Michael Cristalli

Michael Cristalli is an accomplished trial attorney, representing clients in catastrophic injury, complex criminal, corporate and civil litigation matters as well as in matters concerning cannabis law. He has successfully litigated some of the most high-profile cases in the State of Nevada, representing clients nationwide and internationally. He is regarded as one of the premier trial attorneys in Nevada.

Distinctions:

Michael created and starred in a documentary called The Defenders, which highlighted his practice. The documentary was developed into a CBS network drama also titled The Defenders. The show highlighted issues of justice reform while dealing with the day-to-day realities of the legal system. Michael served as an executive consultant on the show and consulted extensively on scripts in collaboration with the writers.

Michael has made multiple guest appearances on national and local television shows. He is a legal analyst for MSNBC and has been interviewed on Larry King Live, Greta Van Susteren, and Good Morning America, as well as Fox and Friends in the Morning. Michael's cases have been featured on Dateline NBC, CBS 48 Hours, Lifetime, and Snapped. He previously hosted the Real Defenders radio show on CBS radio. He has been an adjunct professor at UNLV Boyd School of Law.

Michael is the Honorary Consul, Consulate of Italy for the State of Nevada. He serves on the Consular Corps in Nevada. Honorary Consular officials are chosen “among people, which are esteemed and prestigious and which are reliable to adequately fulfill the consular functions.” (Art. 47, paragraph 1 of D.P.R. 5 January 1967, n.18).

Before joining the firm, Michael was a shareholder at the firm of Gentile Cristalli Miller Armeni Savarese. He was also a shareholder at Gordon Silver and partner of Law Office of Michael V. Cristalli, serving in management capacity in each of those firms. While attending law school, Michael served a clerkship with the New York Supreme Court, and the New York Court of Appeals. After moving to Las Vegas in 1995, he was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge Bonaventure (1995-96) and a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge Douglas (1996-96).

Experience:

• Successfully obtained millions of dollars in awards for his seriously injured clients.
• Provided legal representation resulting in substantial monetary awards for multiple plaintiffs in 1983 civil rights matters.
• Successfully defended Sandy Murphy in the nationally covered 2004 re-trial accusing Murphy of murdering casino heir Ted Binion.
• Recognized before the Nevada courts as death-qualified to provide representation in capital murder cases; none of his five death cases resulted in death sentences.
• Successfully preserved a defendant’s Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel in State v. Ryan. This case is currently the recognized holding dealing with conflict waivers in the State of Nevada and relied upon by Nevada courts.
• Represented clients in high profile Cannabis litigation as well as Cannabis regulatory, corporate structuring and compliance related representation.
• Participated in merger and acquisitions relating to Nevada marijuana establishment licensees and has facilitated State transfers of licenses with the Department of Taxation.
• Advised Nevada marijuana licensee on a Canadian RTO into the CSE and a Regulation A offering through the SEC.
• Represented Nevada marijuana licensees and operators in challenging the Nevada Department of Taxation 2018 licensing application process. Part of that challenged asserted a constitutional violation of the 2016 ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana.

Publications:

• The Travel Joint, On the Stand with Attorney Michael Cristalli, November 5, 2013
• The Travel Joint, Marijuana Federal vs. State, November 18, 2013

Media

• Interviewed, "Opioid Crisis in Clark County," 8 News Now, December 20, 2017
• Authored, "A Catastrophic Injury May Warrant More Than Just a Physician," Vegas Inc. HealthCare Quarterly, November 5, 2017
• Interviewed on CBS Las Vegas I-Team: Former vice cop and deputy DA ordered to appear in court, November 29, 2017
• Quoted, "1 October shooting – Finding liability; several parties face lawsuits," CBS Las Vegas 8 News Now, October 11, 2017
• Interviewed on MSNBC News on O.J. Simpson Testifying, October 1, 2015
• Interviewed on MSNBC News on O.J. Simpson in Court, October 1, 2015
• Interviewed on MSNBC News on O.J. Seeking New Trial, October 1, 2015
• Featured, "Dramatic law career is just part of his story," Las Vegas Sun Vegas Inc, August 9, 2015
• Quoted, "Lawsuits vs Pacquiao ‘frivolous,’ expert says," ABS-CBN News, May 8, 2015
• Featured, "On The Move," Las Vegas Business Press, March 30, 2015
• Featured, "Gentile, Cristalli and Miller opening Nevada-based law firm,"13 Action News, March 24, 2015