Bill has been a commercial, administrative, and personal injury litigator for over 30 years.  Bill’s practice encompasses energy law, utilities, complex torts, and all facets of commercial litigation in state and federal court.  Bill has considerable trial experience, having obtained the largest jury verdict in Lassen County, California, Carson City, Nevada (since superseded), and a $3 million judgment in a wrongful death case in Lyon county Nevada.  He has also succeeded in reversing regulatory decisions disallowing over $40 million in investment and or expense.  Bill has tried over 40 cases to jury verdict and approximately 50 bench trials to judgment, many of several weeks duration.  He has over 20 reported decisions in the Federal Supplement, Federal Reporter, Nevada Supreme Court Reports, and the California Appellate Report. He has successfully defended numerous clients in cases of significant exposure.

Bill brought a wealth of experience when he joined Morris Peterson in 2004.  Prior to joining the firm, Bill spent ten years as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for Sierra Resources (now NV Energy), Nevada Power Company, and Sierra Pacific Power Company.  In his position as general counsel for Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power Company, Bill supervised, participated in, or personally led over 30 public utility proceedings in Nevada and California and at the FERC dealing with general rate cases, energy cases, merger and acquisition matters, contract disputes, and asset dispositions.  Bill has continued his public utility practice and expertise by serving as General Counsel to SureWest Communications, the 14th largest telephone company in the United States with ILEC, CLEC, televidio and broadband data lines of business in California and Nevada, and outside counsel to Sierra Pacific Power Company, Nevada Power Company, and Ram Power.  Bill has also advised Bright Source on the location of energy sites in Nevada, and is general counsel for Minden Garnerville Sanitation District, the water sanitation and sewer utility in Douglas County Nevada.

Best Lawyers® named Bill as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” in five practice areas:  Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Land Use & Zoning Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, and Trusts & Estates Litigation.   Prior to joining Sierra Pacific, Bill spent 15 years as an associate, partner, and senior litigator at Woodburn and Wedge, which he joined after working as an associate at Gray Cary Ames and Frye (now DLA Piper Rudnick) in San Diego, California.  Bill also served as a law clerk to the Honorable John Mowbray of the Nevada Supreme Court after his graduation from law school (in the top ten of his class).  In law school, Bill was a member of the law review and was selected for Order of the Coif.  Prior to law school, Bill spent three years in the United States Army, including serving in Vietnam.