Firm Background

Atkin Winner & Sherrod, LLC, was founded in January of 2004 by Las Vegas attorneys Trevor Atkin, Thomas Winner and Susan Sherrod, all former partners of the Edwards Hale law firm. All three partners practice primarily in insurance law, including personal injury defense, insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, construction defect, commercial litigation, and workers’ compensation defense. The firm’s partners have deep experience in alternative dispute resolution, and frequently have been asked by their peers to serve as arbitrators and mediators in contested disputes. In addition, all of the firm’s partners have extensive experience with fraudulent or questioned insurance claims and examinations under oath.

The firm has already been awarded an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating, based upon a comprehensive survey of the judiciary and of our peers in the Nevada legal community. The firm has been selected to appear in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, in the areas of insurance law and insurance defense litigation.

Attorney Profiles

TREVOR L. ATKIN received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Arizona State University in 1984. He was awarded his law degree from McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in 1987. He is admitted to practice in all State and Federal courts in Nevada, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and in the United States Supreme Court. He is a former adjunct legal instructor with the University of Nevada system. From 1987 to January of 2004, Trevor practiced law with the Edwards Hale firm as a litigation and trial attorney, predominantly in the area of personal injury defense, representing insurers, self-insured entities, and businesses. For his last several years with that firm, Trevor acted as a managing partner. Trevor has a particular interest in appellate practice, and is a veteran of many appeals before the Nevada Supreme Court on insurance matters, six of which are reported. He is a member of the State Bar of Nevada, the Clark County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and currently serves on the State Bar of Nevada Fee Dispute Panel. Trevor has extensive experience in personal injury defense, commercial litigation, insurance coverage, bad faith, and questioned claims.
Email: tatkin@awslawyers.com MORE INFO>>

A Regents law scholar, THOMAS E. WINNER earned his bachelor’s degree, with distinction, from the University of Nebraska in 1990, and his law degree from the University of Nebraska in 1993. As a student Thomas was selected by faculty committee for the National Moot Court Team, and earned faculty appointment to national membership in the Order of Barristers. He is admitted to practice in all State and Federal courts in Nevada, and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. From 1993 to January of 2004, Thomas practiced law with the Edwards Hale firm as a litigation and trial attorney, primarily representing insurance carriers as both coverage and defense counsel, and for his last six years was a partner in that firm. He is a member of the State Bar of Nevada, the Clark County Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute. He is a litigation and trial lawyer, whose practice emphasizes the defense of personal and commercial lines insurers, personal injury defense, bad faith, insurance coverage, alternative dispute resolution, workers' compensation defense and questioned claims.
Email: twinner@awslawyers.com MORE INFO>>

SUSAN M. SHERROD obtained her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1975, and her law degree from Detroit Law School in 1992. While in law school, she served on the Moot Court honors board and was named best oralist in the administrative moot court competition. She is admitted to practice in all State and Federal courts in Nevada and Michigan, and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a member of the Clark County Bar Association, the State Bar of Nevada, the State Bar of Michigan and the Defense Research Institute. Susan currently serves on the State Bar of Nevada Lawyers Referral Committee as well as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Citizen Review Board. She presently acts as Managing Partner for the firm. From 1994 to January of 2004, Susan practiced law with the Edwards Hale firm as a litigation and trial attorney with a varied practice, which included insurance defense, insurance fraud, municipal liability defense, labor and collective bargaining. Her main areas of practice include insurance defense, with special focus on fraudulent and questioned claims litigation, workers’ compensation defense, premises/public liability defense and insurance coverage.
Email: ssherrod@awslawyers.com MORE INFO>>

DOUGLAS M. ROWAN was born and raised in Las Vegas, and received his bachelor's degree from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California in 1988, and his law degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona in 1992. While attending law school, he was a law clerk for the Honorable John Kelly of the Pima County Superior Court. Doug was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1992 and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in 1993. He is a member of the Nevada State Bar, Clark County Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Prior to joining Atkin, Winner & Sherrod, he practiced for 14 years with two other Las Vegas insurance defense firms. Doug's areas of practice have included, and continue to include, commercial litigation, and many areas of insurance defense, including first- and third-party defense; coverage (opinions and litigation); bad faith; special investigations (EUOs and litigation); construction defect litigation; and subrogation.
Email: drowan@awslawyers.com

CHRISTINE BOOZE received her B.A. in 1994 and her B.S. in 1995 from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and her law degree from the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. Christine was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in 2001. She is a member of the Nevada State Bar, Clark County Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Christine’s areas of practice include insurance defense, premise liability, personal injury and construction defect litigation. Email: cbooze@awslawyers.com

MATTHEW J. DOUGLAS received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana Campaign in 1996. He received his Juris Doctor degree from ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1999. Matthew has been a member of the Illinois bar since 1999 and a member of the Nevada Bar since May 2009. Since becoming licensed, he has concentrated his practice in casualty defense, coverage and related litigation. Matthew has significant appellate experience before the Illinois appellate court in prosecuting and arguing appeals. Additionally, he has provided his insurance clients with lectures and seminars on coverage, insurer, bad faith and other assorted litigation issues. Matthew is a member of the Nevada Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Association.
Email: mdouglas@awslawyers.com

JUSTIN J. ZARCONE earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, in 2001 and his LLM in Taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2002. He is admitted to practice in all courts in the State Bar of Nevada and California, as well as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a Commercial Pilot with years of flight experience, Justin is uniquely skilled in the practice of Aviation Law. Since being admitted to practice law, he has given lectures and seminars on multiple topics in aviation related legal matters. Justin has significant experience as an Aviation Attorney representing clients in aircraft accidents and proceedings before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He is a member of the State Bar of Nevada, State Bar of California and the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association. His practice areas also include commercial litigation; taxation and general liability defense.
Email: jzarcone@awslawyers.com

KELLY M. SMITH received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1999, and earned a law degree from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV in 2004. During law school, Kelly volunteered for the Clark County Legal Services Program, teaching free legal education classes in the subject of Bankruptcy; externed for the Honorable Judge Alan Earl in Department 19 of the Eighth Judicial District Court; and interned for the Federal Public Defender’s Las Vegas office. Kelly has been practicing law since passing the Nevada bar in 2004, and has extensive experience in civil litigation, including plaintiff personal injury and defense of complex litigation matters involving construction defect allegations, products liability, and contract disputes. Kelly also served for a short time as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Las Vegas, where she successfully tried numerous criminal misdemeanor trials. Kelly’s current practice focuses on insurance defense and general civil litigation.
Email: ksmith@awslawyers.com

ADAM D. HONEY earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in 1994, a master’s degree in education from Willamette University in 1995 and his law degree from William S. Boyd School Law School at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, in 2005. Prior to law school, Adam worked as a classroom teacher and coach. He was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada and United States District Court for the District of Nevada in 2005. Adam’s areas of practice have included: insurance and general liability defense; premises liability; corporate litigation and family law.
Email: ahoney@awslawyers.com

LILO Z. BAYATI received her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Nevada Reno in 2003. She earned her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2006. While in law school, Lilo was awarded the Minnesota Justice Foundation’s Public Interest Law Fellowship, and performed internships for Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, as well as volunteer work for the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis. She was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in 2006. Her areas of practice include civil litigation and insurance defense.
Email: lbayati@awslawyers.com

CHRISTINA R. SCHWAB received her Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Minnesota State University in 2004. She earned her law degree from Drake University Law School Des Moines, Iowa, in 2007. While in law school, Christina performed internships for Polk County Attorney’s Office, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, and the Iowa State Senate. She was admitted to the State Bar of Minnesota in 2007, the State Bar of Nevada in 2008, and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in 2009. Christina’s areas of practice have included insurance defense, personal injury, employment law and construction defect.
Email: cschwab@awslawyers.com

Of Counsel Profiles

A specialist in administrative law, ANN ELWORTH WINNER graduated magna cum laude from Creighton University Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1996 and the following year gained admittance to the Nebraska and U.S. District Courts as well as the state and federal district courts for Nevada. Her practice areas currently extend to liability defense and insurance coverage, and Ann additionally serves as an administrative law judge for the Nevada Taxicab Authority. From 2000 to 2005, Ann worked with the Nevada Attorney General’s office.
Email: awinner@awslawyers.com