Mcdonald Carano Wilson LLP.

What Mcdonald Carano Wilson LLP. does

McDonald Carano is a full-service Nevada law firm founded in Reno in 1949 and operating as a Limited Liability Partnership. The firm employs 60 attorneys and government affairs professionals across three offices in Reno (headquarters), Las Vegas, and Carson City, serving Nevada-based, national, and international clients. It is the only locally owned, full-service, statewide law firm remaining from Nevada's pioneering legal establishments.

The firm operates through 14 distinct practice groups rather than a unified software product, including Trust & Estates, Gaming & Administrative Law, Tax, Real Estate & Land Use, Business Entities & Transactions, Commercial & Complex Litigation, Construction, Employment & Labor, Government Affairs & Advocacy, Bankruptcy, Energy/Environment/Natural Resources, Appellate, and Trust/Estate/Fiduciary Litigation. The firm also operates Sierra Fiduciary Support Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary providing fiduciary support to family trust companies. The firm's go-to-market is direct attorney-to-client engagement at its three Nevada offices, supplemented by international referral flow through its founding-membership in the Meritas global alliance and exclusive Nevada representation in State Law Resources and the Wage and Hour Defense Institute. Revenue is generated through professional services billing (hourly, fixed-fee, and contingency) with rates tied to attorney experience and matter complexity, and pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed.

Name

Mcdonald Carano Wilson LLP.

Legal name

McDonald Carano LLP

Website

https://mcdonaldcarano.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McDonald Carano is a full-service Nevada law firm with 60 attorneys across Reno, Las Vegas, and Carson City, serving startups, corporations, gaming operators, high-net-worth individuals, and public entities since 1949.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services (Full-Service Law Firm)

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Trust estate planning
• Gaming regulatory law
• Real estate transactions
• Government affairs advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services billed hourly, fixed fees, or contingency arrangements depending on practice area and client engagement type. Services include transactional, litigation, regulatory, legislative, and government affairs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McDonald Carano provides full-service legal representation in Nevada, including transactional, litigation, regulatory, legislative, and government affairs services to startups, corporations, private companies, trade associations, nonprofits, public entities, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices. The firm delivers these services through specialized practice groups covering trust and estates, tax, real estate and land use, gaming and administrative law, business entities and transactions, commercial and complex litigation, construction, employment and labor, energy and environment, appellate, and bankruptcy practice areas.

Product overview

McDonald Carano is a full-service Nevada law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal practice areas rather than a unified software product. The firm operates as a single integrated legal services platform with specialized practice groups that work collaboratively to serve clients across Nevada. Key practice areas include Trust & Estates (with associated Trust, Estate & Fiduciary Litigation), Tax Law, Real Estate & Land Use, Gaming & Administrative Law, Business Entities & Transactions, Construction Law, Employment & Labor Law, Government Affairs, and Appellate services. The firm also operates Sierra Fiduciary Support Services as a subsidiary. These practice groups are structured as distinct service lines within one firm, not as separate product modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trust & Estates Practice Legal services for high-net-worth individuals and families including trust planning, estate planning, trust administration, probate, and wealth transfer strategies in Nevada.
• Trust, Estate & Fiduciary Litigation Practice Litigation services for trust contests, will contests, fiduciary duty breaches, estate disputes, and adult guardianship matters in Nevada courts.
• Tax Law Practice Corporate and high-net-worth individual tax planning, tax controversy resolution, state and federal tax litigation, and tax-exempt organization advisory services.
• Real Estate & Land Use Practice Commercial real estate transactions, land use entitlements, zoning, development projects, real estate financing, leasing, and related litigation services throughout Nevada.
• Gaming & Administrative Law Practice Full-service gaming law representation including licensing, compliance, regulatory, transactional, and litigation counsel for casino operators, online gaming, sports betting, and gaming equipment manufacturers in Nevada and internationally.
• Appellate Practice Appellate advocacy and brief writing services for appeals in state and federal courts.
• Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring Practice Creditors' rights, bankruptcy proceedings, and financial restructuring services for businesses and individuals.
• Business Entities & Transactions Practice Entity formation, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, business transactions, and corporate counsel services for Nevada businesses.
• Commercial & Complex Litigation Practice High-stakes commercial litigation, complex business disputes, and civil litigation in Nevada state and federal courts.
• Construction Law & Litigation Practice Construction contract negotiation, construction disputes, mechanic's liens, and construction litigation services for Nevada projects.
• Employment & Labor Law Practice Employment law counsel, labor relations, workplace compliance, and employment litigation services for Nevada employers.
• Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law Practice Energy project development, environmental compliance, natural resources regulation, and related transactional and litigation services in Nevada.
• Government Affairs & Advocacy Practice Legislative advocacy, government relations, lobbying, and regulatory affairs services before Nevada state government and agencies.
• Sierra Fiduciary Support Services Subsidiary providing fiduciary support services to family trust companies and high-net-worth client structures in Nevada.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86 Lawyer of the Year awards from The Best Lawyers in America since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MeritascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal alliance of independent full-service business law firms. McDonald Carano joined Meritas in 1990 as a founding member and earned recertification in 2023-2025. Enables firm to serve clients with international needs and provides referrals from member firms worldwide.
• State Law ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of independent law firms providing multi-state legal coverage. McDonald Carano is the only Nevada firm in this network.
• Wage and Hour Defense InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense institute focused on wage and hour law matters. McDonald Carano is the only Nevada firm in this network.
• Aristocrat Leisure LimitedminorOthersA.G. Burnett appointed as independent member of Aristocrat Leisure's Regulatory and Compliance Committee Board. Global gaming company.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Snell & Wilmer LLP: Western U.S. full-service firm of comparable size with a similar mix of corporate, real estate, gaming-adjacent, and government affairs work. Competes for the same mid-market enterprise and family-office clients in the region.
• Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP: Southwest-based full-service law firm with strong gaming, real estate, and corporate practices and a substantial Nevada office. Direct head-to-head competitor for Nevada-based enterprise and gaming mandates.
• Holland & Hart LLP: Full-service Mountain West firm with overlapping practice areas in energy, natural resources, real estate, and government relations and a similar partner-led, regional-firm business model. Comparable in size, scope, and reliance on regional enterprise clients.
• Fennemore Craig LLP: Full-service Western U.S. law firm with comparable size, regional orientation, and practice-area mix including real estate, corporate, government relations, and litigation. Direct competitor for regional enterprise mandates.
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP: Denver-headquartered full-service Western U.S. law firm with a comparable blend of government affairs, real estate, corporate, and natural-resources practices, and an active Nevada presence. Both firms compete for the same regional enterprise and public-sector mandates.

Emerging players

• Kutak Rock LLP: National firm with a recognized gaming law practice and a Las Vegas office; competes with McDonald Carano on gaming regulatory and licensing matters but at greater scale in adjacent practice areas such as public finance.

Broad incumbents

• Greenberg Traurig LLP: Large international firm with a Nevada office and one of the most recognized national gaming practices. A direct competitor for large Nevada gaming and high-net-worth mandates, but operates at a materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Polsinelli PC: National full-service firm with a significant Las Vegas presence competing in healthcare, real estate, and corporate work. Operates at a larger scale and competes for the same Nevada enterprise clients.
• Latham & Watkins LLP: Global elite firm representing many of the same Nevada gaming and HNW clients on the largest cross-border transactions. Not a direct regional peer but a credible incumbent competitor for the top-end mandates McDonald Carano targets.
• Ballard Spahr LLP: National full-service firm with a Las Vegas office competing in real estate, gaming, and corporate work. Larger scale and broader geographic reach than McDonald Carano but overlapping on Nevada-specific mandates.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcdonaldcarano
• Xx.com/mcdonaldcarano

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mcdonald Carano Wilson LLP.