Debbie Leonard
- 955 S. Virginia Street, Suite 220
Reno, Nevada 89502 - Office Phone: 775-964-4656
- Place of Birth: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Supreme Court Mediation History:
- Date Appointed: 1/2/13
- Number of Cases Mediated: 64
- Current As Of: 1/2/25
Areas of Practice:
- Real Estate and Land Use; Water and Natural Resources; General Civil Litigation; Appellate Practice
Bar Memberships:
- Nevada (2002)
- California (2003)
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (2005)
- United States Supreme Court (2012)
| Colleges | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Start | End | Type | Degree |
| University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | 1987 | 1991 | Undergraduate, Zoology (Honors) | B.A. |
| University of California | Santa Cruz, CA | 1995 | 1997 | Graduate, Education | M.A. |
| Law Schools | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Start | End | Degree |
| University of California Berkeley School of Law, Boalt Hall | Berkeley, CA | 1999 | 2002 | J.D. |
| Professional Experience | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Description | Start | End |
| Leonard Law, PC | Reno, NV | Solo Practitioner | 2019 | Present |
| McDonald, Carano, Wilson, LLP | Reno, NV | Associate 2003-2009; Partner 2010-present | 2003 | 2019 |
| U.S. District Court | Reno, NV | Law Clerk to Hon. David Hagen, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada | 2002 | 2003 |
| Santa Cruz, CA School District | Santa Cruz, CA | Science Teacher; Mission Hill Junior/Senior High School and Delta School | 1998 | 1999 |
| State Bar of Nevada | Reno, NV | Chair, Appellate Litigation Section | 2013 | 2014 |
| United States District Court, District of Nevada | Reno, NV | Lawyer Representative | 2015 | Present |
| State Bar of Nevada | Reno, NV | Lead Editor, Nevada Appellate Practice Manual | 2016 | Present |
| Mediation and Other ADR Training | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Description | Date |
| University of California, Berkeley; Boalt Hall School of Law | Berkeley, CA | Mediation Training | 2002 |
| American Arbitration Association | San Diego, CA | Introductory Mediation Training | 2011 |
| United States District Court, District of Idaho ADR Program | Boise, ID | Advanced Mediation Training | 2012 |
| State Bar of Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | Do's and Don'ts of Ethical Conduct at a Mediation | 2012 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Reno, NV | Procedural & Ethical Issues in Mediation for Settlement Judges | 2013 |
| Land Trust Alliance | Rhode Island | Mediating Conservation Disputes | 2014 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Reno, NV | Techniques & Best Practices in Civil Mediation at the Appellate Level | 2016 |
| 2016 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference | Big Sky, MT | Mediation Techniques for Mediator and Lawyers | 2016 |
| State Bar of California | Reno, NV | Eliminating Cognitive Biases | 2016 |
| Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference | So you think you know the best way to conduct a Settlement Conference? | 2016 | |
| Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference | When Litigants are Righteously Indignant: Mediation Techniques for Judges, Mediators and Lawyers | 2016 | |
| American Bar Association | Reno, NV | First Offers and Counteroffers | 2016 |
| American Bar Association | Reno, NV | Solutions for Common Ethics Issues in ADR | 2017 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Reno, NV | The Premediation Process: A Facilitated Discussion for New and Experienced Settlement Judges | 2018 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Reno, NV | Impasse and Ethics: A Facilitated Discussion for New and Experienced Settlement Judges | 2018 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Appellate Mediation: Tips, Tactics & Techniques | 2020 | |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Using an Online Platform to Conduct Mediations | 2020 | |
| UNR's Career Elokrations, Women in STEM Series, in 2021 | Reno, NV | Effective Communication & Conflict Resolution - Presenter | 2021 |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Joint Sessions vs. Caucuses | 2022 | |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Overview of Common Procedural Issues for Settlement Judges | 2022 | |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Online or In-Person, Psychological Insights for Supreme Court Settlement Judges | 2022 | |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Nevada Settlement & Sr. Judge Workshop | 2023 | |
| Nevada Supreme Court | Reno | Preparation, Stakeholders, Malpractice, and Agreements: Issues All Professional Mediators Will Encounter | 2024 |
| Mediation and Other ADR Experience | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Description | Start | End |
| State Bar of Nevada | Nevada | Fee Dispute Resolution Committee-Mediation of fee disputes between lawyers and clients | 2011 | Present |
Nevada Supreme Court;California Court of Appeal; Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal | Nevada and California | Advocate in Numerous Appellate Mediations | 2003 | Present |
Professional Organizations
- American Bar Association: Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; Litigation Section; and Council of Appellate Lawyers
- State Bar of Nevada
- State Bar of California
- Washoe County Bar Association
- Northern Nevada Women Lawyers
Awards
- Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
- Nevada Business Magazine's Legal Elite, Best Up and Coming (2012)
- Mountain States Super Lawyers (2010)
- "Top 20 Under 40" Award for Young Professionals in Reno-Tahoe Area (2008)
- Women of Achievement Award Recipient (2005)