Dominic Gentile, Esq.

Gentile, Cristalli, Miller, Armeni, Savarese
Criminal Defense

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What are you most proud of in your years of practice? Is there a recent case that was especially challenging or rewarding?

I’m most proud of the lawyers to whom I’ve contributed what little I could as a mentor. That has given me the most satisfaction. I’ve had the privilege of working with great young talent.

As for rewarding cases, there have been so many that it defies singling any out. The Kathy Augustine impeachment that I did with John Arrascada was a great experience, especially because there hadn’t been one before in Nevada. Also, the Grady Sanders and Louis Peraino cases stand out, as does the term limits case in which I represented Commisioner Steve Sisolak. Those are the ones that received media attention.

In many respects, though, the one that is closest to my heart was the representation of Joshua Nichols and the prevention of the government from calling him as a witness against his father, Terry Nichols, in the Oklahoma federal building bombing case. The thought that government can force a child to testify against a parent is revolting to me, as it is contrary to my belief that the family is the fundamental unit of society and impervious to government invasion in all but the rarest of circumstances.

How has the legal profession changed here in the valley since you began practicing law?

Prior to moving here in 1979 I had been practicing in Chicago and in federal courts throughout the country. The caliber of my opponents in those cases was very high, with everything being fully briefed before being filed. When I arrived in Las Vegas I found that, for the most part, the practitioners were not as thorough as those to which I had been exposed. It was a “scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” culture….Since that time, the overall quality of the work being done by lawyers has improved immensely, especially since the creation of William S. Boyd School of Law. Today, I’d rank the quality of lawyers in Las Vegas equal to the best one can find anywhere in this country. And our Public Defender system, both State and Federal, is outstanding.

What are your goals and hopes heading into 2017?

Well, first, is to keep breathing. If I’m successful at that then I’d like to continue to provide a resistance to what I perceive as inequities in our system of what is called “justice.” I’ve been practicing law for 45 years and I’m still not sure what that term means. I think that Justice Potter Stewart’s reluctance to attempt to define obscenity and instead saying “I know it when I see it” is equally applicable to any attempt to define “justice.”

The Firm, P.C. is a boutique Las Vegas law firm founded by Preston Rezaee, Esq. Preston Rezaee is also the founder and Editor in Chief of Vegas Legal Magazine.