Aaron Lovaas is a partner in Newmeyer Dillion’s Las Vegas office.  Aaron helps his clients tackle both business opportunities and challenges, drawing on his deep blend of transactional and litigation skills.  Aaron’s unique experience enables him to spot the issues from the perspectives of both a transactional attorney and litigator.  When it comes to understanding the demands shouldered by business owners, Aaron’s been there - having owned and managed his own boutique law firm for 12 years.

Aaron’s substantial experience in both transactional and litigation matters spans a wide business spectrum in industries as diverse as real estate development, construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, nightclub management, and petroleum franchising, to name a few.  Additionally, throughout his career, he has been engaged by not only local and national clients, but also by clients located internationally.  Aaron has represented clients from Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Russia and other global locations, all with business interests or litigation matters in Nevada.

Litigation

Over the course of his career, Aaron has helped hundreds of clients resolve business disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, trials and appeals.  Aaron is keenly aware that the economic, emotional and time consuming tolls of litigation are considerations very often as critical to a business client as the client’s legal rights and remedies. Aaron continuously advises his clients as to all such considerations so that litigation strategy in one matter does not eclipse overall business strategy.  Aaron regularly appears in state, federal and bankruptcy courts and has litigated cases in the following diverse practice areas, among others:

  • Real estate, including mechanics lien issues, specific performance issues, title defect and breach of escrow issues, lenders’ covenants, restrictive covenants, and many others.  In the course of this representation, Aaron has represented property owners, commercial tenants, land developers, general contractors, trade sub-contractors, title companies and lenders.
  • Corporate litigation, including allegations of malfeasance and breaches of fiduciary duties among partners and shareholders.
  • Litigation of business torts, including allegations of fraud, intentional interference, and unfair trade practices.
  • Litigation of general breach of contract allegations including services agreements, sales agreements, franchising agreements and debtor/creditor situations.

Transactional

In his transactional practice, Aaron helps entrepreneurs, established companies, and business owners of almost every kind successfully maneuver through the issues of entity formation, governance, acquisitions, sales, and general business contracts in a wide variety of business fields.  Aaron regularly represents clients from the inception of a transaction through its closing and applies a thoughtful, client-specific approach to each transaction.  Matters representative of his transactional practice include:

  • Entity selection and formation, often for foreign clients forming U.S. based subsidiaries.
  • Designing the structures of intertwined entities to maximize liability protections.
  • Preparing LLC Operating Agreements, corporate By-Laws, and drafting internal governing documents such as Buy/Sell Agreements and Shareholder Agreements ranging from the simple to the complex.
  • Advising entity principals and management as to the ramifications and restrictions of existing Operating Agreements, By-Laws and other governing documents.
  • Preparation and review of a wide variety of general business contracts such as leases, construction/development agreements, non-disclosure/solicitation/circumvention agreements, executive compensation/severance agreements, due diligence matters, services agreements, partnership and joint venture agreements.
  • Outside general counsel services, advising business clients on all manner of legal issues, from litigation to corporate governance, as well as general business advice.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Aaron readily recognizes that it makes economic, business and often emotional sense to take advantage of opportunities to resolve disputes by alternative means.  To this end, he is occasionally engaged as a private mediator, assisting parties of burgeoning disputes reach sensible and creative solutions.  Aaron also served as a court-appointed arbitrator for approximately eight years and continues to do so on occasion through private engagement.

Awards & Recognition

  • Selected to the Mountain States Super Lawyers list, 2010-2020
  • Selected to the Mountain States Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers, 2008-2009
  • “Top Lawyers in Nevada” by The Legal Network – 2015, 2016
  • “Top Attorneys in the Mountain States” by Salt Lake Magazine – 2015, 2016
  • “Top 100 Litigation Lawyers in Nevada” by the American Society of Legal Advocates – 2014
  • “Top Lawyers in Southern Nevada” by Vegas, Inc. for Business Law – 2012
  • 10.0 “Superb” ranking by Avvo.com in Business Law and Business Litigation

Professional Affiliations

  • LawPact, International Association of Business Law Firms
  • American Bar Association - Section of Business Law; Sports & Entertainment Law Forum
  • University of Nevada Las Vegas, Lee Business School Alumni Board of Directors (2013 – 2019)

Admissions

  • Nevada, 1995
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, 1995
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2000
  • United States Supreme Court, 2024

Education

  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas (M.B.A., 2002)
    • Lee Business School
  • Seattle University School of Law (J.D., 1995)
    • Puget Sound Inns of Court
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas (B.A., 1992)
    • Political Science

    Certifications

    • Diploma in Advanced Trial Advocacy Skills - National Institute for Trial Advocacy, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2002