George Ogilvie III

Practice Areas

Construction Law & Litigation

Commercial & Complex Litigation

Career

George serves as the Managing Partner of McDonald Carano LLP, a preeminent statewide law firm founded in 1949 with offices in Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City. In the thirty years since he joined McDonald Carano in 1992, George has served as the Managing Partner of the Las Vegas office beginning in 1994 and as a member of McDonald Carano’s Executive Committee since 1994. In 2019, he was elected as the Managing Partner of the Firm. When George joined McDonald Carano in 1992, the Firm was comprised of 20 attorneys and has grown to more than 60 attorneys and government affairs professionals serving clients throughout Nevada.

George’s litigation practice involves representing clients in complex construction and commercial disputes. He has successfully first-chaired dozens of jury trials, bench trials, and private arbitrations, and numerous prevailing oral arguments before the Nevada Supreme Court. George also regularly appears on behalf of clients before various municipal boards and governmental agencies. George’s clients include multinational corporations, national and regional construction companies, and mid-size to large local businesses.

George’s construction law and litigation experience primarily involves public works projects and large private commercial projects, including contractor-owner disputes, general contractor-subcontractor disputes, and construction defects. George has handled many highly publicized legal issues relating to the prominent business activities that have transformed the Las Vegas landscape. For example, George was lead counsel for the general contractor in the $1 billion litigation involving the construction of Project CityCenter, lead counsel for the general contractor in the litigation involving the $500 million Planet Hollywood Towers project, and lead counsel for the general contractor in the litigation involving the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility and the Raw Water Pumping System Expansion at Lake Mead.

Awards & Recognitions

Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business – Band 1, Construction Litigation (2012-2024)

Martindale-Hubbell – AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating (since 2003)

Vegas Inc – “Top Lawyers” in Construction Law (2022-2024)

The Best Lawyers in America – Commercial Litigation (2016-2024)

The Best Lawyers in America – Construction Law (2008-2024)

The Best Lawyers in America – Construction Litigation (2011-2024)

The Best Lawyers in America – Municipal Litigation (2024)

The Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” – Construction Law (2020, 2024)

The Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” – Construction Litigation (2019)

Mountain States Super Lawyers – “Super Lawyers” (2007-2024)

Real Las Vegas – “Top 50 Leading Lawyers of Las Vegas” and “Top 50 Business Leaders of Las Vegas” (2024)

Nevada Business Magazine – “Top Rank Attorneys” (2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019)

Professional Memberships

Current Member, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Committee

Charter Fellow, Construction Lawyers Society of America

Past Trustee, Nevada Museum of Art

Past Chair, Colorado River Commission

Past Member, Las Vegas Founders Foundation

Past Chair, UNLV’s intercollegiate golf tournament

Past Coach, Nevada’s Olympic Development Program

Publications

Feature Interview, McDonald Carano Celebrates 75th Anniversary, Nevada Newsmakers, April 30, 2024

Panel Presenter, “Issues Facing Nevada’s Legal Profession,” Attorney Roundtable, Nevada Business Magazine, December 1, 2023

Moderator, “The View from Inside,” in-house counsel panel discussion, Meritas Law Firms Worldwide joint meeting of the US/Canada Litigation Practice Group and the Labor & Employment Practice Group, October 25, 2022

Panel Presenter, “Impact of COVID on the Legal Profession,” Attorney Roundtable, Nevada Business Magazine, December 1, 2021

Personal

As a native Las Vegan and fifth generation Nevadan, George is committed to public service and advocacy for the people of Nevada by serving in leadership positions at numerous civic organizations. In 2007, the Governor of the State of Nevada appointed George to the Colorado River Commission, which acts as the steward of Nevada’s allocation of Colorado River water and electrical resources. He served as Chairman of the Commission under two Governors from 2009 to 2016. For nearly 10 years, he led, served, and worked with staff and other Commission members on water and energy issues critical to Nevada’s future. He has also provided numerous years of volunteer service to Nevada’s judicial system by serving on multiple Eighth Judicial District Court committees, including its Technology Committee and the Business Court Rules committee. George also recently served as a Trustee for the Nevada Museum of Art for six years and continues more than ten years of service as a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce.