Nevada

Lenders Freeze Home Equity Lines, Avoiding Possible Chapter 13 Cuts

Instead of providing the expected financial cushion in tough economic times, home equity lines are disappearing just when some owners—including attorneys—were relying on being able to use them. Jerry Tao, a part-time lawyer in Las Vegas, is in better shape than most—he made more than $500,000 last year, and never…

May 6, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

Texas Ranch Raid Sparks Senate Leader’s Call for Federal Task Force

Sparks flew in Arizona, Nevada and Utah last week after the Senate majority leader criticized prosecutors in those states for not being as aggressive as Texas authorities in pursuing claimed child abuse among a religious sect that reportedly advocates polygamy and “spiritual” marriages of underage teenage girls to much older…

May 5, 2008 11:04 PM CDT

Report Criticizes Energy Department’s Hiring of Morgan Lewis

A report released yesterday criticizes a decision by the Department of Energy to hire Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in connection with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project despite conflicts of interest by the law firm. The department’s inspector general said a $109 million contract should not have been awarded to…

Apr 4, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

Law Grads Who Learn in Vegas, Stay Around Vegas

Nevada’s only law school, which has been turning out graduates since 2001, is populating the state with new lawyers. More than 60 percent of the grads from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law are lawyers working in the state, the Las Vegas Sun reports. About 12 percent of the…

Mar 28, 2008 12:48 PM CDT

Lawyer Fined for Missing Client’s Murder Trial

A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who failed to show up at trial to defend a client accused of murder will have to pay $2,500 in court costs and the fees of a public defender who took over the case. The lawyer, Glen Lerner, had left a voice mail with…

Mar 17, 2008 12:02 PM CDT

A Slew of Lawyer Ads Follow Hepatitis Outbreak

Lawyers responded quickly after Las Vegas shut down an endoscopy center accused of reusing syringes and infecting at least six patients with hepatitis. They rushed to place ads seeking clients on the airwaves, in newspapers and on the Internet. One lawyer is seeking clients on Craigslist, the Las Vegas Sun…

Mar 5, 2008 4:05 PM CST

Lawyer Who Missed Client’s Murder Trial Referred to State Bar

A Las Vegas lawyer who missed the first day of his client’s murder trial because he was on sabbatical has been referred to the Nevada State Bar. The bar confirmed it received an ethics complaint regarding Glen Lerner, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Lerner, a personal injury lawyer who calls…

Feb 7, 2008 1:07 PM CST

Las Vegas Judge Denies Misconduct Allegations, Cites ADA

Suspended Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson, accused of mistreating staff and sleeping during trials, denies misconduct allegations in a formal response filed yesterday. Halverson claims the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission fails to identify sufficient grounds of judicial misconduct, and does not point to a judicial canon or state law that…

Jan 30, 2008 1:59 PM CST

Lawyer for Computer Worker Reported Hacking Allegations Against Judge

The formal ethics charges recently filed against Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson contained previously undisclosed allegations that the judge tried unsuccessfully to hack into the county computer system to access the e-mail of other employees. A computer worker who says he refused Halverson’s tech request says it was his lawyer…

Jan 28, 2008 3:45 PM CST

Lawyer Misses Client’s Murder Trial, Says He’s on Sabbatical

A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer known for his colorful commercials failed to show up last week to defend a client accused of murder, telling a prosecutor he was on sabbatical out of state. Glen Lerner left a voice mail with a county prosecutor saying he wouldn’t return to defend…

Jan 28, 2008 1:56 PM CST

O.J. Simpson Gets Bail, But Judge Doubles It to $250,000

Updated: Former football hero O.J. Simpson appeared in a Nevada court today, and was granted release on $250,000 bail prior to his upcoming trial in an armed robbery case. The amount was twice the $125,000 bail he was initially granted in the case. Although the Clark County, Nev., district attorney…

Jan 16, 2008 5:08 PM CST

Nevada High Court Rules Against Kucinich in Debate Suit

Dennis J. Kucinich has lost his legal bid to remain in yesterday’s Democratic debate. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled yesterday less than an hour before the scheduled debate, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The court said Judge Charles Thompson of Las Vegas abused his discretion when he ruled MSNBC had…

Jan 16, 2008 11:34 AM CST

Man, 61, Gets 5 Years for ‘Arborcide’

A Nevada man was sentenced yesterday to up to five years in prison for killing hundreds of trees in a suburban area near Las Vegas. Douglas Hoffman, 61, is a retired construction worker who suffers from heart, hip, back and prostate problems. He reportedly cut down more than 500 trees…

Jan 15, 2008 5:44 PM CST

O.J. Simpson Held on Bail Violation

Former football hero O.J. Simpson is reportedly being held on a bail violation, after allegedly calling one of his co-defendants in a Las Vegas armed robbery case and expressing unhappiness over his testimony at a preliminary hearing. Simpson reportedly identified himself as “Miguel” when calling co-defendant Clarence “C.J.” Stewart in…

Jan 11, 2008 9:44 PM CST

New Practice Area for Nev. Firm: Suing State Over Child Abuse

To report a case of child abuse, you call a state agency. But what do you do when the state agency itself is mistreating a child? Two brothers who practice law together in Las Vegas have an answer to that question for people concerned about abused foster children in Nevada:…

Dec 21, 2007 2:18 AM CST