Matthew C. Addison

Nevada

McDonald Carano LLP
100 W. Liberty Street
Tenth Floor
Reno, NV 89501

Tel: 775.326.4330

Email: maddison@mcdonaldcarano.com
Web: www.mcdonaldcarano.com

Professional Biography

Matt Addison is Managing Partner of McDonald Carano LLP’s Reno office, serves as the Chair of the Construction Law & Litigation Practice, and he has a substantial commercial and complex litigation practice.

Matt’s comprehensive construction law experience encompasses dispute resolution (arbitration, mediation, litigation, pre-litigation counseling on troubled projects); project planning and advice (selection of project delivery method, bidding strategy and process); contracts and contracting (plan, structure, draft, negotiate construction contract documents); and project execution (compliance, permitting, insurance, bonding, performance, payment). He also serves as an Administrative Law Judge for the Nevada State Contractors Board, which requires him to review and interpret construction contracts and statutes of all types.

Matt’s clients primarily include contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, engineers, owners, and developers. He has handled claims of all types, including design and construction defects, work performance and quality, changed or unforeseen conditions, delays, disruptions, loss of productivity, acceleration, payment disputes, back charges, and bid protests and disputes. Matt provides realistic assessments of entitlement issues, damages, litigation costs, litigation risks and settlement options.

Awards and Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell – AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating (since 2007)
  • Mountain States Super Lawyers Magazine – “Super Lawyer” (2023)
  • Northern Nevada Business Weekly, Best In Business awards – “Influential Leader” (2022)
  • The Best Lawyers in America – Commercial Litigation (2008-2024), Construction Litigation (2011-2024), Construction Law (2020-2024), Arbitration (2023, 2024)
  • The Best Lawyers in America – “Lawyer of the Year” in Construction Litigation (2016, 2024)
  • Nevada Business Magazine – “Legal Elite/Top Rank Attorneys” (2011, 2012, 2015-2018, 2020, 2023)

Professional Affiliations

  • Board of Directors, Washoe County Honorary Deputy Sheriff’s Association
  • Nevada Fellow, American Bar Foundation
  • Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Member, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern Nevada, President (1998)
  • Member, Washoe County Bar Association, President (2001-2002), Board Member (1998-2001)
  • Judge Pro Tem, Reno Municipal Court (2004-present)
  • Administrative Law Judge, Nevada State Contractors’ Board (2019-present)
  • Settlement Judge Pro Tem, El Dorado County Superior Court, ADR Department (2007-present)
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, Lawyer Representative (2003-2005) and Northern Division Chair (2005)
  • American Inns of Court, Bruce R. Thompson Chapter, Barrister (1998-2001), Pupil (1991-1993, 1996-1998)

The Construction Law Practice

McDonald Carano has been an active participant in defining Nevada’s construction industry for decades. We protect the rights of local, regional, national, and international clients involved in both private and public works projects and in disputes throughout the state and beyond. Owners, developers, design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers all turn to us to ensure that their construction projects remain viable and successful. Our team resolves every type of construction law dispute. Our experience ranges from pre-construction counseling and negotiation to mediation, arbitration and litigation through trial and, when necessary, on appeal. That deep bench of experience allows us to ably navigate and overcome even the most problematic and potentially expensive construction challenges.

We understand the construction industry, construction companies and construction projects, including the unique aspects of building in Nevada. By identifying potential obstacles early on, we work with clients to assess and mitigate risk and potential claims. In fact, we have been known to favorably resolve even the most hotly contested disputes outside of court and with minimal delay and expense. We provide our clients with the proper resources, such as in-house seminars, to educate their employees in order to maintain a knowledgeable workforce.

Project-level decision making can avoid a lawsuit. We work with our transactional, financing, employment, planning, and zoning team as a foundational risk management asset. Our combined practices give us unique insights. When the stakes are high, litigation is sometimes the only option, and we efficiently and tenaciously advocate our client’s position. We have handled countless construction cases before state and federal courts and state and federal administrative agencies.

About McDonald Carano LLP

McDonald Carano is Nevada’s law firm for business.  Our firm has shaped the Nevada landscape for more than 70 years.  With one of the largest teams of lawyers in Nevada and offices in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City, we are positioned to help our clients achieve success, in Nevada, in neighboring jurisdictions, and across the United States.  Our attorneys are known for getting to yes because of the relationships and trust we have cultivated over decades of practice.

Entrepreneurial thinking is at the heart of our commercial law practice–and creativity makes up our institutional DNA.  Our clients consistently value the firm’s longevity, reliability, commitment and practicality.  We are passionate about safeguarding our clients’ assets.  Our government affairs, lobbying and advocacy experience, as well as our undeniable specialized industry acumen in a region that is constantly evolving, give our clients the confidence they need to retain us again and again.