First-Offense Drunken Driving Isn’t Grounds for Attorney Sanction, Top Nevada Court Says

Lawyers should not suffer professional sanctions simply because they have been convicted of drunken driving for the first time, Nevada’s top court has ruled. “The gravity of drinking and driving cannot be minimized; however, first offense driving under the influence is not the type of offense for such professional discipline,”…

Nov 1, 2011 6:19 PM CDT

Desperate for a Parkinson’s Cure, Judge Turned to Doctor Later Accused of Fraudulent Treatments

A municipal court judge in Missouri was so desperate for a cure for his Parkinson’s disease that he paid for a Mexican doctor to perform two transplants using stem cells harvested from placentas. Judge Tim Donahoe of Cuba, Mo., tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal the treatment was arranged by Alfred…

Oct 28, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Elect Condo Board Members Favoring Construction Lawsuits

A Las Vegas lawyer who once ran a courthouse restaurant has pleaded guilty in a scheme to take $3,000 in kickbacks to rig two condo board elections in Nevada. David Amesbury, 57, is the first lawyer to plead guilty for his part in a wide-ranging scheme that has already resulted…

Oct 25, 2011 2:29 PM CDT

Colombian Lawyer Gets Max, Up to 9 Years, in Unlicensed Las Vegas Plastic Surgery Death

A Colombian prosecutor and her husband apologized and pleaded for leniency from a Nevada judge today, saying they hadn’t intended to harm a woman who died from an allergic reaction to anesthesia in an unlicensed plastic surgery procedure they reportedly performed in a Las Vegas tile store during a vacation.…

Oct 21, 2011 1:16 AM CDT

Alleged Suicide Try Led to Arson Case Against Construction Lawyer Still Targeted in Fed’l HOA Probe

Indicted last month in a felony arson and insurance fraud case, an embattled Nevada construction defects attorney plans to fight the latest charges against her on constitutional grounds, concerning the manner in which the investigation was handled, her lawyer told a state court judge during a hearing today. Nancy Quon,…

Sep 22, 2011 6:21 PM CDT

Ex-Judge’s Son Gets 3-11 for Hollywood-Style Heist of $1.5M in Chips from Las Vegas Casino

It clearly wasn’t the cleverest of crimes, but it made headlines because it was so brazen: An unknown suspect was caught on security cameras as he rode a motorcycle up to the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas last December, walked in, still wearing his helmet, and robbed a craps table…

Aug 23, 2011 7:02 PM CDT

Laterals or Law Grads? Being Cheaper and More Enthusiastic Has Its Benefits

In Nevada, as in other states, law graduates are competing for jobs with more experienced lawyers. Many firms are seeking lawyers who can hit the ground running, but that doesn’t mean new grads will necessarily be overlooked, according to Ryan Works, a Las Vegas lawyer who helped prepare a State…

Jul 28, 2011 4:13 PM CDT

Half Off: Nevada Lawyer Bets on Discount Model

Jul 1, 2011 6:59 AM CDT

Wyoming Home Is a ‘Little Cayman Island’ for Shell Companies

A 1,700 square-foot home in Cheyenne, Wyo., has an outsize impact. The home is the headquarters for Wyoming Corporate Services, an enterprising business that helps set up shell companies that can be used to hide assets, Reuters reports. The house “serves as a little Cayman Island on the Great Plains,”…

Jun 28, 2011 4:09 PM CDT

Judge’s Son, AKA Bellagio Biker Bandit, Takes Plea in $1.5M Vegas Casino Chips Heist

The son of a municipal judge has taken a plea deal in a brazen $1.5 million heist at a Las Vegas casino that made international headlines. Anthony Carleo, 29, pleaded guilty this morning in the so-called Bellagio Biker Bandit case, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The suspect in the December…

Jun 14, 2011 5:03 PM CDT

Supreme Court Prison Cap Ruling Among Many Judicial Decisions on State Budget Cuts

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month upholding a cap on California’s prison population is one of several court decisions on the legal obligations of states as they try to balance their budgets. In Nevada, the state supreme court ruled last month that lawmakers illegally balanced the budget by using…

Jun 7, 2011 2:26 PM CDT

Paris Hilton Las Vegas Prosecutor Charged with Felony Gun, Drug Possession

David Schubert, a former Las Vegas prosecutor who handled the Paris Hilton cocaine case, was charged Thursday with felony gun and drug possession, as well as conspiracy, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Defense lawyer William Terry says Schubert will plead not guilty to the charges, filed by the Nevada attorney…

May 20, 2011 1:21 PM CDT

Lawyer Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder, Accused of Performing Unlicensed Cosmetic Surgery

A lawyer from the Colombian attorney general’s office and her husband, who is a self-described homeopathic physician, are jailed in Las Vegas on felony charges after allegedly performing an unlicensed cosmetic surgery that resulted in the death of a local woman. Authorities say Carmen Olfidia Torres-Sanchez, 47, and her husband,…

May 11, 2011 8:59 PM CDT

Threat Level: What’s Lower Than a Copyright Troll? A Sham Copyright Troll Licensed to Litigate

No fan of so-called copyright or patent trolls that litigate over purchased intellectual property rights, a law blog has discovered that it is possible, in its moral scheme of things, to sink even lower. A “copyright litigation factory,” known as Righthaven, doesn’t even own the copyrighted newspaper articles at issue…

Apr 19, 2011 10:11 PM CDT

News Report: Judge’s Son Said He Stole $1.5M in Casino Chips After Dad Docked His $1K Allowance

Accused of brazenly stealing $1.5 million in chips from a Las Vegas casino, the son of a local municipal judge, now 29, allegedly complained to an undercover officer that his dad had docked his $1,000-a-month allowance due to his betting and drug use. Anthony Carleo also allegedly laughingly told the…

Apr 9, 2011 1:16 AM CDT