Mr. Johnson serves business clients. From forming business entities, to preparing contracts and agreements, to negotiating and documenting large (multi-million dollar) commercial real estate deals, to structuring business sales and dissolutions, Kirk prides himself on finding innovative answers for his clients’ complex issues. He was inspired to pursue a legal career by his grandfather, a Harvard-educated Iowa attorney and close personal friend to Chief Justice Warren E. Berger, the 15th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Johnson received his Juris Doctorate Degree from Arizona State University College of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration, with distinction, from Iowa State University. He began his legal career in Nevada in 1991, maintaining a diverse legal practice focusing primarily on commercial, corporate and real estate law. Within the broad range of Mr. Johnson’s real estate practice is the representation of numerous commercial entities, including the owners of large regional and smaller local commercial centers. He has assisted these clients in successfully dealing with every aspect of their landlord/tenant relationship, from negotiating and preparing leases to recovering lost rent and damages. Mr. Johnson has authored papers and lectured on commercial summary evictions and unlawful detainers in Nevada. He has even been retained as an expert witness on landlord/tenant issues. His extensive experience in representing the owners of commercial centers has made Mr. Johnson one of Reno’s top commercial landlord attorneys.
Practice Areas
“People who practice excellence are enthusiastic about what they do.”Mr. Johnson has substantial experience in all facets of civil litigation. In two cases, the judgement nearly covered all of the clients’ attorneys’ fees ($1.3 million and $356,000, respectively). Mr. Johnson has enjoyed particular success in the appellate arena, authoring several successful appeals and writs in high profile and complex cases to the Nevada Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (see Squaw Valley Dev. Co. v. Goldberg, 375 F.3d 936 (9th Cir. 2004), rehearing denied 395 F.3d 1062 (9th Cir. 2005); Wardleigh v. Second Judicial District Court, 891 P.2d 1180 (Nev. 1995); Sierra Nevada Stagelines, Inc. v. Rossi, 892 P.2d 592 (Nev. 1995); McKeeman v. General American Life Ins. Co., 899 P.2d 1124 (Nev. 1995); and Semenza v. Caughlin Crafted Homes, 901 P.2d 684 (Nev. 1995).) Mr. Johnson has received a Distinguished Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating by his peers, recognizing his professional excellence in both legal ability and ethical standards. Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings are not sold. Mr. Johnson has been featured in Nevada Business Magazine as one of Northern Nevada’s Top Attorneys for 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 as chosen by his peers and has earned an AVVO 8.9 rating.
In his personal time, Mr. Johnson gives back to his community. With a strong belief in community responsibility, Mr. Johnson has served on the Executive Council of the Nevada State Bar’s Young Lawyers Section, which provides financial support to local charities. He has also served as a Director for the Reno Active 20/30 Club, a non-profit organization focused on assisting underprivileged children, and has been an active member of his church in various capacities.
