David Stoft '06

How did you first get into the legal profession?

Although I have no clear recollection of my particular motive for doing so, I made the decision to attend law school in 2001 while working as a financial/manufacturing analyst for Motorola in Phoenix. I do recall being disenchanted with a career in finance (that is to say, the mundane, routine reporting of financial figures, highlighted only by creative reformatting of graphs reused ad nauseam), and being attracted to the legal profession by Hollywood portrayals of the profession in shows like Law and Order, A Few Good Men, The Rainmaker, and the like.

I maintained this healthy naivete through to my graduation from Boyd Law School in 2006, and into the legal profession itself when I took a position as a commercial litigator with the law firm of McDonald Carano Wilson (“MCW”). Although the Hollywood version of the legal profession has proved elusive, I spent eight great years at MCW, then three exciting years as the Corporate Counsel of The Siegel Group. I now work as General Counsel for the Clark County Water Reclamation District.      

When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

A Jedi. A professional athlete. An inventor. My childhood aspirations changed often and were usually influenced by a recent movie I saw, the sport I was playing, or a book I read. That unbounded impression and imagination is the greatest thing about a child’s mind. My daughters are the same way. One week they want to be fashion designer; the next week it is a professional soccer player. However, certain professions do not always capture a child’s imagination – being a lawyer among them, at least for me. That came later.

Any business advice you would give to someone just starting in the profession?

Take full advantage of employment opportunities and remain in a new position long enough to get good at it and to maximize the educational and professional growth it can provide. When you are looking for a change, be patient. The really good opportunities have a way of finding their way to you.