Mr. Robertson is equally comfortable in the courtroom, the boardroom, and at the legislature. This unique and broad range of experience allows Mr. Robertson to provide RJMW’s clients with comprehensive, strategic, innovative and cost-effective counsel, and he often works as a key adviser to boards of directors and general counsel. His practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, mining, water law, real estate, aviation, mergers and acquisitions, trust litigation and commercial transactions. His clients include national and international companies, established technology entrepreneurs, emerging growth companies, commercial development and natural resources companies, and he serves a broad range of industries, including mining, telecommunications, construction, trust administration, real estate, innovation/technology, manufacturing, development, governmental entities and professional services.
Combining his expertise in real estate and environmental law with a deep-seated passion for litigation, founding shareholder G. David Robertson has developed Robertson, Johnson, Miller & Williamson into one of the preeminent specialty law firms in the Western United States. In 2017, Mr. Robertson successfully litigated on behalf of the plaintiffs in one of the largest Federal Court civil rights jury verdicts on record when a jury awarded in excess of $107 Million to a mining owner and operator against the County of Sacramento, CA. That case settled in 2024 by Sacramento County paying $78 Million to the mine's owner and operator. He is equally at home defending against claims for large damage awards, as evidenced by his victorious defense of the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation when both the State of California and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board failed in their pursuit of a lawsuit against Squaw Valley for in excess of $25 million in civil penalties.
Practice Areas
“Excellence honors God and inspires people.”Career These two case samples are illustrative among the 100+ jury trials where Mr. Robertson has advocated on behalf of clients with an over 90% success rate. His extended track record of victories punctuate a legal career now spanning over four decades. At the age of 12 growing up in Davis, California, he first informed his parents that he wanted to be a litigator. After completing his education, where he graduated from law school both with scholastic and moot court honors and also as a published law review editor, Mr. Robertson was selected from among hundreds of other applicants to be law clerk for the Honorable Bruce R. Thompson, Senior United States Federal District Judge for the District of Nevada. While in the service of Judge Thompson from 1983 to 1985, he gained invaluable experience in property, constitutional law, civil rights and water-related issues that would later become the foundation of his practice. He is currently recognized as one of the top real estate and water law attorneys in the Western United States. His partnership at RJMW has strategically developed the firm by recruiting distinguished attorneys and associates with similar passions for real estate and environmental law combined with strong ties to the State of Nevada. While many lawyers hope at some point in their career to join the "Million Dollar Club" by obtaining a jury verdict for their client(s) in excess of $1,000,000.00, Mr. Robertson achieved that lofty goal on his very first jury trial in 1984, when the jury awarded his clients $1.3 Million. This early success soon extended to include several awards in excess of $10 Million, then $15 Million and another verdict worth over $20 Million. His practice then expanded to class-action cases, where he obtained judgments of $35 Million and later nearly $70 Million. His courtroom career has most recently broken the $100-Million-mark with his successful case against the County of Sacramento. His passion, experience and integrity have also earned him several elected terms as President and later as Board Chairman of the Western Trial Lawyers Association. Education Mr. Robertson earned his Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of San Diego (1983) where he published a law review article regarding a controversial international water-related treaty. He is admitted to the State Bar of Nevada and State Bar of California, as well as the United States Supreme Court, U.S. District Courts for the District of Nevada, Northern District of California and Eastern District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Personal Mr. Robertson is proudly married to his wife of two decades and is a devoted father and grandfather. In addition, he and Kathy support multiple orphans and an orphanage in Mexico. They are also very active with several Christian churches and missions. Mr. Robertson regularly provides free legal assistance to members of those churches who are in need. Besides his active church service, Mr. Robertson also has a passion for aviation and is a licensed airplane and helicopter pilot. He has regularly offered to donate his time, aircraft and flight hours to charity organizations that provide free flights to patients who need medical services at distant locations. He also donates piloting time and his helicopter to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office Air Squadron for their Search and Rescue missions.
