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6A Attorneys move from public office to NV courtrooms By Howard Riell / Contributing writer racticing law in the wake of a successful career in public service means giv- P to benefit not only from the contacts and experiences gathered while in office, but the tools that made a re- spected former governor, senator or representative successful in the first place. you and you get those types of invita- tions." "For me, moving from the public sector back to the private sector was a seamless transition," recounts for- ing clients the opportunity mer U.S. Sen. Richard H. Bryan, a shareholder at Lionel Sawyer & Col- lins and a member of its executive committee. "I'd been in public life for 36 years and had held a number of positions, so I had decided that I was reaching the point where I wanted to "I suppose the benefit to my clients today Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, left, and his father, for- mer Nevada Gov. Bob Miller, greet President Barack Obama. "Anything in life is based on rela- tionships, who you meet and what friendship or trust they develop," says Robert J. Miller, the principal of Robert J. Miller Consulting. "I sup- pose the benefit to my clients today would be that I understand how government works..." return to Nevada and to spend some time with these grandkids that were coming along, and to in effect do something else. I enjoy good health, fortunately, but my father, who was a lawyer as well, passed away with ter- would be that I understand how gov- minal cancer at age 52. I'll be 75 in a ernment works. I generally have a re- lationship of sorts, or at least I'm fa- miliar with, the individuals that hold public office at the present time, and communicate well with them on be- half of clients." few weeks." Miller, who served as Clark Coun- ty's District Attorney from 1979 to Bryan began his legal career in 1964 as a Deputy District Attorney in Clark County. Two years later, he was named its first Public Defender. In 1968, he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly, and re-elected in 1970. Two years later he was elected 1986, Lt. Governor of Nevada from to the State Senate, and re-elected in 1986 to 1989 and Governor from 1976. The former prosecutor won his 1989 to 1999, points out that his years of public service have resulted in, among other things, invitations to major role in successfully defending sit on numerous boards of directors, among them America West Airlines (now US Airways), Zenith National Insurance Corp. in Woodland Hills, Calif., and Wynn Resorts. "That's an element of being in public office: you get to know people who run major companies, they have confidence in Senate. The transition to successful pri- vate law practice is, naturally, easier From left, former Nevada Governors Bob List, Bob Miller, Kenny Guinn and Richard Bryan are seen to- gether in a photo taken in 2008. List, Miller and Bryan are all practicing attorneys in Southern Nevada. for some than for others. "If you are leaving public office in the ashes of defeat I think it's difficult," Bryan reflects. "You wanted to stay, you got rejected by the voters for whatever reason, well, that's a different situa- tion than I found myself in." Bryan's practice focuses, not surprisingly, on government relations at the federal, state and local levels, particularly in the area of public land use issues. " Through the experiences I had in public office I became thoroughly familiar with the various agencies — how they operate at the state and local levels, how decisions are made and how the process works," says Robert List, Senior Partner at Kole- sar & Leatham, who served as the 24th Governor of Nevada from 1979 the new people when there's turn- over, and over the years I think there has been a trust developed that I will handle things in a professional and proper manner. Most of the agencies with which I work understand that I deal honestly, and they know that if I'm advocating something that they can rely upon my representations." As for those who are convinced that such deals are brokered on golf courses or posh retreats, List replies, "Not really, not with government agencies. I don't fraternize with agen- cy heads on a social level. I go to them in their offices just like any other law- yer and conduct business." List, who also served as, among other things, Nevada's attorney gen- eral, a member of President George "Through the experiences I had in public office I became thoroughly familiar with the various agencies — how they operate...how decisions are made and how the process works." Former Nevada Gov. Robert List first statewide election as Nevada's Attorney General where he played a Nevada's gaming regulatory struc- ture in the Federal Courts. In 1982, he was elected to the first of two terms as Governor. In 1988, he was elected to the first of two terms in the U.S. to 1983. "It's enabled me to assist my W. Bush's Department of the Interior clients in getting through the laby- rinth and working out such things as environmental matters or anything to do with the regulatory side in gam- ing, for example." The increased access that he has en- joyed ever since List considers "a rela- tionship thing. Of course, it's been a long time since I was governor; most of the people who were there when I was governor are gone now. But what I've done is to try to stay in touch with transition team in 2001 and on the finance committees for the Bush/ Cheney 2000 and 2004 campaigns, fo- cuses primarily on public policy and government relations for corporate clients on the federal, state and local level, with a particular emphasis on energy and natural resources. Warp and Woof P ressing the flesh is, of course, the very warp and woof of politics, Bry-