Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Apparently the shenanigans don't stop just because we take a long weekend. Here are some of the stories we missed while stuffing ourselves:

Attorney Michael Amador reportedly pulled a gun on someone in a bar on Wednesday night and was arrested. He had to be taken to the hospital before he was booked. Keep it real, G.

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The LV Sun is reporting that Judge Hottie filed for divorce from Ed "Puppy Strangler" Miley on November 13 citing "incompatibility." The pictures on the right of the Sun's story will give you a little hint as to what that "incompatibility" was. We have conflicting information, however, because one of our commenters reported the following on November 22nd:
Was out this weekend and saw Randy and Stefany Miley. Apparently he is out of rehab. They were holding hands, kissing - lovy dovey stuff. So it looks like she has no backbone and is taking him back.
Sing it with us: Tale as old as time ...

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State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford pulled a "Libo" outside the Aviary Park in North Las Vegas and got busted by Channel 13. Here's Horsford's explanation:
I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused in inadvertently parking in an unauthorized parking space.
Inadvertently? Yeah, right. See the full story to get a feel for how big of a pussy the Senator is being over fessing up to his mistake.

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Finally, Nevada Appeal is running an AP story that confirms U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has interviewed both Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish and Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Gloria Navarro to fill the open Sandoval/Jones U.S. District Court seat.

Las Vegas attorney Kathy England said Reid's consideration of the women is in line with President Barrack Obama's emphasis on diversifying the federal bench. Okeydokey. No more penises ... got it.

Looks like we have our short list, Cadish said she expects a decision "relatively quickly."

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Turkey Day!

Over this long weekend, help yourselves to a heaping helping of holiday open thread ... with all the fixins!

Gobble! Gobble!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Coming Soon: The RJC-HMO Plan

The Supremes have put our district court judges on notice that, beginning December 1st, criminal defendants who were previously represented free of charge (to them, anyway) will now be assessed a "fee." From the LVRJ:
In a nutshell, indigent defendants who are represented by the public defender or a private appointed attorney will be charged on a sliding scale -- a minimum $250 if their case is resolved at the justice court level and up to a maximum $750 if the case nears trial or goes to trial. The more work put into a case, the higher the fee.
Whether to impose the fee is at the discretion of the judges. Judge Herndon summed up the fees this way: "This is their co-pay, now we're an HMO."

Clark County Public Defender Phil Kohn said that the PD's office is not the one imposing the fee, nor will they be handling the collection of the fees. This raises an interesting question: Who will be handling collections? Somehow we doubt it will be the DA.

The current plan seems full of problems, but the district courts are apparently going forward with it on December 1st, problems or not.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

One Down, Two To Go

The details of Dr. Mark Kabins' plea agreement have been released, and (sadly) there was no accompanying idiot parade.

Kabins and the U.S. Attorneys agreed to five years of probation, six months of home detention, and 250 hours of community service. Additionally, Kabins will pay $3.5 million in restitution to victim Melodie Simon. Ouch! The actual charge to which Kabins pled is "misprision of a felony."

Perhaps more important than his punishment, however, is what Kabins has actually admitted as part of the agreement, from the LV Sun:
In pleading guilty, Kabins admitted that on Aug. 3, 2000, he assisted another orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Thalgott, in a surgery on Simon, a former Olympian who became paralyzed from complications that arose after the surgery. In the plea, Kabins admitted he knew he could be sued and asked Awand, a medical consultant who referred personal injury cases to him and other lawyers, to persuade Simon’s attorney, Noel Gage, not to sue him or Thalgott, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Kabins, the attorney’s office said, believed that Awand would corruptly attempt to persuade Gage by referring lucrative personal injury cases to Gage; after receiving referrals from Awand, Gage sued neither Kabins nor Thalgott and instead sued an anesthesiologist, Dr. Daniel Burkhead.

Kabins said Gage didn’t sue him because Awand had referred cases to him, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

To help Gage sue the anesthesiologist, Dr. Kabins drafted a “letter of complaint” from which he intentionally omitted information about his secret dealings with Gage and information about Simon’s medical condition following her surgery.
Some are downplaying the significance of Kabins plea, but 6 months detention and $3.5 million in restitution constitute more than a "slap on the wrist." It seems to us that with this plea and Kabins' cooperation, the U.S. Attorneys are getting just what they wanted: Kabins' testimony without releasing him from culpability.

Additionally, LV Now is reporting that part of the plea deal forbids Kabins from pleading the Fifth if/when he is called to testify against Awand and/or Gage. So there's that.

We're anxious to hear from both sides ... what do you guys think about the deal?

Monday, November 23, 2009

Ambulance Chasers No Longer "Chasing"

In an effort to maximize efficiency, some of our unscrupulous P.I. attorneys have skipped casually dropping a business card at the scene of an accident in favor of going directly to the source for clients.

The LV Sun is reporting that UMC has been selling a compilation of the hospital’s daily registration forms for accident patients to local attorneys (names still unknown). But worry not, citizens, Kathy Silver is on the case:
Kathy Silver, chief executive of the hospital, said Thursday in an interview with the Sun that she heard rumors about information being leaked from the trauma center early this summer. She said a source put her in touch with a local chiropractor, who shared with her the rumor that attorneys were illegally gaining access to patient information. She did a cursory investigation of the attorneys who had requested medical records, but she and the chiropractor agreed that nothing seemed unusual.
Good enough for us ... what's for lunch?

Ok ... don't worry if Ms. Silver missed it, County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly has it handled:
County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, who serves as chairman of the UMC board of trustees, told the Sun that he heard of the alleged breach from more than one reliable source about 10 days ago. He said he was told that representatives of law firms were approaching car accident victims even while they were in the hospital. He had not talked to the hospital about it because he was not sure if it was illegal for private patient information to leave the hospital.
Yeah, sharing private medical information is more of a faux pas, really. Why else would we have to stand a football field away from the next person being helped at the grocery-store pharmacy? And really, if it's for a good cause ... like a frivolous lawsuit ... where's the harm?

Back to reality - the attorneys involved will likely maybe be investigated by the bar for their role in this. However, as the Sun notes, UMC could be in a whole heap of trouble:
HIPAA violations can be investigated by the county district attorney, the state attorney general’s office or the United States Attorney’s office, Pritts said. Congress increased the penalties for HIPAA violations, effective at the end of November. A person who violates a patient’s privacy with the intent to sell information can be fined up to $250,000 and imprisoned for up to 10 years.
We're always interested in names and numbers. Anyone on the "inside" care to share who the attorneys involved were and how much they paid for the lists?

Friday, November 20, 2009

Friday Open Thread

Happy Friday! It's that time again, this one's all you.

Previous threads are available here.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sidebar: You're So Vain

I am so proud to be a member of the Clark County legal community today! We have come together FOR ONCE to decide on the applicability of numerous curse words. I applaud you for your spirit and sense of togetherness.

Today's post brought back some other misty water-colored mem'ries. Did you see that Mr. Agwara has a fancy vanity tag that says LIBOLAW? It made me remember when I was driving to work a couple of years ago and I heard the most ridiculous thing on the radio. Dara Goldsmith, former president of the CCBA and a member of State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors, had a vanity tag that said CANE, a reference to the University of Miami, and the DMV decided it was a drug reference. From that day forward, I took a much closer look at the vanity tags of my colleagues.

Because of LIBOLAW, I can no longer sit in silence with this obsession. Please tell me about the most ridiculous vanity tags you've seen. If they are legal, swell. Honestly, I don't care.

Since we've been so creative today, I also invite you to take this opportunity to create your dream vanity tag in the comments.

To get things started in the land of make-believe:
ELISDUM
LUSUX
FAIL
THISPOSTISDUM
ICOMEHEREFORGOSSIPNIHATESIDEBARSNEL
FIREEL
BOYDISNTASAWESOMEASMYLAWSCHOOL
IMAKEFUNOFHIMBUTIWISHIWASSTOKES
GOLIGHTLYPLEASEBLINK4THELOVEOFGOD
ELISHOT
IBETTHISWILLBEA3WEEKPOLL
MILEEISHOTNIDONTMEANCYRUS
IMISSTONSOFUN
ATMS4EVER
DPT23CURSED
CALLED
ELISANASSHAT

Your turn.

Mr. Nice Guy

We received a tip from someone who had a rather interesting encounter with Attorney Libo Agwara the other day. Here's how it went down (according to the tip):
[Agwara pulls up into a handicapped spot in front of the family courthouse and hangs his handicapped placard from the rear view window of his Bentley ... "healthy as a horse" is how his demeanor is described]

Citizen: [shouting] "You don't look handicapped!"

Agwara: "Well, you never know."

Citizen: "So if my mother, who does have a handicap plate and needs a spot like this shows up, she won't have the space because of you."

Agwara: "What is your name and who do you work for?"

Citizen: [replies]

Agwara: "Have you ever been sued?"

Citizen: "You're going to sue me? For what? Telling the truth?"

Agwara: "For talkin' shit!" [walks into the courthouse]
Class act, huh? We wonder why attorneys get such a bad rap. We're sure Agwara was just having a bad day ... he looks like such a cheerful guy on his billboards.

Our tipster also sent along some pictures:



Be sure to take a look at Agwara's website. You'd think someone who is "Ivy League-trained" would have better manners. We got a chuckle out of his profile, which reads (verbatim):
Before attending law school, Libo Agwara was a ???????? with a strong background in ?dadadadadadada. He is well known and respected throughout the west. Area Attorney view Libo Agwara as such a formidable opponent in the courtroom, People seek him when they or a friend or family member needs an attorney. Libo Agwara is regularly represent the legal interests of their members.
Um, [sic]? We'll let you guys fill in those blanks, mad-lib style. This is the first time Agwara has crossed our radar, but we'd love to hear any stories you have. He sounds like quite the character.

(Thanks Tipster!)

Monday, November 16, 2009

The First Domino Falls

According to the LVRJ, the Grand Marshal of March of the Morons, Dr. Mark Kabins, has decided to take a plea deal.

The plea agreement was filed under seal, but there is a hearing set on November 23rd for a pretrial conference on the matter. It appears we are about to find out just how weak/strong the government's case really is.

Jane Ann Morrison wonders if Kabins "friends" who "protected" him during his last court appearance are going to be shocked by his plea.

Somehow, we doubt it. To us, it seems like the "protection" was less about helping out a friend, and more about covering their own asses. But we just work here.

What do you guys think? Any guesses as to what Kabins will plea to? Think his "friends" will truly be "shocked" by this revelation? Think we'll get to see another parade featuring Vegas' P.I. elite?

No More 'Trick-In-A-Box'

Now that the "stripper-mobile" has done its job and made national headlines, Las Vegas attorney Jay Brown, who represents Little Darlings and Déjà Vu strip clubs (wonder if he's paid in $1 bills or lap dances), has told his clients to pull the plug. Here is Brown's statement, from the LV Sun:
My client has authorized me to make it clear that due to concerns of County Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Steve Sisolak, and because my client wants to be a good citizen, effective immediately that truck is offline.
What's with the County Commissioner name-dropping? We can't tell if Brown's clients are bowing to the commissioners or throwing them under the bus stripper-mobile.

Perhaps the most important question is: What the hell are they going to do with that truck!? We're guessing "offline" means that next month Mayor Goodman will be using it as his Popemobile.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday Open Thread

Happy Friday everyone, it's that time again!

Feel free to discuss whatever you want in this thread. Previous threads are available here.

"Private Citizen" Bob Lueck Gets "Judge" Teuton Removed

Unhappy with your current judge? Try filing a motion to have them removed from the bench.

Attorney Bob Lueck ("Divorce without bloodshed" ... nice) sought leave to file a petition on behalf of the State of Nevada for a writ of quo warranto removing Judge Robert Teuton from office. While The Supremes found that Lueck lacked standing, they agreed that the judge has overstayed his welcome and actually removed him from the bench.

Teuton was appointed by Governor Gibbons in August of 2008 to fill a spot left vacant in family court. Teuton’s written commission designated the first Monday in January 2011 as its expiration date (the date the particular seat Teuton occupied was up for reelection). However, according to Justice Cherry, the Nevada Constitution says otherwise:
The legitimacy of the extended commission depends on the meaning of “next general election,” as used in the Nevada Constitution provision noted above. Thus, in resolving this issue, we address whether “next general election” means the election most immediately following the appointment or, as has been asserted, the next general election in which the vacancy may be filled in strict compliance with all election deadlines. In view of the apparent intent behind the Nevada Constitution’s “next general election” language to allow Nevada citizens to elect a new district judge as soon as possible after an office becomes vacant and to correspondingly limit the Governor’s appointment powers, we conclude that judicial vacancy appointments expire on the first Monday in January after the first general election following that appointment, without exception. Here, then, with regard to the temporary appointment at issue, the appointment expired on the first Monday in January after the November 2008 general election.
That's right, the Court said "sayonara" to Mr. Teuton.

So, now that we have a vacant judicial seat in family court, we're guessing the Governor needs to appoint someone. Anyone think Gibbons has the stones to appoint Teuton again?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

We receive press releases every once in a while about plaintiff's firms and their huge jury verdicts. Very rarely, however, do we receive tips regarding defense victories.

Perhaps this is because headlines reading "Defense Attorney Rescues Client From $10 Million Frivolous Lawsuit" just aren't as exciting as "Plaintiff Gets $10 Million After Slipping On Banana Peel."

Defense attorneys are a bit like the soccer goalies of our profession. When they do their job well, they pretty much go unrecognized. However, when they screw up, everybody is quick to blame them.

Recently we received a tip regarding a big defense win, and we want to give a little credit to the other side of the bar. The case was Huff v. Corpus, here's what we were able to gather regarding the facts:
Plaintiff had four neck surgeries after a car accident caused by defendant, and claimed he was disabled as a result. Liability was admitted, so the dispute was about causation. Attorney Bob Vannah asked for a total of $9 million during closing - $5 million plus for the disabled husband; $2 million plus for his wife’s consortium claim.
$2 million for loss of consortium? Crikey! Was he a porn star?

So, what did Plaintiff end up with? Nada. Goose egg. Nil. Nuffin. $0.0 Million.

We offer a hardy congratulations to the defense team on the case, led by Thomas Winner over at Atkin Winner & Sherod. Vannah is no spring chicken, so good on ya for the victory, Tom.

Thanks, Tipster!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Sidebar: Boyd

In open threads and many other conversations, the comments turn into discussion about Boyd. A lot of the time, people are not very pleasant about Boyd.

I didn't go to Boyd. Many of my Delta Nu sisters did. I know many Boyd graduates and have seen them in action and think their performance seems to be the same as other lawyers. (Although perhaps the Boyd grads do not fall into the category of the most arrogant lawyers I've seen, so they are remiss there.)

I want to hear both sides. Law Students, this one is for you. What is good or bad about Boyd? Alums, what are your thoughts on Boyd? For the people who like to give Boyd a ton of crap in the comments, why? If it is a bad school, as you have previously alleged in the comments, what makes it that way?

I'd like to hear both sides of the story because it seems like there is nothing but hate in the comments most of the time. But I know some pretty happy and successful Boyd grads are out there. (Maybe they simply don't have the time to read the site...)

Do You Get Veterans Day Off?

Just a quick question today.

We're curious about whether local firms are "celebrating" Veterans Day by giving employees the day off (as much as billable-hour employees can get a "day off"). We've heard rumors that some local firms are not.

Please call these un-American firms out in the comments.

Monday, November 9, 2009

James 'Bucky' Buchanan Dead At 74

We have lost one of the greats.

James 'Bucky' Buchanan died Saturday evening. He was reportedly backing his Ferrari into a driveway when he suffered a heart attack and drove the car into a wall.

Bucky was widely known as one of the greatest defense attorneys in Las Vegas. In an April 2005 interview with the Review-Journal, asked why he came to Las Vegas nearly four decades ago, Buchanan said it was "mostly for the strippers." Asked why he went into criminal defense work, Buchanan replied: "A funny thing happened on the way to the church."

Our hearts go out to the Buchanan family. Funeral arrangements will be announced over the next couple of days.

Please use this thread only for condolences and Bucky stories, thanks.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Friday Open Thread

It's back, and well rested after its 3-day weekend.

You know the drill, feel free to discuss anything you'd like. Previous threads are available here.

Followup Roundup

Happy Friday! We have a little potpourri of followup stories for you today:

First, remember our friend Chuck? Well, it turns out Chuck is stupid.

Only two days after the LV Sun published their story regarding his fraudulent activities, Chuck fell for an undercover sting that caught him in the act of practicing law without a license. From the LV Sun:
Tuesday’s sting was conducted after the Nevada State Bar asked police to investigate Radosevich for allegedly passing himself off as a licensed lawyer. He has never been one in Nevada and he was disbarred in Colorado and Nebraska.

Two Metro detectives posing as a couple went to Radosevich and asked him for legal help. The detectives paid Radosevich $200 for the services they requested and then disclosed their true identities and cited him.
Attaboy Chuck! If at first you don't succeed ...

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Next, the LV Sun is reporting that our old friend Ed Miley was a member of the State Bar's disciplinary board at the time he choked his dog to death while beating his hot wife in front of their children and firing a handgun in his backyard.

The money quote regarding the matter came from attorney Jeffrey Albregts, chairman of the Southern Nevada board, who said:
I don’t intend to appoint him to anymore disciplinary panels, I don’t think that would be beneficial or fair to everyone involved in those processes.
Good call, Jeff. We've additionally learned that Ed was the "model attorney" chosen to give last year's Bridge The Gap presentation on criminal law. Don't suppose he covered DV or cruelty to animals, did he?

According to the LV Sun, Ed is scheduled to emerge from rehab at the end of the month, and his arraignment in Las Vegas Justice Court has been put off until December 1st.

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Finally, it looks like Judge Cadish may have some competition for that empty U.S. District Court seat. The LV Sun is reporting that Chief Deputy District Attorney Gloria Navarro is on that same "short list" to fill the seat.

Navarro currently works in the district attorney's civil division, and before that she was a deputy special public defender.

Perhaps most importantly, however, she is a she.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Sidebar: It's almost that time of year again...

Let's cut to the CHASE (sorry, I'm a Phillies fan). (No, I don't care if we are behind. I don't care if we lose. I didn't say phan simply because I don't need that level of harassment at this time of the morning.)

What is happening with bonuses this year? Is your firm giving them out like usual? Are they entirely performance-based? Entirely discretionary and, therefore, probably not likely? Available only if you can perform a select group of tasks, which includes capturing a live baby unicorn for your boss's tween daughter?

Is thinking about this topic making your stomach hurt? Are you going to write [more] hateful things [than usual] in the comments because I am the spawn of Satan and I should be thankful I have a job in this economy and I am the picture of greed?

As usual, we understand that you want to keep it anonymous, but if you are willing to be bold, please include some basics about your firm. Big firm, little firm, type of work, basis of bonus, etc. (If my firm gave bonuses on beautiful blonde hair and pet cuteness, I'd be a millionaire.)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Who Do You Believe?

By now you've heard about local attorney Raymond James Duensing, the man who was shot by police last week after fleeing on foot from a traffic stop. Here's what police say went down according to the LVRJ:
Police said the officer fired his weapon after Duensing was asked to get out of his Pontiac rental car because a record’s check indicated he had a warrant for his arrest. Police said Duensing then fled and was unsuccessfully Tased and shot after he reached toward his front right pocket for a .45-caliber handgun. Police also said Duensing reached for a large folding knife.
Apparently, not Everybody Loves Raymond. [Rimshot!] However, Ray (who goes by 'Jim') told a different story in his comment to a post published by the Independent Political Report. Here's how it really went down, According to Jim [ok, we'll stop]:
I was pulled over for driving straight through an intersection in a right turn only lane. I did signal for my lane changes to the left.

After exiting the vehicle at the officer’s request, I was standing with my back to the vehicle. The car’s open door was to my right. My hands were raised above my head. I was calmly speaking to the cop attempting to talk my way out of being taken to jail over an unpaid High Occupancy Vehicle ticket.

With my hands raised above my head, the cop shot me with a taser in the chest. As I have had heart problems since my premature birth, I believe a Taser to be a lethal weapon. Several people without heart conditions have been killed by this weapon.

When the taser began electrocuting me, instinct took over. I have been shocked by standard 120 volt electricity, which is what is used in your home. That was bad enough. Metro’s tasers contain “50,000 volts of pain compliance” according to one of the cops at the family law court who was operating the checkpoint.

Let me tell you, it is quite painful.

I immediately turned to my left and began moving away from the source of the electrocution. By the time I got to the back of the vehicle, I had reached up with both hands, grabbed the electrodes, and pulled them away from my chest. The juice then flowed through my arms - not my heart. As I lay here in my hospital bed, I firmly believe this instinct saved my life.

I continued running away from the taser. I heard the cop fire it again, but did not feel an additional shock.

I was running down the sidewalk with empty hands. I heard three pops from behind me. At first, I thought it was another taser shot. Then, I saw my left arm dangling.

I was taken down by a second officer - who was nearby conducting a separate unrelated traffic stop. He had me lying facedown on my broken arm. It was at this point that he found my licensed and registered pistol in my right cargo pants pocket and my Emerson folding knife in my right front pocket.

Let me reiterate. I am a firearms instructor at the world’s largest firearms training facility. I always carry a gun and at least one knife. I NEVER pulled either of these items out of my pockets.

The shooter was on my right side and from his perspective had to have been able to see that my right hand was indeed empty. The officer that I was running toward never reached for any weapon.
We've never been tased, but it seems like some super-human strength would be in order to reach down and pull out the probes. Then again, it does seem a bit excessive to start firing at a fleeing suspect after a routine traffic stop.

So, who do you guys believe? Is it counsel-hunting season for Metro, or did Jim do something that screamed Just Shoot Me? [last one, we promise] One thing's for sure, we could all benefit from reviewing Chris Rock's advice. (NSFW)

(Thanks, commenters!)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Taking The Bar Is For Suckers!

Question: How do you practice law in Clark County for over 10 years without being licensed?

Answer: Just make up a bar number.

Sounds too easy, but that is exactly what Charles Radosevich, Esq. did. According to the LV Sun, Chuck actually has a law degree and has the distinction of having been disbarred in both Colorado (in 1989) and Nebraska (in 1993). From the LV Sun:
He attracted the attention of the Nevada State Bar in 2000, when it got him to sign a court-approved agreement in which he promised not to handle divorces, bankruptcy petitions, immigration-related matters, personal injury cases or any other activity that could be viewed as practicing law.
So, he basically signed an agreement stating that he would not practice law without a license? That had to work, right? Wrong:
Authorities say Radosevich printed business cards and stationery referring to himself as an “attorney at law” specializing in “wills, trusts, estates” and “corporations.”

On legal documents, Radosevich sometimes listed below his name phony state bar identification numbers or numbers the bar had assigned to licensed lawyers. One of the numbers belonged to a deputy attorney general.
That's pretty brazen Chuck, but not as brazen as this:
Eventually, Radosevich set himself up in an office in the upscale Hughes Center, a haven for big-name law firms. Shortly thereafter he even boldly passed himself off as a lawyer in dealings with members of the district attorney’s office.

Those dealings were on behalf of Michelle Geris and her husband, who had hired Radosevich to help them negotiate with the district attorney’s bad check unit the payment of a $128,000 gambling debt that the couple incurred at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino in November 2006. The casino had asked the bad check unit to prosecute Geris.
After Chuck negotiated the debt down to $118, 000, Ms. Geris sent the money to Chuck to pay the DA. You can guess what happened next:
Geris thought her legal and financial obligations had been met, but on Aug. 29, more than two years later, she was arrested near her home in Glendale, Calif., on a warrant obtained by the bad check unit for failing to pay the entire gambling debt.
Surprise! The DA had no record of $59,000 in missing payments. So, why did it take the State Bar so long to catch up with this guy? They blame it on the paralegals:
Radosevich managed to stay outside the reach of the bar by working in the offices of licensed attorneys, Clark [counsel for the State Bar] said. Nevada, unlike some other states, requires no licensing of people who do paralegal work. When alleged misconduct occurs by people at a law office, the bar has authority to go after only the licensed lawyers in the firm, Clark said.
Chuck also once presented a pleading to a client with a district court "Filed" stamp and the forged signature of Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez in order to get the client's money.

On an interesting side note, Chuck is the brother-in-law of recently disbarred attorney Manuel Montelongo.

Check out the article, it's pretty amazing what Chuck was able to pull off by just assigning himself a bar number.