Cassie Stratford '08
Tell us about your legal career path and what you enjoy most about your current role?
After graduating law school, I joined the Las Vegas office of Snell & Wilmer as a member of the Commercial Litigation group. I was extremely fortunate to have this as my first experience as a new lawyer because I spent the early years of my career learning from a great group of skilled professionals.
Currently, I am Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant General Counsel for Boyd Gaming Corporation. In this role, each day varies from the next but my overall approach is to make sure I am helping solve problems. As lawyers, it is easy to fall into a pattern of simply identifying risks or “issue spotting” and warning clients of things to avoid. That is certainly an important skill, but to be a quality advisor, we must also offer thoughtful, reasonable recommendations and solutions that address the client’s overarching goals in each context; whether that is litigation, transactional or general advisory work. My current role and involvement in gaming industry organizations has afforded me opportunities to watch and learn from some great business minds in our community. I hope to build a career not just as a lawyer, but as someone who is viewed as a trusted business advisor. I truly enjoy my work and I believe that comes from the sense of accomplishment that comes from solving a complex issue in a way that appropriately accounts for the business side of the legal issue.
One of the criteria for this award is service to the School of Law. You’ve supported several programs at the school, including teaching as an Adjunct Professor. Can you tell us what you’ve learned from your experience teaching a legal writing course?
I believe it is important to regularly evaluate your own professional skill sets and refine or adjust them, as needed. Law students are an inquisitive bunch that want to understand the “why” behind everything presented in class. Teaching has been a great reminder to continue to apply that type of challenged thinking to my work, and to avoid any practices that don’t have a purpose I could confidently explain and defend to a class full of law students. I also have a new appreciation for the unique public speaking skills gained from teaching a legal writing course. While I am excited to talk about how seemingly mundane contract provisions can have significant impacts on a deal, presenting a nearly 3-hour class, in the evenings, on the topic of transactional drafting can occasionally be a fun challenge in the art of holding your audience’s attention!
What is the most impactful advice you have received?
Professional and personal development is a never-ending process. Continually seek knowledge, build relationships, emulate those you admire and find mentors to support your path. Then, don’t forget the importance of providing the same support for others behind you.