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Beavor V. Tomsheck, 138 Nev. Adv. Op. 71 (Nov. 10, 2022), Genell Maggiacomo

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

In an opinion written by Justice Hardesty, the Nevada Supreme Court evaluated whether assignment of proceeds towards an opponent in the same litigation where the legal malpractice arose is valid. The Nevada Supreme Court held that it is invalid because of the violation of public policy. The Court followed the precedent set out in Tower Homes, LLC v. Heaton, which held that assignments for legal malpractice claims prohibited public policy. The Court held that the district court ruled correctly by invalidating the assignment. However, an invalid assignment would not preclude an injured client from pursuing a legal malpractice claim where …

Ethics For Real Estate Lawyers Today, John G. Cameron Jr., Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

This essay discusses various ethics issues that real estate lawyers experience: everything from new ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) (avoiding discrimination) to rules that apply when a lawyer works from home to technological competence and social media to the attorney-client privilege and to advance conflicts waivers. There is also a social science overlay that discusses why smart people do dumb things.

The Specter Of Malpractice: When Law Firm General Counsel And Risk Management Professionals Are Confronted With Potential Malpractice Claims And Ethics Violations, Joseph R. Tiano Jr., Nancy B. Rapoport, William J. Siroky

Scholarly Works

Every day, law firm general counsel and other law firm risk management professionals face a very practical, very vexing problem. The problem is what to do when hearing that a serious ethical mistake or impropriety may have occurred—but without any concrete confirmation that something problematic has, in fact, happened. This essay discusses the most important initial steps and questions that the firm’s general counsel or other risk management professional must address in this confounding situation where the “specter of malpractice” is present. We call this the “specter of malpractice” because a malpractice claim has not yet fully materialized (and it …

Digging Into Algorithms: Legal Ethics And Legal Access, Carla L. Reyes, Jeff Ward

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Ethics, Deception, And Legal Negotiation, Russell Korobkin

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Walk The Line: Aristotle And The Ethics Of Narrative, Lori D. Johnson, Melissa Love Koenig

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Legal Ethics And Law Reform Advocacy, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Social activism, particularly law reform, has long been an accepted, even revered part of the lawyer's identity. However, modern developments such as nation-wide firms, the economic importance of client development, and aggressive attempts by clients to deploy attorneys as de facto, undisclosed lobbyists have put substantial pressure on the traditional vision of the attorney as a "lawyer-statesman" or someone who "checks clients at the door" when participating in law reform activities. Furthermore, law reform activism on behalf of one client (or prospective client when attorneys use their law reform lobbying as part of their marketing strategy) poses a real danger …

Using Data Analytics To Predict An Individual Lawyer's Legal Malpractice Risk Profile: Becoming An Lpl "Precog", Nancy B. Rapoport, Joseph R. Tiano Jr.

Scholarly Works

The power of data analytics is revolutionizing the way that business is conducted in nearly every industry. The medical industry, the consumer/retail space, and the banking and financial industries are taking their business operations to the next level by leveraging the power of big data. Despite radical transformations in nearly every other aspect of the legal industry, though, the approach to preventing, predicting, assessing, and resolving malpractice claims hasn't really changed. Malpractice insurers and their law firm clients continue to take an old-fashioned approach when it comes to legal professional liability. Unlike the insurers pricing automobile policies, the vast opportunity …

Training Law Students To Maintain Civility In Their Law Practices As A Way To Improve Public Discourse, Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

Our current social discourse is broken. Not only have we resorted to name-calling instead of reasoned discussion, but we have also resorted to the fundamental attribution error: we attribute bad motives to people with whose positions we disagree rather than starting with the presumption that, perhaps, buried deep within their positions could be a grain of truth. As Yoni Appelbaum observed in a recent article in The Atlantic, "Recent research by political scientists at Vanderbilt University and other institutions has found both Republicans and Democrats distressingly willing to dehumanize members of the opposite party."' We need to find a …

Navigating Technology Competence In Transactional Practice, Lori D. Johnson

Scholarly Works

In 2012, the American Bar Association House of Delegates, based on the work of the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, amended the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) to include a new requirement concerning lawyer competence. The obligation, enacted as Comment 8 to existing Model Rule 1.1 (outlining a lawyer's requisite competence) (Rule 1.1), requires lawyers "keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology." To date, Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 (Comment 8 or the Comment) has been adopted in thirty-eight states, and has begun generating scholarship and …

In Re: Discipline Of James Colin, 135 Nev. Adv. Op. 43 (Sep. 19, 2019), Jose Tafoya

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The court found James Colin made statements he knew were false or with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge. Colin also engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The court suspended him for six months and one day.

Your Honor, On Social Media: The Judicial Ethics Of Bots And Bubbles, Katrina Lee

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicial Disqualification: Federal-State Distinctions, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Federal and state law regarding disqualification (aka recusal) of judges is both similar and different, requiring that counsel be aware of federal and state statutes, the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct and even constitutional considerations.

Legal Analytics, Social Science, And Legal Fees: Reimagining "Legal Spend" Decisions In An Evolving Industry, Nancy B. Rapoport, Joseph R. Tiano Jr.

Scholarly Works

This article discusses how legal analytics can help law firms and clients understand, monitor, and improve the components that comprise bills for legal fees and expenses.

Leveraging Legal Analytics And Spend Data As A Law Firm Self-Governance Tool, Nancy B. Rapoport, Joseph R. Tiano Jr.

Scholarly Works

This paper discusses the advantages that law firms can get by using legal analytics (big data) to analyze how they do their work for their clients (and how their clients can benefit as well). We discuss the external forces that are reshaping the economics of today’s legal industry; the types of decisions, in determining how best to represent a client in a given matter, that tend to drive up costs; the possible reasons for those decisions; how law firms can use data-analytics tools to examine their own choices; and the benefits that stem from a data-driven analysis of those choices.

Cotter, Jr. V. Dist. Ct., 134 Nev. Adv. Op. 32 (May 3, 2018) (En Banc), Paloma Guerrero

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court adopted the common interest rule as an exception to waiver of the work-product privilege. The common interest rule requires that the “transferor and transferee [must] anticipate litigation against a common adversary on the same issue or issues” and to “have strong common interests in sharing the fruit of the preparation efforts.”

Professional Responsibility Pitfalls: Often But Not Always Apparent, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Big Law, Public Defender-Style: Aggregating Resources To Ensure Uniform Quality Of Representation, M. Eve Hanan

Scholarly Works

Stories abound of public defenders who, overwhelmed with high caseloads, allow defendants to languish in pre-trial detention and guilty pleas to be entered without examining the merits of the case. Most defendants cannot afford to hire an attorney, and, thus, have no choice other than to accept the public counsel appointed by the court. In this Essay, I consider whether Professor Benjamin Edwards' central argument in The Professional Prospectus: A Call for Effective Professional Disclosure '-that attorneys should provide potential clients with a prospectus disclosing their performance history-applies to criminal defense. I reject the proposition that most people charged with …

Bringing Counsel In From The Cold: Reconciling Ethical Rules With The Quagmire Of Insurance Defense Practice, Joseph Regalia, V. Andrew Cass

Scholarly Works

Our case study is an ethical dilemma faced by insurance defense attorneys daily. An attorney is hired by Insurance Company A to defend an insured who is in a lawsuit over a car accident. Insurance Company A is one of the attorney's best clients, from whom he receives a steady stream of cases. Our attorney's investigation reveals good news-another driver not yet a party to the lawsuit may have contributed to the accident. This revelation has the potential to shift the blame, and all or part of the financial responsibility, onto the shoulders of the new potential party and his …

Agwara V. State Bar Of Nev., 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 96 (Dec. 7, 2017) (En Banc), Lucy Crow

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court adopted the three-prong test in Grosso v. United States, and held that an attorney cannot assert the privilege against self-incrimination to withhold client trust documentation sought in a State Bar investigation. However, the State Bar must have a compelling reason to force disclosure of tax records.

In Re Discipline Of Reade, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 87 (Nov. 16, 2017), Ronald Evans

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that, in this instance, an attorney should be suspended for four years after said attorney violated RPC 8.4(b). The Court further held that SRC 102 does not permit the Court to impose financial sanctions on an attorney when the Court is already suspending said attorney.

Rock, Paper, Scissors... Loot!, Michael Mogill

Nevada Law Journal Forum

As teachers, we always try to inspire our students. That inspiration can be kindled in many forums, whether in the classroom, our offices, our communities—or, more rarely, in front of an entire graduating class. This article reflects the remarks I delivered to my students, our graduating class, on such a rare occasion, now several years past. The genesis of my speech, a simple child’s game (one we all know), led me through the reflections I offered to the class of 2014 and now offer to a much larger audience. I began writing these remarks with a question in mind: What …

In Re Discipline Of Timothy Treffinger, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 22 (May 11, 2017), Julia Barker

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) when a licensed Nevada attorney pleads guilty to a felony, Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 111 requires an interim suspension of the attorney’s law license and a referral to the Nevada State Bar for formal discipline; and (2) the “good cause” exception to stay an interim suspension requires the court to consider whether the attorney’s crime poses a danger to his clients, the court, and the public.

New Horizon Kids Quest Iii, Inc., V. The Eighth Judicial District Court Of The State Of Nevada, 133 Nev., Adv. Op. 409 (Apr. 6, 2017), Andrew Clark

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Under the Nev. Rule of Professional Conduct 1.9(b), an attorney whose former firm represented a now adverse client, may be disqualified only when the attorney actually obtained confidential, adverse information while employed by the former firm.

The Professional Prospectus: A Call For Effective Professional Disclosure, Benjamin P. Edwards

Scholarly Works

Without easy access to relevant information, many consumers unwittingly trust serious decisions to professionals with histories of malpractice and negligence-leading to both individual and societal harms. This Article proposes to improve professional services markets with a tool that has already proven effective in the securities markets: a prospectus. A "Professional Prospectus" would reduce information asymmetries and improve the market for professional services through disclosure and consumer choice.

A Professional Prospectus would alter the market for professional services by making professional reputation a more potent force. Economic theory often relies on "reputation effects" to ensure the efficient functioning of the market …

Redefining Roles And Duties Of The Transactional Lawyer: A Narrative Approach, Lori D. Johnson

Scholarly Works

Today’s transactional lawyers perform myriad tasks for their clients, including structuring, drafting, conceptualizing, negotiating, and executing the complex, risky, and often cutting-edge transactions their clients bring to the table. On the other side of that table, often sits another team of sophisticated transactional lawyers. These opposing counsel are armed for battle over every nuance, every word, every representation, every deliverable, and every obligation their client is poised to undertake or agree to. Therefore, modern transactional lawyers must behave as advocates and explore new modes of persuasion. As a response, scholars have begun to propose that transactional lawyers employ methods of …

Domestic Violence And The Politics Of Self-Help, Elizabeth L. Macdowell

Scholarly Works

Self-help programs are conceptualized as alternatives to attorney representation that can help both courts and unrepresented litigants. The rhetoric of self-help also typically includes empowering unrepresented individuals to help themselves. But how do self-help programs respond to litigants’ efforts at self-advocacy? This Article reports findings from a study of courthouse self-help programs assisting unrepresented litigants applying for protection orders. The central finding is that self-help staff members were not neutral in the provision of services despite a professed ethic of neutrality. Using the sociological concept of demeanor, this Article shows that staff members rewarded protection order applicants who conformed to …

The Ethics Of Non-Traditional Contract Drafting, Lori D. Johnson

Scholarly Works

A new generation of contract drafters faces increasing commentary advising them to change traditional contract terms into plain language constructions. Yet, traditional, tested terms have consistent meanings, and when these meanings benefit client objectives, advocates should consider retaining them. This article posits that failing to do so can impact a lawyer’s ethical obligations. Specifically, an attorney’s duties of competence, allocation of authority, diligence, and communication under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct require careful thought about modernizing tested contract terms. These duties require the ethical drafter to research whether the use of a traditional, tested term advances a client goal …

The House Edge: On Gambling And Professional Discipline, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

On March 26, 2014, the Iowa Supreme Court revoked the license to practice law of Cedar Rapids attorney Susan Hense. Admitted to the Iowa Bar in 1996, Hense subsequently misappropriated $837,000 in client trust funds to feed her addiction to casino gambling. This Article assesses how attorneys like Hense who are addicted to gambling are treated in professional disciplinary actions, including license suspension, revocation, and reinstatement proceedings. Themes that emerge include public misunderstanding of gambling disorder, stigma against individuals with gambling disorder, statutory recognition of substance addictions but not behavioral addictions, and mandatory attendance at religion based fellowship meetings as …

Policyholder Rights To Independent Counsel: Issues Remain Regarding Compensation, Supervision Of Counsel, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

More than 30 years ago, a California appellate court decision (San Diego Navy Federal Credit Union v. Cumis Insurance Society, 162 Cal. App. 3d 358 (4th Dist. 1984)) worked a revolution of sorts by ruling that, in cases of conflict between an insurer and a policyholder defending against a plaintiff's claim, the insurer was obligated to permit the policyholder to select its own defense counsel rather than having the case defended by an attorney selected by the insurer. The Cumis movement was more evolutionary than revolutionary in Nevada. Until State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. v. Hansen, …