Robert Leland

Robert Leland (1912 - 1986) was a Reno attorney whose career was closely tied to the legal affairs of Nevada's Indigenous peoples. He came to Reno in 1952 and began his Nevada law practice in 1956, building a practice that concentrated on real estate, business and water law, and Indian affairs and administrative law. He was a member of the American, Nevada, and Washoe County Bar Associations.

Much of Mr. Leland's professional life was devoted to work alongside the Washoe and Paiute peoples, and particularly the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, on questions of water rights, economic development, and tribal claims. He served as an advisor to the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, the Truckee River Water Users Association, the Washoe Project Advisory Committee, and the Washoe County Community Action Association, and he was a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs and an associate member of the National Congress of American Indians.

Beyond his legal practice, Mr. Leland was active in civic and community life. He served as a trustee of the Federated Church of Reno, as a delegate to Nevada and Washoe County Democratic conventions and chair of the Washoe County Rules Committee, and as a member of the Washoe County Personnel Committee. He died in Reno on October 24, 1986.