Defense lawyer who continued to practice after felony plea is temporarily suspended
A Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer pleaded guilty to felony charges in December concerning his participation, between 2008 and 2010, in a scheme to provide fictitious certificates of completion for court-ordered counseling and community service.
But sentencing for Brian Bloomfield was postponed, so that his cooperation in an ongoing investigation could be assessed by the judge imposing his sentence. Meanwhile, free on bail, the 38-year-old Bloomfield continued to represent clients in criminal cases in court at the Regional Justice Center, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
On Tuesday, in response to a petition by counsel for the State Bar of Nevada, the state supreme court temporarily suspended him from practice and asked a bar disciplinary panel to determine what penalties should be imposed for Bloomfield’s violation of attorney ethics rules, the newspaper reports.
Bar counsel David Clark said he hasn’t previously asked the court to suspend a lawyer prior to sentencing, but did so in Bloomfield’s case due to a “long disconnnect” between his guilty plea and his sentencing.
“Aside from being felony convictions, respondent’s crimes constitute direct fraud upon the court and the complete betrayal of his duties as a sworn officer of the court,” said Clark in his petition last month. “Respondent’s continued practice before the courts in Nevada is an affront to the public integrity of the legal system and the administration of justice.”
The article doesn’t include any comment from Bloomfield or his lawyer, William Terry, and Terry didn’t immediately respond to a Thursday afternoon phone message from the ABA Journal.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer takes plea in case over fictitious certificates of completion for court-ordered counseling”
