for Wynn Resorts and gets involved early in the contract process.
She runs the company’s government affairs and
business-development functions in concert with
Wynn’s senior executives. She participates in lobby-
ing at the local, state and federal levels. Although not
on the front line of defense, Sinatra keeps apprised
of the day-to-day issues that crop up at the resorts.
Slips and falls, problematic gambling incidents or
“There is a lot of piracy in China and Korea, but also
even in south Florida,” she said, and her team recently
squelched an unauthorized Wynn Club operating in
Greece that, she said, had baldly misappropriated the
company’s logo.
A FONDNESS FOR REAL ESTATE
Sinatra’s early career focus was on mergers and
acquisitions at Gibson Dunn. Today, the opening
We need to spend more time thinking about billing
arrangements.”
Griffin’s investment company. Sinatra joined Wynn
Resorts in 2004 as senior vice president and general
counsel for development and was promoted to GC
in February 2006.
Pro bono activity is not institutionalized for the
Wynn legal staff due to its relatively small size. However, Sinatra encourages her colleagues to perform
such duties, as she does herself. Recently, she represented a 16-year-old in foster care. Sinatra and
three staffers also advocate for Nevada education
reform.
routine legal situations tend to get handled by staff
attorneys at each property. Sinatra has immigration-related duties as well, including strict Chinese
quotas regarding the permissible number of workers
imported to serve in Macau. Sinatra’s department
clears all advertisements.
FOREIGN INVOLVEMENT
Sinatra commutes to Asia every six to eight weeks.
She described Macau as being “a little like Hong
Kong—it is quite Western and quite British,” despite
having been a Portuguese colony. The Chinese legal
system applies, especially regarding intellectual property. Wynn is a brand-driven company, and Sinatra is
“very vigilant” in enforcing its intellectual property.
of any property remains a special moment for her:
“It is a tangible witness to what you have accomplished.” She joined the corporation when Wynn Las
Vegas was still under construction. Wynn has since
gone from being a developer to an international,
multibillion-dollar company in a mere six years. The
successful sale of a subconcession in Macau was
a personal Sinatra highlight.
PERSONAL
Sinatra calls Jamestown, N.Y., her hometown.
Married to financial officer Harry Hagerty, she has
three children: Spenser, Griffin and Miller, 11. Skiing
and yoga fill her spare time, along with “hanging
out with the kids.” Sinatra is a 1982 graduate of
Wellesley College and received her J.D. from the
University of Chicago Law School in 1985. Although
not related to The Chairman of the Board, she joked
that being a Sinatra in Las Vegas does carry a
certain cachet.
ROUTE TO THE TOP
Sinatra joined Gibson Dunn’s New York office following law school. From 2000 through 2003 she
served as executive vice president and chief legal
officer of Caesars Entertainment Inc. and then
became general counsel for the Griffin Group Inc.,
A BOOK AND MOVIE
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by
Michael Lewis, and The Kids Are All Right.
—ROGER ADLER
An earlier version of this profile was published in
The National Law Journal on Oct. 4, 2010.
