SAMUEL S. LIONEL April 7, 1919 – December 23, 2022

One of the most prolific and influential lawyers in the history of Nevada, Samuel S. Lionel, has died. Lionel was surrounded by his family and loved ones on Friday December 23, 2022 when he died peacefully. He was 103 years old, Samuel was born on April 7, 1919 in the Bronx, NY to Abraham and Rose Stavisky. His father had two retail clothing stores in the Bronx and Manhattan that manufactured men’s trousers at the Lionel Trouser Company. Rather than work for the family business, Sam was more interested in pursuing a degree in law and decided to study at St. John’s University in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from the University and later received honorary doctorate law degrees from St. John’s, UNLV, and California Western School of Law. Sam retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and JAG officer in the Army. During World War II he was stationed in North Africa and Italy. He taught at West Point for his last three years of active duty and was also stationed at the Pentagon for three years while working as a JAG officer. In 1953 Sam moved to Las Vegas, NV to practice law and in 1967 founded the law firm Lionel, Sawyer, Collins with former Governor of Nevada Grant Sawyer as his partner. LSC gained a reputation for over 50 years as the premier law firm not only in the State of Nevada, but also the nation that represented the majority of the Las Vegas hotel owners and other notable figures including Howard Hughes, Del Webb and Kirk Kerkorian. During his career as an attorney, Sam was known as the Dean of the Nevada Bar, where he was Chairman of the Board for 16 years of the board of bar examiners, and then became a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Sam also argued three significant cases in the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to his legal achievements, Sam was also known as a philanthropic figure in Las Vegas. Recently Sam and his wife Lexy gave $2,000,000 to the UNLV Foundation for The Reid Lionel scholarship program with former Senator Harry Reid and the Samuel S. Lionel Externship program at UNLV Law School. Additionally, Sam and his wife also gave $1,000,000 to St. John’s University School of Law for the Lexy & Samuel Externship program. Sam loved his family and was an avid tennis player and golfer who had 5 holes-in-one in his lifetime. He is preceded in death by his parents; his three sisters, Edna, Selma, and Evelyn; his first wife, Fritzy; and his second wife, Pat. Sam is survived by his wife Lexy Lionel; his daughter, Dana, who lives in Texas and her four sons, Shaun (Kylee), Christopher, Austin, and Andrew (Courtney); two great-grandchildren, Katelyn and Kiera; four stepsons, Hal Barber IV (Laura), Zachary Capp, Joshua Capp, and Daniel Capp; four step-grandchildren, Neil Uchitel (Carla), Rachel Uchitel, Stoney Barber, Missy Barber; and several great-grandchildren, nieces, and a nephew. Services were previously held at King David Memorial Chapel and Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.