For release May 20, 2009

Contact:  Diane Lancaster Gibes, Kummer Kaempfer, (702) 792-7000  or dgibes@kkbrf.com  
Becky Maizel, Kummer Kaempfer, (702) 792-7000  or rmaizel@kkbrf.com

Kummer Kaempfer Repositions for Continued Growth and Announces New Organizational and Leadership Structure

Firm Continues to Offer Clients a Full Complement of Practice Areas

LAS VEGAS – The statewide law firm of Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario (Kummer Kaempfer) is realigning its practice areas and introducing a new organizational structure that will support the firm’s continuing market dominance in government and legislative affairs, energy and utilities and the litigation and transactional practice areas.

These changes coincide with several of the firm’s partners, of counsel attorneys, associate attorneys and staff members departing on June 1 to join the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig.  This repositioning follows many months of careful thought and deliberations about a possible merger between the two law firms.  

“The firm will continue its longstanding tradition of serving our clients with the highest levels of excellence,” said Bob Gronauer, who will remain managing partner and a senior member of the land use and governmental affairs team of Kummer Kaempfer.  “During the transition, our clients we serve can rest assured that our collective commitment to seamless service and client delivery stands above all else.”

“This is a difficult, but cordial decision that reflects the desires of certain practice groups in our firm to practice in an international firm,” said Michael Bonner, who will be joining Greenberg Traurig and currently serves as Kummer Kaempfer’s Chairman of the Executive Committee. “We will continue to work together with our Kummer Kaempfer colleagues as co-counsel on many matters now and in the future. More importantly, we will remain good friends.”

Founding partner Chris Kaempfer, who will remain with Kummer Kaempfer, said, “The foundation of Kummer Kaempfer’s success is its fundamental philosophy that a firm is nothing more than the talent, integrity and commitment of its attorneys and staff.  While some members of the firm will leave and some will remain, the dedication of the attorneys and staff that our clients and the community have come to know will continue.”

 Founding partner Thomas Kummer, who will join Greenberg Traurig, said, “We have discussed, analyzed and contemplated this business decision for many months.  We are a diverse firm with broad ranging expertise, and we first and foremost considered the well-being of our clients.” 

“Change is happening all around us – throughout Nevada, our nation and around the globe,” said Gronauer.  “While we believe this is the right time to carve out a new path, it is also with a heavy heart that we have had to implement workforce reductions of attorneys and staff today.  This was an extremely difficult decision and one that we hoped to avoid.  However, in light of the new structure, it was a necessary step given the competitiveness of the new marketplace.  These are our friends and colleagues with whom we’ve worked side-by-side for years, and we will miss them.”

Over the next 30 days, partners Tom Kummer, Mike Bonner, Mark Ferrario, John Brewer, John Jeppsen, Gregg Vermeys and Brandon Roos, along with several associates and support staff will transition their practices to Greenberg Traurig.

Bob Gronauer along with partners Chris Kaempfer, Robert Crowell, Mark Fiorentino, Tom Amick, Kathleen Drakulich, John Griffin, Jennifer Lazovich, John Renshaw, Russell Rowe, Jim Smyth, Steve Tackes, Jason Woodbury, several associates and support staff will remain at Kummer Kaempfer.
  
 Kaempfer added that “knowing and doing what’s best for our clients has always been what’s set us apart.  The most difficult part of the decision is knowing that some of the people whom we’ve all come to respect, admire and love, will now be a phone call or e-mail away rather than in the office next door.”

Gronauer added, “we can see the tremendous opportunities that are ahead of us not only for our firm, but most importantly, for our clients and our communities.”
 
Kummer Kaempfer is a prominent force in Nevada, serving local, regional, national and international clients in the real estate development, hospitality, gaming, manufacturing, service, high-technology, and energy and utilities industries.  Founded in 1994, Kummer Kaempfer is one of Nevada’s law firms, specializing in complex corporate transactions, commercial litigation, zoning and land use and regulatory law. 

With offices in Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City, Kummer Kaempfer’s lawyers provide counsel to top corporations, business owners, corporate executives and individuals. Kummer Kaempfer is the Las Vegas member of Meritas, an affiliation of outstanding business law firms that serve international customers worldwide. The firm’s attorneys are routinely rated among the best corporate, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and litigation lawyers in Nevada, including high-ranking recognition by the prestigious Chambers USA – America’s Leading Business Lawyers since its inception in 2003; The Best Lawyers in America®; and Mountain States Super Lawyers.  For more information about Kummer Kaempfer, call (702) 792-7000 or visit www.kkbrf.com.  Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario, Ltd., is a Nevada professional corporation.