Stephanie Allen

By: Matt Jacob

Two years ago, Stephanie Allen wouldn’t have labeled herself a rabid fan of the wildly popular auto racing circuit known as Formula One.

Now? You could argue that nobody is more excited than Allen for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, an F1 race that took over the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding resort corridor in mid-November.

“I don’t know yet where I’ll be watching the race, but there’s no doubt I will be watching,” Allen says. “I actually asked my sister not to get married the weekend of the race, if that says anything.”

The reason the William S. Boyd School of Law alumna is eagerly anticipating the event: She has “lived and breathed” the race details for more than a year.

Shortly after the Las Vegas Grand Prix was announced in March 2022, race officials retained Allen’s law firm, Kaempfer Crowell, to deal with all legal matters tied to the event’s logistics. And there have been many, as the race is being staged on a road course that has taken more than a year to construct — on and around one of the world’s most- busiest streets.

Because she has spent nearly two decades dealing with land use, zoning, and government affairs cases for Kaempfer Crowell, Allen was the natural choice to help the Las Vegas Grand Prix maneuver around similar legal roadblocks.

“Along with my longtime colleague Chris Kaempfer, we’ve handled the project’s approvals needed from Clark County, including the necessary zoning and event approvals, among other legal needs for the client,” Allen says. “It has been and continues to be an experience of a lifetime.”

Prior to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Allen’s sports-related legal experience had been limited to a longtime Kaempfer Crowell client, the Las Vegas Aviators (formerly Las Vegas 51s) baseball club. As such, she says she doesn’t consider herself a sports lawyer.

That said, Allen’s involvement with the Formula 1 race has given her a front-row seat to Las Vegas’ great professional sports boom. And she’s excited for what the future holds, not only for her law firm but also young professionals — including lawyers — who want to work in the sports industry.

“We are a sports town now,” Allen says. “The influence of sports in the Las Vegas Valley has added diversity, jobs, opportunities, and family friendly leisure that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.

“My message to Boyd Law students who are interested in sports law is to make real, lasting connections and relationships with your colleagues and acquaintances. As the years pass, those colleagues and acquaintances are where cases will originate.”