Charles W Deaner

Charles "Chuck" Deaner was a Las Vegas attorney whose career spanned more than six decades of Nevada's legal community. Born November 16, 1922, in Erie, Pennsylvania, he served in the 9th U.S. Army Air Corps in Europe during World War II. With the support of the GI Bill, he earned a bachelor's degree from Gannon College in Erie and a juris doctor degree from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He came to Las Vegas in 1952 and was admitted to the Nevada State Bar in 1953.

He opened his first law office upstairs in the Cornet Building on Fremont Street, and he and his partners ultimately built the Deaner Law Building at 4th and Gass. Beginning in general practice, he came to specialize in real property law as the community grew rapidly, and his textbook on real estate law was widely used by the legal community and the board of realtors, reflecting his recognized expertise in the field. His counsel was widely sought by his peers, and he shared his passion for the law through numerous courses he taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and other venues. The pre-law program at Gannon University is named in his honor.

Deaner was a member of the Nevada State Bar for 63 years, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and active in the Nevada Law Foundation. His broader service included 26 years on the District Board of Health of Clark County, work with the Clark County Legal Aid Society, and years as a Boy Scout leader. He practiced law until his death at age 94, ending his career with the firm of Deaner, Malan, Larsen & Ciulla.