Former U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval has joined the Nevada law firm of Jones Vargas.

Sandoval, a Republican, resigned from the bench last month to launch a campaign for governor.

He said he will focus on building an alternative dispute resolution practice for the firm, one of the state's largest with significant lobbying presence in Carson City.
Sandoval said he isn't worried about a conflict of interest.

"I know there's a government relations department in the firm, but I will be completely independent of that as well," Sandoval said. "I'll have zero involvement with them."

Sandoval becomes one of two gubernatorial candidates working for law firms that are major lobbyists. Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid, a Democrat, is a shareholder in Lionel Sawyer and Collins.

Sandoval is a former Nevada attorney general, assemblyman and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.