Christopher J. Lalli

BIOGRAPHY

Christopher J. Lalli is a partner with the firm, practicing primarily in appellate litigation, business law & commercial litigation, corporate & commercial law, and insurance litigation. He is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas and a graduate of Bishop Gorman High School. Christopher earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Minor in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University in 1989, where he was elected President of the Student Body.

In 1994, Christopher obtained his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. During his time there, he was honored with the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Advocacy and the Jesuit Community Scholarship. That same year, Christopher was admitted to both the Nevada Bar and the United States Bar for the District of Nevada. In 2011, he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

Career in Public Service:

Christopher joined the Office of the Clark County District Attorney in 1994. By 2001, he became a member of the Major Violators Unit and a capital case litigator. He has prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor trials, many of which proceeded to hearing. Christopher also completed thirty-eight (38) felony jury trials, most of which involved complex issues and required the examination of highly specialized expert witnesses. While at the Office of the District Attorney, he lectured extensively to law enforcement professionals at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Academy, the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the National College of District Attorneys, and the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Additionally, he has presented at the State Bar of Nevada’s Trial Academy. In total, Christopher was a prosecutor for over thirty (30) years, retiring in February 2025.

Christopher has worked on numerous cases that resulted in published Nevada Supreme Court Opinions, including:

• Dayani v. District Court, 140 Nev. Adv. Op. 50 (2024) (granting petition for a writ of mandamus or prohibition where district court denied a Motion to Dismiss for failure to present exculpatory evidence to grand jury and deciding the district court had a duty to hear the Motion on the merits).
• Sunseri v. State, 137 Nev. 562, 495 P.3d 127 (2021) (reversing decision of District Court and holding that Motion to Dismiss should have been granted because delay in execution of arrest warrant was presumptively prejudicial, was caused by state’s gross negligence, and resulted in violation of Doggett v. United States, 505 U.S. 647 (1972)).
• State v. Plunkett, 134 Nev. 728, 429 P.3d 936 (2018) (reversing District Court’s dismissal of case and holding that an attorney non-prisoner can be held criminally liable, as an aider or abettor, under statute governing crime of possession of a portable telecommunication device by a prisoner).
• Ferguson v. State, 124 Nev. 795, 192 P.3d 712 (2008) (discussing the propriety of the District Court to create a separate competency department and determining the Court must hold a competency hearing upon timely request).
• Weber v. State, 121 Nev. 554, 119 P.3d 107 (2005) (concluding three groups of crimes were sufficiently “connected together” for purposes of joinder and that instruction on flight was supported by the evidence).
• Daniel v. State, 119 Nev. 498, 78 P.3d 890 (2005) (concluding trial court committed error by meeting with witness without making a recording of the meeting, limiting defendant’s cross-examination, refusing to question a juror’s comment to the bailiff asking why defendant was not in shackles, thereby committing cumulative error warranting reversal of the case).
• Byford v. State, 116 Nev. 215, 994 P.2d 700 (2000) (affirming murder conviction and death sentence, discussing admissibility of defendant’s testimony from first trial at second trial, finding aggravating circumstance of torture or mutilation was supported by the evidence, and setting forth new instructions to be given where defendants are charged with first-degree murder).

Service to the Bench and Bar

The Nevada Supreme Court has appointed Christopher to numerous Supreme Court study and working committees, including the following:

• Nevada Supreme Court Indigent Defense Commission, 03/2013 to 03/2021
• Nevada Supreme Court Video-Audio Conferencing Committee, 10/2012 to 07/2017
• Nevada Supreme Court Commission on Statewide Rules of Criminal Procedure, 07/2020 to 06/2023
• Nevada Supreme Court Commission to Study Best Practices for Virtual Advocacy, 12/2021 to 12/2023

In addition, Christopher was appointed by the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Nevada to the Southern Nevada Disciplinary Board holding the following positions:

• Vice Chair, 06/2020 to present
• Hearing Panel Chair 10/20/2014 to present

In 2024, Christopher was the recipient of the William J. Raggio Award, which the Nevada Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys annually presents to a prosecutor who has contributed significantly to the improvement of the administration of justice in Nevada.