Celebrating Over 75 Years of Serving Nevada’s Legal, Business, Government, and Civic Communities
Michael Pagni Returns to McDonald Carano’s Reno Office
McDonald Carano welcomes Michael Pagni back to our Reno office. Michael’s practice focuses on real estate, land use and zoning entitlements, water law, and commercial transactions. He also has extensive experience advising public agencies. Michael is a life-long resident of Reno.
Before returning to McDonald Carano in September 2025, Michael worked at McDonald Carano for more than 20 years. After his second year of law school, Michael joined McDonald Carano as a Summer Law Clerk and then ultimately joined the firm as an Associate in 2001 and became Partner in 2002. In 2022, Michael joined The Di Loreto Companies, a home-building and real estate development company, as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Michael continues to serve in that role and will split time between The Di Loreto Companies and McDonald Carano.
Mixed-Use Real Estate Development Project Expertise
Michael’s experience includes representing major real estate developers and mixed-used development projects in connection with acquisitions, entitlements, securitization, financing, and sales. His practice includes zoning and land use entitlement planning for which he represents clients before local government planning commissions, city councils, and county commissions.
Water Law Expertise
Michael’s practice includes expertise in water law issues as he represents real estate clients involved in water rights acquisitions, securitization, service commitments, adjudications, and change applications. Michael has served as outside General Counsel to several large water related public agencies in northern Nevada.
Public Entity Expertise
Michael has extensive experience serving as outside and in-house General Counsel for public entities in northern Nevada, including the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Washoe County Water Conservation District, Western Regional Water Commission, Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.
Corporate Law and Transactions Expertise
Michael is experienced in the formation, operation, financing, and disposition of businesses, private companies and other enterprises. He focuses primarily on real estate developers and industrial property owners, and has significant experience in the negotiation and documentation of commercial leases and related matters.
About McDonald Carano
In 2024, McDonald Carano celebrated its 75ᵗʰ Anniversary of serving Nevada’s legal, business, government, and civic communities. More than 60 lawyers and government affairs professionals serve Nevada, national, and international clients from our offices in Reno, Las Vegas, and Carson City. McDonald Carano provides transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government affairs services to startups, corporations, private companies, trade associations, nonprofits, public entities, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices throughout Nevada. We are deeply committed to supporting local communities by volunteering our time, resources, and services, including pro bono legal services, to nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations, and public service entities. We are proud to be your Nevada law firm since 1949.
Media Contact
Mark Buckovich
[email protected]
702.257.4559
You have chosen to send an email to McDonald Carano. The sending or receipt of this email and the information in it does not in itself create an attorney-client relationship. If you are not already a client, you should not provide us with information that you wish to have treated as privileged or confidential without first speaking to one of our lawyers. If you provide information before we confirm that you are a client and that we are willing and able to represent you, we may not be required to treat that information as privileged, confidential, or protected information, and we may be able to represent a party adverse to you.
I have read this and want to send an email.