Clark Hill Combines with Las Vegas Litigation Boutique Gentile Cristalli Miller Armeni Savarese

Six Lawyers Join Firm’s Litigation Practice

Clark Hill announced today that the firm has combined with Las Vegas litigation boutique Gentile Cristalli Miller Armeni Savarese (GCMAS), well known in Nevada for its lawyers’ exceptional trial and litigation skills. Dominic Gentile, Michael Cristalli, Ross Miller and Paola Armeni have joined as Members, and Vincent Savarese and Mark Dzarnoski have joined as Senior Counsel. They will reside in Clark Hill’s office in Las Vegas.

“Growing Clark Hill’s Las Vegas office is of strategic importance to the firm, given our clients’ increasing activity in this market,” said Donald Ridge, Member in Charge of Clark Hill's Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas offices. “We’re excited about the combination as the team brings significant litigation and trial experience, along with a strong presence and network in Nevada that will benefit all of our clients.”

The Founding Partner of GCMAS, Dominic Gentile is a trial lawyer who represents clients in high-profile white collar and bet-the-company business litigation matters. He represents clients nationwide and internationally in the areas of civil, criminal, securities and commercial fraud investigations and litigation, speech and press issues, and professional licensing and disciplinary matters.

“It was important to all of us that we merge with a firm that shared our client service philosophy, work ethic and values, and in Clark Hill we found the perfect alignment,” said Gentile. “Clark Hill is in all the right places, with all the right practices for our clients. We have clients in Mexico, as well as other clients internationally, and Clark Hill’s reach in these areas will be a tremendous boost to existing clients.”

ABOUT THE GCMAS TEAM

Dominic Gentile is a founder of Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice and served two terms on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He also served two terms as a Governor of the State Bar of Nevada, and is a charter and current member of the prestigious Nevada Supreme Court Bench-Bar Committee. He is listed by Best Lawyers of America in Criminal Defense white collar and non-white collar and in First Amendment Law. Gentile was formerly an Associate Dean of the National College of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Public Defenders, and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) William S. Boyd School of Law. He has been teaching trial advocacy and trial evidence at law schools throughout the United States for over forty years.

Gentile is the founder of La Voce – the Voice of Las Vegas’ Italian-American Community, and is the Honorary Consul Emeritus to the Republic of Italy in Nevada. He earned a J.D. at DePaul University College of Law and a B.S. from DePaul University.

Michael Cristalli is an accomplished trial attorney, representing clients in complex criminal, corporate, and civil litigation matters. He has successfully litigated some of the most high profile cases in the State of Nevada, and has represented clients nationwide and internationally. Cristalli created and starred in a documentary called The Defenders that highlighted his practice and which was developed into a CBS network drama. Cristalli has been a legal analyst for MSNBC, has been interviewed on Larry King Live, Greta Van Susteren and Good Morning America, as well as Fox and Friends in the morning. His cases have been featured on dateline NBC, CBS 48 hours, Lifetime and Snapped. Cristalli is the Honorary Consul to the Republic of Italy in Nevada. He earned a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and a B.S. from the University of Rochester.

Ross Miller is an experienced litigator with a focus on complex civil litigation, administrative and regulatory law, and government and election law issues. Prior to joining GCMAS, he served as the Secretary of State of Nevada, the youngest to ever serve in the U.S. and the youngest to serve in Nevada. Miller served for two elected terms, and oversaw a wide array of divisions including Commercial Recordings, Securities, Elections, Nevada Business Portal, and Notaries Public. Miller also has served on numerous State of Nevada Boards including the Board of Prison Commissioners, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the State Board of Examiners and the State Audit Committee. Miller previously served as Deputy District Attorney in Clark County. He is the son of former Nevada Governor Bob Miller and First Lady Sandy Miller. Miller earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School, an MBA from Loyola Marymount University, College of Business Administration, and a B.A. from Stanford University.

Paola Armeni, former Managing Partner at GCMAS, is a trial attorney, representing clients in criminal defense and civil rights cases in Nevada state and federal courts. She participated in the only impeachment hearing of a Nevada public official, and assisted in several high-profile criminal cases tried in federal courts. Armeni has been named by Best Lawyers in Criminal Defense white collar and non-white collar and Civil Rights Law and sits on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Nevada. She is a recipient of the Myrna Williams Children’s Pro Bono Award from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. Armeni earned her J.D. at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law and her B.S. at Arizona State University. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph T. Bonaventure of the Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas and received the inaugural William S. Boyd School of Law 2008 College Alumni of the Year award.

Vincent Savarese represents clients in complex litigation, concentrating in pretrial, trial and appellate litigation in the areas of state and federal criminal defense, constitutional law, federal civil rights, and asset forfeiture. He has handled numerous high-profile matters involving violations of First Amendment rights, unlawful searches and seizures, and government conduct in criminal investigations. Savarese was a Founding Member and is a former Vice President of the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice and has been named by Best Lawyers of America in the area of Criminal Defense. He received a J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University School of Law and a B.A. magna cum laude from Boston University.  

Mark Dzarnoski’s practice focuses on commercial and business litigation, complex litigation, class action defense, securities, contract disputes, shareholder rights, fraud, and deceptive/unfair trade practices. He has over thirty years experience in securities/investments, representing clients with allegations of criminal fraud and in SEC/FTC investigations and civil enforcement actions. He earned a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

About Clark Hill PLC

Clark Hill is an international law firm with multidisciplinary practices that draw on its attorneys’ industry and policy knowledge, deeply held shared values, and global network of premier firms and advisors to provide innovative legal solutions and client service excellence worldwide.

As one of the largest law firms in the United States with more than 650 attorneys and professionals in 23 offices across the nation, as well as offices in Dublin and Mexico City, Clark Hill is everywhere its clients require high quality legal representation. Please visit the firm’s website at http://www.clarkhill.com or follow the firm on Twitter @ClarkHillLaw.