Tisha Black, Esq.

Black & LoBello
Real Estate & Corporate Law

Read Our Digital Issue

You were involved in a case that led to a news series (“Desert Underwater” by George Knapp of KLAS-TV, Channel 8) that won a national Peabody Award. How did that happen?

Wells Fargo foreclosed on [a client’s] house, and they did it improperly. I discovered all these weird things that not only Wells Fargo, but also other banks were doing to foreclose on houses. That’s when we discovered all the “robo signing.” Long story short, we went to [then Attorney General of Nevada, now Senator-Elect] Catherine Cortez Masto and helped her with the settlement that we did with the banks.

Was 2016 a good year for you?

I’m happy that our economy is picking up. My clientele is based on entrepreneurs, developers [and] people starting new businesses, so I’m very happy to see what I believe is healthy upward movement in the real estate market. There are people out there [again] creating jobs and commerce. The [medical marijuana industry] began in 2014 and that’s been fascinating.

Speaking of marijuana, is it true that you were one of the first attorneys to “untangle the weed situation,” so to speak, and figure out a blueprint for businesses to proceed in the medical marijuana business?

Well, a lot of my clients were developers, so they understood location, they understood building and zoning, they understood business licenses and regulated commerce, and they also have a certain tolerance for risk that a lot of people don’t have. Because there was [going to be] a finite number of licenses, I worked with just one client to avoid conflicts. We were successful with everything we filed. I like the challenge of it. It’s like being a lawyer in prohibition.