Department 8 - Honorable Barry L. Breslow

Biography

The Honorable Barry L. Breslow was appointed to the Second Judicial District Court by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in April 2017 and was retained by the voters in the 2018 and 2020 general elections.

As the presiding judge in Department Eight, he hears both civil and criminal matters of general jurisdiction. In addition, Judge Breslow serves as a Business Court Judge, presiding over complex civil litigation. He also assists with probate matters on referral from the Presiding Probate Judge, and serves as the Alternate Structured Settlement Judge. Judge Breslow served as the Presiding Judge for the district's Mental Health Court from January 2020 until January 2022, and as the district's Arbitration Judge from 2018 to 2021.

Judge Breslow is the Chair of the district's Civil Bench/Bar Committee. He also serves as a member of the following committees: Budget, Statistics, and Jury Trial Working Group. Judge Breslow is the President of the Washoe County Courthouse Historical and Preservation Society and serves as a Network Member of the non-profit Nevada Recovery and Prevention.

Judge Breslow has achieved an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubble's Judicial Edition. This is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the State Bar and Judiciary.

Education
Judge Breslow earned a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University. He is a graduate of Ohio State University College of Law with an emphasis on the study of Dispute Resolution. While in law school, Judge Breslow was a staff member and later an Editor of The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution.

Prior to Bench
After law school, Judge Breslow served as Law Clerk to United States District Court Judge Howard D. McKibben in Reno, Nevada. After passing the bar, he joined the law firm of Robison, Belaustegui, Sharp & Low in Reno.

In nearly three decades of statewide practice in Nevada, Judge Breslow litigated in the municipal, state and federal courts, and successfully appeared before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

As an attorney, Judge Breslow also served as an arbitrator for the Nevada Supreme Court-annexed arbitration program and was appointed close to 100 times in Washoe and Clark Counties. He has been a presenter at the Nevada Supreme Court's arbitrator certification class and has lectured on civil trial and judicial practice for the National Business Institute. He previously served as a pro tem judge in the Reno Municipal Court and was a nine-year member of the State Bar of Nevada Disciplinary panel.

Professional and Community Activities
For several years, Judge Breslow provided pro bono legal services to the underserved and has been recognized by the Volunteer Lawyers of Washoe County. Judge Breslow also helped form and was Vice President of the non profit Sierra Nevada Community Aquatics.

After appointment from the Governor, he also served as a member and ultimately became the Chairman of Nevada's Commission on Common Interest Communities. In recent years, he chaired the annual community WinterFest event, raising funds and food donations for Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada.

Judge Breslow also has been a proud Nevadan for over 37 years. He is married with two adult children, both of whom graduated from the University of Nevada - Reno. When not working, Judge Breslow enjoys reading, hiking, the arts, University of Nevada athletics, playing the piano, and tending to the family's many animals on their urban ranch.