UNLV law school gets $100,000 gift

William S. Boyd School of Law officials honored two of their latest donors Thursday night with a reception at the Tam Alumni Center at UNLV.

The Las Vegas law firm of Mainor and Harris, which already sponsors a full scholarship each year, is donating $100,000 to the 2-year-old law school.

Law partners Randall Mainor and Richard Harris spoke highly of the program and said they hope their contribution will be a catalyst for other firms to donate.

"The law school is a wonderful addition to our state," said Mainor, a native of Las Vegas who had to attend law school out of state because Nevada didn't have one.

Mainor attended the American University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

Harris also had to go out of state for his law degree, graduating from the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

"In the mid-70s, when I was looking to go to law school, Nevada was one of two states with no school," he said.

Both Mainor and Harris say they contribute to the schools from which they graduated, but they are more financially supportive of the Boyd School of Law because they feel it is such an important element of the Las Vegas community.

"We all owe a duty to improve our community," Mainor said. "I'm glad we have the resources to help do it."

Mainor said he made the donation to help develop a clinic that will utilize law students to aid the poor with legal issues and to help develop legal skills of the students.

Helping the poor with their legal problems also is important, Mainor said.

"The legal profession owes it to the poor to help them," he said. "We get to be part of a profession where we can make money, but we can also provide a service to the needy."

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