Mark Ricciardi, regional managing partner of Fisher & Phillips, founded the firm’s Las Vegas office and has represented hotels, casinos, financial institutions, manufacturers, government agencies and other businesses since 1987 — including a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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. Finally, public-employee unions have the ability to choke our local governments. In order to help our government clients, we sometimes need to choreograph a delicate dance between management and elected officials.
How has the legal community changed over the years in Las Vegas, and what do you predict for the future?
Although I have not looked at this statistically, simply having a law school in Nevada must mean that the growth in our lawyer population has been accelerating. Plus, there has been an influx of large national or regional law firms setting up shop by merging with local attorneys and firms. Consumers of legal services should benefit from these developments because law firms will have more depth and sophistication. You might also think that based on supply and demand, hourly rates would be subject to downward pressure. However, when large corporate firms from the two coasts come to town, they sometimes bring with them the high hourly rates necessary to sustain the firms’ compensation plans.
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.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Keeping our clients abreast of the changing legal landscape. All clients look for reasonable rates, and most of our competitors will be in a reasonable range. The real competition lies elsewhere: Which firm can alert clients to new legal developments and proactively keep employers out of trouble. We keep clients up to date through a variety of channels — emailed alerts, newsletters, blogs, tweets, Linked-In updates, webinars and live seminars.
What has been the most rewarding part of your job?
It feels really good when we can proactively keep clients out of trouble. It is particularly rewarding when we can save our nonprofit clients from spending huge amounts on legal disputes. Then they can use their limited funds to continue their good work.
It also is very rewarding when we can help our local government clients maintain positive, healthy relationships with their unions — that, of course, benefits all of us as taxpayers.
What are you reading right now?
For fiction, I’m reading “Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn.
For nonfiction, it’s “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know about Leadership” by Richard Branson.
What do you do after work?
I think family dinners are very important. Afterschool activities make that a challenge, but we strive to do it several nights a week. Helping our 8- and 13-year-old daughters with homework is a ritual that keeps my algebra skills sharp. Carving out some time for me and my wife to share stories about our day also is important.
Blackberry, iPhone or Android?
IPhone — but the iPhone 6 has a few bugs that bug me.
Describe your management style.
It has evolved over time. I once thought others in our firm were there to support me and our mission of serving clients. But over the years I have learned that I was wrong — I should be the one giving support. I’ve come to learn that my No. 1 management job is to support and mentor our attorneys and staff. It has been extremely fulfilling to see the attorneys in our office blossom into outstanding lawyers and new-business developers. It also is wonderful when I can give our staff the tools, guidance and freedom they need to be really creative and efficient. Basically, I can bask in the reflected glory of my people.
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.
What is your dream job, outside of your current field?
Board chairman of a multimillion-dollar charitable foundation charged with deciding which worthy causes to fund around the world.
Whom do you admire and why?
Ronald Reagan, because he had the courage to defy organized labor and stand up to the striking air traffic controllers.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
I really resent it when people attack our capitalist system in tweets and Facebook posts using their convenient (and capitalist-invented) iPads and iPhones.
What is something that people might not know about you?
I try to eat a plant-based diet. I think that sounds less weird than saying, “I am a vegan.”