Dustin Marcello

About Me:

The philosophy that has guided me throughout my life is to always keep moving forward because things eventually work out in the end. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve learned the importance of persisting and never giving up.

I grew up in a single-parent household, where my mother did everything she could to provide for me. I understood the challenges she faced in balancing work and taking care of me as I grew older. I remember sharing a room with my mother in my grandmother’s apartment and how proud she was when she got her first apartment while working at the Paddle Wheel, giving me my own room. These experiences taught me the value of understanding the daily struggles people face in supporting their families. I believe that the legal system should treat everyone equally, regardless of their background or financial status. Justice should be accessible to all.

My father worked as a craps dealer at the Stardust for over 25 years before retiring. During my time at Cashman Middle School and the early years of Clark High School, I lived with him near the Gold Coast. Like many teenagers, I went through a phase where I thought I knew everything. I had my first job at Terrible Herbst Car Wash but ended up dropping out of high school in the 11th grade. However, I later transferred to Cimarron-Memorial High School, took eight classes in my senior year, and managed to graduate on time as part of the first graduating class in 1998. After the car wash, I worked at McDonald’s and then at Pizza Hut. I got my first apartment at the age of 17 while working at Pizza Hut. I am extremely grateful to my Uncle Michael Verrilli, a retired Fire Captain in Clark County, who treated me like a son and provided valuable guidance on the importance of pursuing higher education. In college, I reconnected with an elementary school friend named Eric Woodson, and we became roommates. When my car broke down, and I couldn’t deliver pizzas anymore, I found a job as a busboy at Ruth’s Chris Steak House through my other roommate. In 2003, I graduated from UNLV with Honors, earning a degree in Economics.

During my time at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, I worked various positions, including busboy, food runner, and bar back. I had the opportunity to work with amazing people, including chefs, managers, and co-workers. During the summers, I worked as a lifeguard at hotels, allowing me to meet people from all around the world. After graduating from UNLV, I pursued my law degree at the Boyd School of Law. Interestingly, former Governor Brian Sandoval wrote a letter of recommendation for me to enter Boyd after I served him at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. My co-workers and managers helped facilitate the introduction and informed him of my plans to attend law school.

Throughout my career, I have prided myself on treating every client, police officer, prosecutor, court staff, and judge with respect. While the American justice system is often seen as adversarial, it doesn’t mean that litigants should be adversaries to each other. It’s important to recognize that reasonable minds can have different interpretations of the law or disagree on the guilt or innocence of a person. We must strive for a fair and just system that allows both sides to present their cases and be heard. Whether State or Defense, Plaintiff or Defendant, everyone should be expected to treat each other and the judicial process with the respect it deserves.

At the core, I am a trial attorney who highly values the role of trial courts and the Constitutional guarantee of a trial by peers in the community.  They should provide a fair and just forum where the citizens of Nevada, Idaho and Arizona can be heard and seek justice when needed.

Please allow me the honor of assisting you today with your personal injury and legal needs.  Everyone deserves fair and competent representation.