NSC Benchslaps Another Attorney

Drunk with power after handing The Heavy Hitter a slap on the wrist (shockingly, not for his advertising practices), the Nevada Supreme Court has temporarily suspended attorney Philip Singer. You may remember Mr. Singer as the attorney who represented Nicolas Serrano-Villagrana, the drunken driver whose pickup plowed through a bus stop in 2004, killing a 4-year-old boy.

According to the order of suspension, "Singer appears to have misappropriated funds from clients and third-party lienholders, accepted and cashed retainer checks without performing any services, and commingled client and personal funds." The bar attributed Singer's lack of response to his "flippant attitude." Singer handled divorce, personal injury and criminal cases.

For those of you worried about Mr. Singer's future, don't. If history is to be our guide, he will likely receive a private reprimand or, at worst, a public reprimand (which nobody will read). 

You see, here in Nevada, we view our rules of professional conduct more as general guidelines, only to be used against you if you piss somebody off who is higher up on the totem pole than you. Disbarment in Nevada is reserved only for those attorneys who murder innocents or have sex with clients (on tape).

(RJ)