Bankruptcy by the Numbers

A helpful tipster sent us the link to a report put out by "722 Redemption Funding, Inc.," a company that does redemptions under Section 722 of the bankruptcy code. You know, Section 722? (We have no idea.)

Anyhoo ... the report, which listed attorneys by state and number of cases filed, included some interesting information about our local BK superstars. Let's not get too excited about that economic turnaround just yet, here are the top 5 bankruptcy attorneys in Nevada in terms of the number of Chapter 7 bankruptcies filed from January 2010 through March 2010:

1. Anthony Deluca (498 cases)
2. Frank Sorrentino (302 cases)
3. Lisa Garofalo (260 cases)
4. Randolph Goldberg (236 cases)
5. Christine Stokes (174 cases)

It looks like Deluca is having no trouble filling the tank of that Lamborghini, and old man Sorrentino still has it. And lookie there, Mr. Rule 11 came in at number 4 ... ethical violations be damned.

On a side note, are those numbers positively terrifying to anyone else?

(722 Redemption Report - Scroll down to page 108 for NV)

Reza Athari v. Deluca & Assoc.--Round 1 of the Billboard/Television tournament (ends 7/2 at 5 p.m.)

Reza Athari
Reza Athari is a fixture among the Las Vegas billboard/television law firms. His billboards advertising cheap DUI defense and immigration assistance are all over lower income neighborhoods in Las Vegas. Mr. Athari has such an established presence around town that you'd think he holds one of the lowest bar numbers in the Nevada Bar. But, it turns out Reza Athari is not actually barred in Nevada (NV Bar Attorney Search). Martindale.com reveals that Mr. Athari is barred instead in California and the Ninth Circuit (hey, why do you need state bar admission when you practice federal immigration law, anyway?).

In fact, Reza Athari may be the best-known Nevada attorney who's not licensed to practice law in the state. He has a very strong billboard presence and also has television ads (Spanish language ad available here). Combine that with the fact that Mr. Athari's business model is so successful that he has offices running in St. George and Salt Lake City, UT, as well as the office in Las Vegas. Not bad for a seemingly small immigration firm. All of which make the Athari firm a tough competitor in this round.

Deluca & Assoc.
Going up against Mr. Athari is a bankruptcy firm headed by a true television personality. Deluca & Associates CEO, Anthony Deluca, is a regular contributor to the local Fox News affiliate on debt and bankruptcy issues. (Video clips available on Deluca website here and on Google Video here). That kind of marketing prowess is damn impressive and painting yourself as a local authority on bankruptcy law can't hurt the firm's bottom line.

He also does a Legal Tips clip for Vegas tv:



All of which gives Mr. Deluca and his law firm a quiet and fairly dignified media presence. Okay, giving legal tips to the general public in a t-shirt may be a little over the top, but we think Mr. Deluca's media persona is so well put together that we're having a hard time making fun of him (compared to say an attorney advertising himself as "Top Gun").

Congratulations Bar Takers!

Congratulations to all of you who recently completed the Nevada bar!

So, how was it? We're sure some of our soon-to-be-graduating readers would appreciate a heads-up on the subjects tested. If you took it, let us know in the comments.

Also, we have extended the final day for submission of Shark Pimp questions through Sunday, as we know a lot of you catch up on your legal gossip over the weekend. Keep the questions coming!

Finally, don't forget to weigh in with your opinion on cram-down mortgage legislation in the ongoing comment discussion featuring attorney Anthony Deluca.

What Conflict?

Maybe it's just us, but we're not so sure about this recent ad featuring Las Vegas attorney Anthony Deluca. It seems to us that a bankruptcy attorney asking residents to contact their representatives and push for cram-down mortgages may be a little self-interested.

In reality, we are just jealous that we didn't choose bankruptcy as an area of practice. Well played, Tony.

UPDATE: Anthony Deluca responds in the comments.

(The Spot)