Emily Dennis

Emily Dennis is a litigation attorney in McDonald Carano’s Las Vegas office. Before joining McDonald Carano, Emily served as a law clerk for the Honorable Kristina Pickering of the Nevada Supreme Court. Emily presented her successful first oral argument before the Nevada Supreme Court on October 22, 2025, in a case that addresses whether NRS 125.165, barring the attachment, levy, seizure, or division of veterans’ disability benefits, prohibits a district court from considering those benefits in determining an alimony award. On November 26, 2025, the Court issued an Advance Opinion ruling in favor of the pro bono client represented by Emily.

Emily attended UC Davis School of Law, and clerked for the Office of the Federal Public Defender of the Eastern District of California (Capital Habeas Unit); the Office of the Alameda County Public Defender (Felony Unit, Law & Motions); and the Office of the Contra Costa County Public Defender (Juvenile Defense Unit). She served in the school’s Civil Rights Clinic, co-authoring briefs before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which resulted in a published opinion (Chambers v. Herrera, et al, No. 20-55004  (9th Cir. Aug. 15, 2023)), and the Wage Claim & Unemployment Insurance Clinic.

Emily was also a Senior Online Editor of the UC Davis Law Review, the 1L Competition Co-Chair of the Moot Court Honors Board, an Academic Success Tutor for First-Year Criminal Law and Property Law, and a member of the Lambda Law Students Association for LGBTQIA+ students and allies. She earned seven Witkin/Reynoso Awards for Academic Excellence (highest class grade) and one Reynoso Award for Academic Achievement (second highest class grade).

Before starting her legal career, Emily worked in retail management and nonprofit fundraising, served two AmeriCorps terms, and acted in local theater productions.

• Juris Doctor, University of California, Davis, School of Law, 2022 (Order of the Coif)
• Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Government Track, Seattle University, 2019
• Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, English Literature and Theatre Arts, Beloit College, WI, 2010

• Nevada
• California

• Oshiro vs. Oshiro addresses whether NRS 125.165, barring the attachment, levy, seizure, or division of veterans’ disability benefits, prohibits a district court from considering those benefits in determining an alimony award. The case also implicates federal law, including the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act. In conjunction with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Emily represented the respondent, the former spouse of a combat veteran, through the Nevada Supreme Court’s pro bono appellate program. Emily presented oral argument before the Nevada Supreme Court on October 22, 2025, during the national celebration of Pro Bono Week October 19-25. On November 26, 2025, the Court issued an Advance Opinion ruling in favor of the pro bono client represented by Emily. The opinion and Emily’s oral argument are available at https://www.mcdonaldcarano.com/news/emily-dennis-oral-argument-before-nevada-supreme-court/.

• The Best Lawyers in America – “Ones to Watch” in Appellate Practice (2027)
• Mountain States Super Lawyers – “Rising Stars” (2026)
• Nevada Business Magazine – “Top Rank Attorneys” (2026), “Best Up & Coming Attorneys” (2025)
• Order of the Coif
• Pro Bono & Public Service Program Certificates

• Aim Higher: Expanding Procedural Protections at Intake for California Youth, 55 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 2659 (2022)

• Member, Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys
• Member, Clark County Bar Association