Key Staff Bios

Retired District Court Judge Gene T. Porter is a Martindale-Hubbell A.V. rated 37-year legal veteran in the Las Vegas Community. Licensed in 1981, Judge Porter earned a Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, Calif.

Active in the Las Vegas community, Judge Porter has provided time and support to numerous charitable causes including Help Them Walk Again Foundation; Mobile Homeowners League of the Silver State; Women’s Democratic Club; Paradise Democratic Club; Assembly Democratic Caucus; Senate Democratic Caucus; Governor’s Inauguration Committee; Clinton/Gore Dinner Committee.

Judge Porter is the founder of Private Trials, a private alternative dispute resolution service. The Las Vegas-based company provides traditional arbitration, mediation and mock-trial services, in addition to custom jury and bench trial services.

Howard Russell spent over two decades establishing himself both as a successful litigator in complex tort and commercial matters, and as an analytical and creative insurance coverage attorney handling high exposure coverage and bad faith disputes. He combined an extensive trial practice with an understanding of real-world insurance coverage issues; experience which provides him with a unique perspective to assist parties in identifying the nuances and risks facing them in a wide variety of litigated matters. With creative thinking and problem-solving skills developed in his private practice, he has the tools to resolve even the most hotly contested and complex matters, and to suggest innovative solutions and approaches to do so. For 23 years he strived to develop the respect of his colleagues in the bar through candor and professionalism, and carries those same values into his mediation practice.

In 2020, Mr. Russell successfully completed mediation training through the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law.

Mr. Russell is licensed in Nevada, Georgia and Massachusetts, and has appeared as trial counsel in cases in seven different states, involving trucking and bus accidents, commercial disputes, insurance coverage, premises liability and product liability. He has argued cases in both the Nevada and Georgia appellate courts. Mr. Russell has presented at trial practice and premises liability seminars, helped to develop continuing education materials, and has been invited to speak at law schools and in-house client seminars. He also helped establish, and serves as a Board Member for, The Unforgettables Foundation of Southern Nevada.