May 2008 Nevada Lawyer

DEAN’S COLUMN

BOYD SCHOOL OF LAW AND GAMING LAW EDUCATION

BY GUEST WRITER STEVE JOHNSON & E.L. WIEGAND, PROFESSOR OF LAW, WILLIAM S. BOYD SCHOOL OF LAW

A generation ago, no law school in the United States had offered a gaming law course. By 2008, nearly three dozen law schools have done so. From its inception, the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV has been a leader in gaming law education. Our faculty is now considering plans to enhance its program and, with it, its leadership position.

Boyd has benefited from the talents and wisdom of Nevada’s gaming practitioners, regulators and scholar-teachers – the finest pool of gaming law ability and experience in the world. Our courses were first taught by Shannon Bybee, then by Raymond Avansino, then by internationally recognized masters of gaming law, Bob Faiss and Tony Cabot. This year, we were delighted to welcome to our adjunct faculty Mark Clayton, a member of Nevada’s State Gaming Control Board, and Gregory Gemignani, an experienced practitioner of intellectual property, technology and gaming law.

Boyd was the first law school to offer two courses in gaming law and, as of this year, we are the first to offer three gaming law courses. The growth of gaming, here and abroad, creates the opportunity to expand the gaming law offerings even more. We have received valuable input from our Gaming Law Advisory Council, consisting of Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, Senator Mark Amodei, Joseph Asher, Chairman Peter Bernhard, Dr. Bo Bernhard, Tony Cabot, Mark Clayton, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Bob Faiss, Sean Higgins, David Johnson, Terry Lanni, Franklin Levy and Maren Parry. We look forward to soon announcing exciting innovations and expansions to our gaming law program.