Nevada
Prominent Nevada legal firm looks back on 75 years of operations
There aren’t many Nevada companies that have been around for 75 years, but a prominent law firm with offices in Reno, Las Vegas and Carson City claimed that distinction last month.
McDonald Carano, which has more than 60 lawyers and government relations professionals, was founded in 1949 as Bible & McDonald by former World War II fighter pilot Bob McDonald and Alan Bible, who served as a member of the U.S. Senate from Nevada for 20 years. They knew each other in the Nevada attorney general’s office.
Don Carano, a name familiar to those who know the gaming industry, joined the firm in 1962, becoming a partner a year later.
The Carano family founded Eldorado Resorts in the early 1970s, and the company’s original flagship property, the Eldorado hotel-casino in downtown Reno, recently observed its 51st anniversary.
The Carano casino group was the eventual acquirer of Caesars Entertainment Corp. for $17.3 billion in 2020, and Eldorado changed its name to Caesars Entertainment Inc. With that transaction, the company surpassed MGM Resorts International as the largest gaming operator in the United States.
Importance of experience
The legal profession certainly crosses paths regularly with gaming. Hardly a Gaming Control Board or Nevada Gaming Commission meeting occurs without at least one representative of McDonald Carano making an appearance on behalf of a gaming client.
“Experienced legal counsel, with knowledge of Nevada’s Gaming Control Act and commission regulations, are vital to our state’s regulatory process,” said Kirk Hendrick, chairman of the Gaming Control Board. “Knowledgeable gaming counsel ensures that licensees and applicants receive proper advice regarding how Nevada’s gaming regulators strictly protect our state, its citizens and visitors.”
While Hendrick declined to speak about specific law firms or attorneys, regulators always seem comfortable talking with representatives of McDonald Carano, and its gaming law practice, which includes A.J. “Bud” Hicks, the firm’s gaming and administrative law chair; A.G. Burnett, a former Gaming Control Board chairman; partners Gregory Giordarno and Dennis Gutwald; and attorney Kelci Binau. All have had either regulatory or representative roles with gaming organizations.
Over the years, the firm has represented clients in some high-profile Las Vegas events.
In 2021, when the Seminole Indian Tribe’s Hard Rock International announced its agreement to acquire The Mirage from MGM Resorts International for $1.07 billion, McDonald Carano represented Hard Rock for the transaction’s regulatory approval. The firm also served as local counsel on various real estate matters involved in the acquisition.
Liberty Media Corp., the commercial rights holder of Formula One racing, brought the Las Vegas Grand Prix to the Strip in November. In 2022, McDonald Carano represented Liberty Media in connection with several real estate matters, including the acquisition of land for its race course and location of the pit and paddock.
But the firm isn’t just about gaming and tourism. It has a wide variety of expertise in employment and labor law, real estate and land use, energy, environment and natural resources law, trusts and estates, construction law and litigation, bankruptcy and government affairs and advocacy.
The firm is part of the city of Las Vegas’ outside counsel in its fight over development of the shuttered Badlands golf course.
“It’s truly remarkable that we are celebrating that 75th anniversary,” said George Ogilvie III, the firm’s managing partner as well as the managing partner of the Las Vegas office. “I look at some very, very venerable old-line law firms in Nevada, both in Reno and Las Vegas, and they’ve either split up or been absorbed by regional or national firms. It’s remarkable that one of the first statewide law firms still remains independent and standing. I think it’s a tribute reflective of a culture that Bob McDonald instilled in this law firm that exists today.”
Firm viewed like a family
Part of the reason for that is that attorneys view the firm as a family and few people leave once they’ve become established — unless they’re appointed to judgeships. Seven McDonald Carano alumni have been appointed or elected to serve as judges in federal or Nevada judicial roles, and two more have served as judges and have since left the bench.
“I tell people if I ever leave the law firm it’s probably because I’m incapacitated or doing something else besides practicing law,” said partner Ryan Works, chair of the bankruptcy, insolvency and financial restructuring practice. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Firm members are proud of their Nevada heritage and their record of giving back to their communities through pro bono and other charitable work. More than 80 percent of the firm are native Nevadans.
Some members of the firm are literally family.
Partner Joshua Hicks, chair of government affairs and advocacy, said he grew up idolizing many of the partners, including his gaming attorney father, A.J. “Bud” Hicks, and his uncle, Larry Hicks, who died May 29 in Reno after being struck by a vehicle.
“Because my father was a partner at the firm. I got to know them over the years through my dad being there and spending time at the office for various things. And I definitely grew up really admiring and having a lot of respect for the people who were at the firm. They were pillars of the community, involved with just about everything.
“My uncle Larry Hicks, who was here before he went onto the federal bench, and guys like John Frankovich and Leo Bergen who are still around and working,” he said. “It was kind of like a Major League Baseball team of lawyers. It was a team I always wanted to play for once I decided to become a lawyer and go to law school.”
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
Nevada
10-month-old found safe, North Las Vegas police cancel AMBER Alert
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Authorities have canceled an AMBER Alert after they say a 10-month-old child taken by a non-custodial parent was found safe.
North Las Vegas Police said Thursday that Leilani Williams (aka Leilani Duke) was taken by her father, Roderick Duke.
Duke and Leilani were last seen at an apartment complex in the area of Martin L. King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue at 1:40 a.m.
“An AMBER Alert has been activated due to Roderick being in emotional crisis and making threats to harm himself and 10-month-old Leilani,” NLVPD said in a statement.
By 10:05 a.m., NLVPD said that Leilani was located unharmed.
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Officers took Duke into custody without further incident, and the AMBER Alert has been canceled.
Nevada
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to Nevada Democrats in Las Vegas
California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed Nevada Democrats who packed a Las Vegas brewery Wednesday evening for a discussion about his upbringing, his political life and efforts his state has taken to combat the Trump administration agenda.
Newsom, who has been floated as a possible White House contender for 2028, sidestepped a quip from former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak who introduced him as the next U.S. president amid cheers from the crowd.
“I’m very grateful for your friendship, and a friendship that’s only strengthened over the course of the last year or so,” Newsom told Sisolak.
Book tour stop
The event, which served as a book tour stop for the California governor, was organized by the Nevada Democratic Party. It took place at Nevada Brew Works near Summerlin.
Nevada Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, the state party chair running for North Las Vegas mayor, moderated the discussion.
It was part of the party’s Local Brews + National Views series that’s been bringing Democrats for similar discussions at intimate venues. Past speakers have included former President Joe Biden, Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Criticizing President Donald Trump, Newsom spoke about the immediate aftermath of the 2024 general election.
“We were handwringing, a lot of finger pointing, and a sense of weakness,” Newsom said. “And just incapable of dealing with this moment, this existential moment.”
He said he is taking account for what he described as his own complicity.
“This happened on my watch. This is all happening on our watch,” Newsom said. “And so I realized that I needed to be better.”
That included his advocacy to redraw California’s Congressional map after Trump called for the same in Texas, he said.
“They’re not screwing around, nor are we,” he said about Trump and his administration. “All of us.”
‘You’re giving us a voice’
Newsom spoke out against the surge of federal immigration enforcement operations in California and later Minnesota, calls from the Trump administration to nationalize elections, and cuts to government funding due to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
He said that pushback against Trump’s policies, including dozens of lawsuits filed by California, were making the president retreat on some of his proposals and policies.
“You’re filling the void, you’re giving us a voice, you’re giving us courage,” he told the crowd. “For things to change, we have to change. And it’s changing.”
The Republican National Committee reacted to Newsom’s Las Vegas visit. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private Boulder City event.
“Democrats are selling out to the spoiled, phony rich kid governor from California for years,” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche wrote in a statement. “President Donald Trump and Republicans are delivering major tax cuts and keeping Nevadans safe, unlike Democrats.”
The national Republican Party also criticized California’s policies, and tied them back to Nevada Democrats.
Most of Newsom’s remarks weren’t specific to Nevada. He didn’t take any questions from media.
Polling shows Newsom and Vice President JD Vance leading in hypothetical races for their parties’ nomination. That includes a survey of likely Nevada voters conducted one by Emerson College Polling in November.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nevada
Second annual Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival celebrates Tahoe winter recreation at SnowFest
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – It’s time to “free your heels” and embrace Tahoe’s winter recreation at the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival on March 7. Whether you’re a seasoned pro at cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, or you’re trying to get your feet wet, Saturday’s event is teeming with nature, brews, and camaraderie.
Travel North Tahoe Nevada (TNTNV) is teaming up with Nevada Nordic, Tahoe Multisport, Alibi Ale Works, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation and other local partners in the wondrous Tahoe Meadows, providing attendees a chance to engage with outdoor recreation experts, check out free cross-country and snowshoe rentals, and more.
“We’re excited to see the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival enter its second year, building on last year’s strong community response. In collaboration with our local partners, this event is thoughtfully curated with residents in mind – offering free equipment for the day, expert instruction, locally crafted brews, and other experiences in a welcoming setting,” said Andy Chapman, President and CEO of Travel North Tahoe Nevada. “It’s designed to make it easy for residents to get outside, try something new, and bring people together. Events like this reflect the spirit of North Lake Tahoe and what’s possible when our community comes together.”
Along with opportunities to test out free demos and rentals, there will be live music, beer tasting and races.
Tahoe Meadows is known for its gentle trails, and is a popular spot for snowshoeing due to its flat terrain. This event, located near Chickadee Ridge, will offer stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
This family-friendly event is on the second to last day of the 10-day SnowFest winter festival that’s been taking place in the North Lake Tahoe area. It starts bright and early at 9 a.m. and will close out at 2 p.m.
“Nevada Nordic is thrilled to be a part of SnowFest again this year,” said Meghan Pry, Nevada Nordic Board Member. “We love sharing our passion for cross-country skiing and watching our community grow. We are proud to keep winter recreation accessible by offering free access to our 20km trail network. This is the perfect opportunity for our community to gather together and free our heels!”
For more information about the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival or to check out the SnowFest schedule, visit tahoesnowfest.org.
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