Lawyer who faked records of court-ordered counseling should get 5-year suspension, panel recommends
A remorseful Nevada criminal defense lawyer who filed or helped file forged court records in 91 cases should be suspended from practice for five years, an attorney discipline panel has recommended.
Brian Bloomfield filed the documents as part of a scheme to provide fake certificates of completion of court-ordered counseling and community service to Las Vegas defendants. He took a felony plea in 2013 and has admitted his misconduct. Sentencing was postponed as he cooperated with prosecutors in an ongoing case involving other defendants.
The disciplinary panel’s recommendation, filed Tuesday with the Nevada Supreme Court, also calls for Bloomfield to take the state bar exam again before he seeks reinstatement, if the suspension is imposed by the supreme court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. However, the state bar believes a more severe sanction would be appropriate and will continue to press for disbarment, acting state bar counsel Brian Kunzi told the newspaper.
Bloomfield was tearful at a disciplinary hearing last month as he pleaded for a chance to return to practice, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported earlier.
He said his wife, who also took a plea in the criminal case, attempted suicide and he himself had sat in a closet with a revolver “wondering if this was the way to go.” Instead, he sought treatment for anxiety and depression and is working as a telemarketer for $9 an hour to support his wife and the couple’s three children.
“Considering all the testimony given and the remorse shown by the respondent, the majority of the panel ultimately believes there is a chance for respondent to redeem himself and become a valuable member of the legal community,” said the majority in the panel’s 4-1 written decision.
Bloomfield was temporarily suspended last year.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Disbarment sought for lawyer in scheme that provided phony certificates of completion to court”
