You might expect the lion of Nevada's powerhouse legal firm to be a rip-snorting, larger-than-life character, an Oscar Goodman on steroids with the swagger of F. Lee Bailey and a snappy nickname like Racehorse Haynes.

But to imagine that is to miss an important part of what has made Lionel Sawyer & Collins, the state's largest law firm, so successful as it marks its 40th anniversary this month.

Sam Lionel, the lion in this story, cuts a dapper but diminutive image in his unpretentious corner office on the 17th floor of the Bank of America building downtown. With his bright eyes and closely cropped gray beard, he remains as understated as the firm he created in February 1967 with former Gov. Grant Sawyer.

Having reached an age he'd rather not admit, Lionel keeps his golf handicap low and his profile even lower. At a time when lesser figures find themselves being honored as giants of their professions, the soft-spoken Lionel makes one thing clear at the outset:

"I don't want this to be about me," he says. "I want this to be about the firm."

Sorry, sir. The character of Lionel Sawyer & Collins is very much tied to this son of immigrants who was born in the Bronx not long after the end of World War I. It's a story of intelligence, effort, access and understated character.

Lionel earned battle commendations with the Army in North Africa and Italy in World War II, went on to become a judge advocate general and to teach at West Point. He came west to Las Vegas on the advice of Emily Wanderer, Southern Nevada's first female attorney, and he carved out a niche in a lusty boomtown known more for its divorce racket than the caliber of its legal minds. He made his mark in gaming law, corporate governance and litigation.

Consider this single snapshot: Lionel represented Del Webb, who built the original Flamingo, and Paradise Development, whose senior founding member was the ubiquitous casino legend Moe Dalitz, who with his partners probably did as much to create Southern Nevada off the Strip as he contributed to the growth of Las Vegas Boulevard. Lionel then took on the complex legal affairs of Howard Hughes at a time of great transition in the state's mobbed-up gambling industry. He's also the attorney for casino king Kirk Kerkorian.

In short, Sam Lionel was there at the dawn of the corporate gaming era, and the firm he created is an industry force today, carrying clout at the Legislature and with Nevada's congressional delegation.

As governor, his late partner Sawyer was credited with dragging Nevada gaming out of its dark ages. With more than 80 attorneys, including gaming law maven Bob Faiss, Lionel Sawyer & Collins remains a major industry player.

Faiss observes, "When I joined the firm (in 1973) there was no such thing as a gaming attorney. It simply did not exist. If I said I was a gaming attorney, they would think you meant fish and game."

Now the game is in 48 states and dozens of nations.

It began with a handshake between Lionel and Sawyer, who was still stinging from his loss to Paul Laxalt.

"It was very simple," Lionel recalls. "Come to think of it, I don't think we ever had an agreement."

In Sawyer's oral history, "Hang Tough! Grant Sawyer: An Activist in the Governor's Mansion," he remembered, "It wasn't a big firm with a structured practice, and it looked like the sort of thing that would be right for me because I wanted to be in a position to learn quickly how to practice law. After meeting with Sam Lionel, I was convinced that he was the person to teach me."

Four decades later, the teacher still holds class.

"The firm still resembles what Grant Sawyer and Sam Lionel set out for it in 1967," says Faiss, who calls Lionel "probably the least-known important person in the community."

Lionel will have none of that talk but admits he still has the same feeling for the community as he did on his first visit in 1953.

"I came out here, talked to some people, and felt something in the air, an energy," Lionel recalls.

Neither the lion nor his law firm shows signs of slowing down.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.