Josh Reid quitting role as Henderson city attorney

Henderson City Attorney Josh Reid announced Tuesday that he is returning to private practice.

Reid will join the law firm of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie as a partner in its Las Vegas office. His last day with the city will be June 4.

“It was a tough decision to leave, but I feel comfortable that I will leave the city attorney’s office in a better shape than when I started,” Reid said. “There are a lot of new and exciting opportunities in renewable energy that are coming to Nevada, and I’m excited to be a part of that. “

Since being hired in 2011, Reid has focused on updating the city’s municipal code and charter. He said he submitted close to 200 ordinances to update the municipal code.

“A bunch of ordinances from the 1950s were still in the books,” he said.

Reid said he is especially proud to have created a “premier law office” for the city, comprised of 13 former private practice lawyers.

“We’ve saved the city just over a million dollars a year that was spent on outside legal service by bringing in great talent,” Reid said.

Reid also went after developer Chris Milam, who told city officials he could build a pro sports complex. The city sued Milam for fraud, and he agreed never to do business in Henderson again.

“I had to take on some tough opponents to get good results, but it was important for me to send the message that you can’t lie to the government,” Reid said. “If you lie, there will be consequences.”

Reid also helped negotiate agreements for Henderson Hospital and a new headquarters for the Raiders.

His appointment in 2011 as city attorney was met with plenty of pushback.

Critics argued he received favorable treatment from the City Council because his father is former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.

“I learned a long time ago not to take things personally,” Reid said. “Most of the criticism was not about me. It was about my father. I did feel I had a big responsibility to go above and beyond to win people over. There was a lot of pressure, but I believe we ended up with good results on behalf of the city.”

Before joining the Henderson city government, Reid was a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, leading the Las Vegas firm’s energy and natural resources practice in Nevada.

He received a bachelor’s degree in conservation biology from Brigham Young University, a master’s in environmental science from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Arizona.

“We wish Josh the very best for this new opportunity and thank him for his service to the city of Henderson and its residents,” said Henderson Mayor Debra March. “He has done an excellent job as city attorney, and we have benefited greatly from his legal expertise and leadership.”

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.