Contracts Entered Into Before 2003, Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (November 2008)
Nevada Supreme Court Rules Pay-If-Paid Clause Unenforceable, Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (June 2008)
Indemnification Obligations: Being Responsible for Your Own Work is not as Simple as it Sounds, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (April 2008)
AIA A201 2007 v. A201 1997: Change Comes to the General Conditions, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (February 2008)
Nevada Supreme Court Establishes “Reasonable Threshold Test” to Measure Sufficiency of Pre-Litigation Extrapolated Construction Defect Notice, Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (October 2007)
Re-Establishing Lender Priority Over Mechanics Liens may be Next to Impossible under Nevada Law, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (October 2007)
Nevada Supreme Court Tackles Construction Defects in Condominium Conversions … and Invalidates General Defect Waivers for Good Measure, Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (September 2007)
2007 Legislative Changes Affecting the Nevada Construction Industry, Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (July 2007)
Pay-If-Paid Clauses May Be Valid in Nevada if Carefully Drafted, Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Under Construction (January 2007)
Uh, Is It Supposed to Look Like That? … Changes Continue to Plague Owners and Contractors, Author, RE Business Online, (August 14, 2006)
2005 Legislation Provides Sureties Some Relief on Nevada Bond Requirements, Author, Southwest Contractor, McGraw-Hill (April 2006)
Nevada Courts – Are They Hostile to Contractors in Construction Defect Cases? Author, Southwest Contractor, McGraw-Hill (January 2005)
SB206, Long Overdue Mechanics Lien Law Reform, Communiqué, August 2003, Vol. 24, No. 8, Clark County Bar Association
Stopping Work When You Don’t Get Paid: An Uncertain Law for an Uncertain Action, Communiqué, Author, June 2003, Vol. 24, No. 6, Clark County Bar Association
The New Progress Payment Release Forms: The Cure is Once Again Worse than the Disease, California Construction Law, Vol. 3, (January 1993)
Seminars
Construction 101, a Primer for Steelcase Distributors, Steelcase, Inc., May, 2016
Nevada Mechanics Lien Law, Associated General Contractors (2003-2016)
Lorman Education Services (2001-2016)
Nevada Owner’s Duties During Construction, Lorman Education Services (2006-2008)
Educational Business Seminars (2001-2016)
Associated Builders and Contractors (2000-2007)
Nevada Construction Law, Credit Managers Association of Nevada (2005-2006)
Public Contract Code Requirements and Competitive Bidding in Nevada, Lorman Education Services (2001-2006)
Construction Claims in Nevada, Lorman Education Services (2001-2006)
Nevada Law for Design Professionals, Lorman Education Services (1999-2003)
Nevada Construction Contracting for Public Entities, Lorman Education Services (2000-2002)
Protecting Yourself In Construction Projects, Associated Builders & Contractors (2002)
Introduction to AIA Standard Forms, Lorman Education Services (2002)
Nevada Mechanics Lien Law for California Contractors, Building Industry Credit Association (1995-2000)
Professional Recognition & Awards
Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America®
Charter Fellow, Construction Lawyers Society of America®
Fellow, American Bar Foundation®
The Best Lawyers in America®, Construction Law, Construction Litigation (2007-2019)
Lawyer of the Year, Las Vegas Construction Law (2013, 2016)
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business®, Band 1 – Litigation: Construction (2006-2019)
Mountain States Super Lawyers®, Construction Litigation (2007-2019)
Top 75 Lawyers (2010-2011)
Super Lawyers®, Construction Litigation – Business Edition (2011)
Super Lawyers®, Construction Litigation – Corporate Counsel Edition (2009-2010)
Nevada Super Lawyers®, Construction Litigation (2007-2008)
Legal Elite – Top 100 Southern Nevada Attorneys, Nevada Business Magazine (2009, 2011)
Martindale-Hubble® “AV Preeminent” Rated;
Pro Bono Honor Roll, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (2012)
2015 Associate Member of the Year, Nevada Contractors Association
2007 Associate Member of the Year, Framing Contractors Association
2005 Associate Member of the Year, SIR Award, Assoc. General Contractors, Las Vegas Chpt.
“Construction Lawyer Embraces All-Out Approach to Work and Life,” Las Vegas Review Journal: Nevadans at Work Series Profile (February 6, 2005)
Other Professional Experience
Snell & Wilmer LLP, Senior Partner, Construction Industry Group (2006-2016)
Mead Pezzillo LLP, Founding and Managing Partner (2003-2006)
Gibbs, Giden, Locher, Turner, Senet&Wittbrodt LLP, Associate / Partner (1989-2003)
Vineyards Recording Studios, Proprietor (2012-Present)
Dynamic Horizon Group, Founder (2010-Present)
Educational Business Seminars, Proprietor / Speaker (2001-Present)
Musician, Composer, Producer, Voice Over Artist, Author, Lecturer