Law Firm Partner: ‘I Can Bask in the Reflected Glory of My People'

Mark Ricciardi was interviewed by Vegas Inc. on March 22, 2015. In the interview, Mark discussd various topics including the advantages of having a practice in Las Vegas, the highlights of his career, and the future of his company.

What are the advantages to having a practice in Las Vegas?
There are opportunities here to work on a variety of very interesting and cutting-edge issues. The casinos operate 24/7 all year long. In the hospitality industry, the competition is fierce, with every new property trying to be the glitziest, sexiest or friendliest. To achieve those goals, employers must be very demanding when it comes to hiring, training, evaluating and disciplining employees — and the legal issues that come up are complex. Those challenges give us as attorneys the ability to be creative and help our clients achieve their goals in a way that minimizes legal disputes.

Las Vegas is also the only place in the country where unions are still growing fast. We have to be very good at helping our nonunion clients remain union-free. On the other hand, those of our clients who have long-time good relationships with unions need us to be able to negotiate with and resolve grievances without lengthy and expensive legal battles. In order to help our government clients, we sometimes need to choreograph a delicate dance between management and elected officials.

What has been the highlight of your career?
Representing Caesars Palace before the U.S. Supreme Court. It was an amazing experience. It was that much more memorable because I was representing one of my longest and most beloved clients and I had all the resources and assistance of my firm behind me.

Where do you see yourself and your company in 10 years?
I see myself as a senior partner exclusively practicing law, having left the day-to-day management of our office to our up-and-coming partners. I will be working only as much as I want on matters I find the most interesting. At the same time, I’ll be transitioning client relationships to the other attorneys in our office. I also will be devoting more time to my family and to helping nonprofits.

To read the full interview, please visit Vegas Inc.