Hon. Nancy L. Allf (Ret.), JAMS Mediator and Arbitrator

Introduction:

Hon. Nancy L. Allf (Ret.) served as a district court judge for the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court for 13 years from 2011 to 2024. Judge Allf served as a Business Court judge for most of her time as jurist, where she handled a wide range of cases involving business tort, business divorce, breach of fiduciary duty and relationships, business judgment rule, derivative causes of actions, and the purchase or sale of a business’ stocks, assets and commercial real estate. As one of four judges on the Business Court for 10 years, she handled one quarter of all Business Court cases in Clark County. She has been involved with the Business Court since before its inception, with the Nevada Supreme Court appointing her in 2000 to the Business Court Task Force, which proposed the program’s creation. She is a member of the American College of Business Court Judges and an active member of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section.

The Nevada Supreme Court appointed Judge Allf as a settlement judge from 1998 to 2007. She was also appointed to the Pro Bono Compliance Committee in 2002. In 2005, she was appointed to be a judge in the Short Trial Program of the Eighth Judicial District. She served as the presiding judge of the Civil Division of the Eighth Judicial Court from 2021 to 2022.

As a neutral, Judge Allf is known for her intelligence, decisiveness and tireless effort to accomplish what needs to be done. She is adept at resolving complex and high-conflict cases. She works with attorneys to find creative paths to resolution and is always prepared to put in the extra effort to push through impasse. A known problem-solver, Judge Allf works with attorneys to help their clients understand their position in a case.

Judge Allf’s judicial and legal service has been recognized by the Las Vegas legal community throughout her career. In 2023, she received the Liberty Bell Award from the Clark County Law Foundation. She also received the Miram Shearing Award (2022) from the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys (SNAWA) for her contributions to the advancement of women in the law. In 2005, she was named as one of the 300 women who shaped the history of Las Vegas by Women of Diversity.

Prior to the bench, Judge Allf had a private practice where she focused primarily on commercial litigation, bankruptcy law and Chapter 11.

Representative Matters

Bankruptcy

As an attorney, handled an individual’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which involved the ownership of Maxfield Parrish's “Daybreak” painting and a gift by the individual’s spouse of a substantial interest in a Las Vegas casino, allegedly to effect their rights in a subsequent divorce; the case involved 27 separate appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court
As an attorney, handled a variety of bankruptcy cases ranging from small Chapter 11’s to casino reorganizations
As an attorney, represented debtors, creditors, committees and trustees in bankruptcy matters

Business Commercial

Presided over case where a state university sought to close AIDS clinic at the college, which was for adolescent care; issues involved federal funding and management accused of improprieties
Presided over case where a state university sought to effect the rights of members of the administration in violation of Nevada’s Open Meeting Law
As a judge, handled case involving the probate of prominent former CEO of a large technology retail business set in Las Vegas; handled the creditor’s claims, which involved breach of contract, undue influence, fraudulent conveyance and lack of capacity
Presided over a case involving whether a municipality with a public airport could effect the rights of individual owners of the hangers where they stored their airplanes; issues included contract interpretation and involved city council members, city officials and airplane owners
Presided over a trial where a group of American investors accused Chinese nationals of a reverse merger of a U.S. Nasdaq entity to assume business opportunities away from the U.S. entity and the minority investors; issues included fraud damages
Presided over case brought by a head coach against the National Football League, alleging interference by the NFL into his contract with the franchisee
Presided over numerous cases involving shareholder derivative claims against members of boards of directors for allegations of self-dealing and using poor business judgment
Presided over cases involving risk retention groups and claims against boards of directors
Presided over numerous cases involving business divorces and receiverships

Cannabis

Presided over trial involving a cannabis cultivation business brought by minority investors, who claimed the operating managers used a series of transactions between related and unrelated companies to reduce the value of the minority members
Presided over cannabis cases involving landlord/tenant disputes and claims of minority suppression

Construction

Presided over litigation involving the developers and initial construction manager of The Sphere in Las Vegas; issues included dispute over licensee status as a Nevada contractor and apex depositions
Presided over matters between contractors, subcontractors, developers and purchasers involving various construction defect claims

Employment Law

Presided over a case where the Clark County School District sought to eliminate the position of dean from the structure of employees, thereby affecting compensation, benefits and rank
Presided over a cases where a municipality tried to effect the financial rights of the police union; issues included breach of contract and union benefits

Entertainment & Sports

Presided over dispute between the “Pawn Stars” television show and their initial manager
Served as counsel in a case where the ownership of Norman Rockwell’s “Russian Schoolroom” painting was in dispute; an art dealer acquired the painting at auction, and plaintiff claimed the painting had been stolen from his gallery several years prior and transferred to the consignor
Presided over claim against the estate of an e-commerce CEO involving the contractual obligations for intellectual property of motion pictures, documentaries and short films

Estate Probate Trusts

Presided over case involving dispute between heirs of decedents against a professional fiduciary
Presided over case involving allegations against a family friend appointed guardian who, while acting as guardian, was claimed to have dissipated the assets of the wards for their personal benefit and failed to keep the asset safe, and for the benefit of the heirs appointed
Presided over a case involving the estate of an e-commerce CEO where a creditor sued for fees and royalties of movies under production

Health Care

Presided over jury trial involving emergency room doctors suing an insurance company for an alleged plan to reduce the reimbursement rates for out-of-network insureds
Presided over a health insurer suing the Clark County School District to prevent termination of its contract to insure several categories of employees

Personal Injury

Presided over a civil suit brought by a woman against the lead singer of a boy band, alleging a prior sexual assault; suit involved anti-SLAPP motion
Presided over a case brought on behalf of two students who were bullied at school; case involved state law and federal rights of students
Presided over wrongful death case involving fatal car crash occurring at an exotic car experience where both the driver and instructor perished
Presided over catastrophic injury cases, including closed head injuries
Presided over multiple car accident cases involving rear-enders, auto/ped and safety designs of highways
Presided over a case where a recycling plant filed suit against a neighboring business that had a fire, because prevailing winds caused the fire to spread to the recycling business

Professional and Product Liability

Presided over a case involving a lawyer, in a divorce case, being accused of wrongfully using lis pendens to protect what were to be claimed as marital assets; other issues in the case included existence of a prenuptial agreement and allegations of attempted jury tampering
Coordinated for discovery purposes only the Real Water product liability cases involving the production and distribution of alkaline water, which was alleged to have potentially fatal side effects
Presided over jury trial involving the estate of a woman who died of lung cancer against a cigarette manufacturer

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

Member, American Judicature Society, 2011–2013
American Bar Association, 1984–2024
- Fellow, 2011–2024
Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys, 1983–2024
- Vice President, 1988
- Secretary, 1995
Clark County Bar Association, 1983–2024
- Board of Directors, 1994–2000
- Secretary/Treasurer, 1994–2000
- President-Elect, 1998
- President, 1999
State Bar of Nevada, 1983—2024
- Board of Governors, 2000–2009
- Operations Committee, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Fee Dispute Committee, Panel A, 1998–1999
- Vice President, 2005
- President-Elect, 2006
- President, 2007
Clark County Law Foundation
- Board of Directors, 1994–2002
- President, 2000
- Board of Directors, 2010–2011
- Council of Advocates, 1996–2002
Nevada Law Foundation
- Colleague, 2002
American Bankruptcy Institute, 2000–2010
National Conference of Bar Presidents, 1998–2008
Jean Nidetch Women's Center, University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Founder's Board Member, 1994
- Volunteer and Steering Committee, Career Day, 1995
Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada
- Board of Directors, 1985–1993
- President, Board of Directors, 1992
- Chair, Council of Advocates, 1996–1998, 2000–2001
- Immediate Past President, 2008

Selected Awards and Honors

Liberty Bell Award, Clark County Law Foundation, 2023
Miram Shearing Award, Southern Neveda Association of Women Attorneys, 2022
Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition, 2010
Alumna of the Year, Salmon P. Chase College of Law, 2010
Nominee for Practitioner of the Year, Turnaround Management Association, 2009
Super Lawyers for the Western Region
Named one of 300 women who shaped the history of Las Vegas, Centennial Celebration, Women of Diversity Project, 2005
Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating, 2002
Community Achievement Award, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, 2002
Who’s Who In Business, In Business Magazine, 2001–2009
President’s Award, Distinguished Service Award, Clark County Bar Association, 2001
Honoree, Women of Distinction, National Association of Women Business Owners, 2000
Distinguished Women in Southern Nevada, 1999, 2002