The Nevada Supreme Court is the court of last resort. The court is made up of 7 justices, divided into two 3 justice panels, plus the Chief Justice.
Nevada has no intermediate court of appeals.
District Court (Court of General Jurisdiction):
* Nine Judicial Districts broken down geographically.
* However, from a venue perspective, you can file any case in any District in Nevada.
* Civil Jurisdiction from $10,000 to unlimited.
* Two most active Districts are the Second (8 civil department in Reno) and the Eighth (24 civil departments in Las Vegas).
* All judges face popular election.
* Reno and Las Vegas have a mandatory Alternative Dispute Resolution for cases with a value of $50,000 or less. The most common ADR option is non-binding arbitration.
* Mandatory arbitration awards can be set aside by requesting a trial de novo. Sanctions apply if you request a trial de novo and fail to improve your position at trial by more than 20%.
* In lieu of arbitration, parties can stipulate to participate in a “Short Trial” which resolves the case in less than 6 months. Short trials are heard before a 4-6 person jury with a one-day trial.
Justice Court:
* Civil Jurisdiction from $0 – $10,000.00.
* You can request a jury trial of 6 jurors.
* Attorney’s fees awarded as costs in Justice Court.
* Appeals from Justice Court go to the district court judges.
Small Claims:
* A division of Justice Court.
* Civil Jurisdiction of $5,000.00 and under.
* Usually heard by a referee who makes recommendations of Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.