New Player in Town steals from Snell & Wilmer

The Los Angeles firm of Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro LLC has been doing business in Vegas for awhile. It's clients include Kirk Kerkorian, MGM Mirage, CityCenter, Diamond Resorts International and American Nevada.

The firm had never had a Vegas office, however, until it snaked Jim Mace from Snell & Wilmer's Vegas office. Mace, the former head of Snell & Wilmer's Real Estate, Energy and Finance Law practice group recently agreed to join Christensen Glaser. Mace's clientele includes Turnberry Ltd. and the Trump Organization.

Business Wire reports:

Joining Mr. Mace as a partner in Christensen Glaser’s Las Vegas office will be Las Vegas native Mandy S. Shavinsky; Joseph F. Schmitt and six other lawyers who will be joining the firm as associates. Both Ms. Shavinsky and Mr. Schmitt worked with Mr. Mace at Snell & Wilmer.

Christensen Glaser’s past work in Las Vegas includes landmark litigation and such historic transactions as MGM MIRAGE’s acquisitions of the Mirage Resorts and Mandalay Resort Group assets. In addition, Christensen Glaser was involved in the sale or purchase of such iconic Las Vegas landmarks as Caesars Palace, the Desert Inn, the Sands, the Stardust, the Fremont and the Marina. In the litigation arena, in the early 1980s, the firm represented MGM Grand, Inc. in fire-related litigation arising out of the tragic 1980 fire at the former MGM Grand. Since then, the Firm has regularly handled litigation in a variety of businesses, including construction defect claims, disputes with insurers, breach of contract claims and securities
litigation.

Vegas continues to grow its number of mega out of state firms interested in stealing local counsel. Maybe all the new firms will help raise the median pay in town. NALP has Christensen Glaser starting new associates at $135,000 and no minimum billable requirement!

Congrads to Christensen Glaser on its successful theft and new office.