Clutching At Straws

  • Law

  • Wes Duncan says Craig Mueller’s suit against him is “beneath the [AG] office we are both seeking.” [RJ]
  • Several new decisions from the US Supreme Court today, including the same-sex wedding cake case. [SCOTUSblog]
  • President Trump claims he can pardon himself. What do you think? [Politico]
  • Remember how they were going to try and do away with the $40 annual CLE fee we pay? Have you wondered how that is working out? Well, Marshal Willick wrote a newsletter concluding that the new CLE fee structure stinks and needs to change. What do you think? Are CLE providers just passing the new fees back to the lawyers? Does the $25 fee you pay the Nevada CLE board (plus $5 per credit) discourage you from presenting CLEs or publishing articles for CLE credit? 
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 3:56 pm

I heard a rumor that there is another long list of attorneys who were CLE suspended this year, but haven't been able to find it yet.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 4:36 pm

Speaking of suspensions, there are 898 of 8962 (10.02%) members of the bar who are currently suspended:

https://www.nvbar.org/wp-content/uploads/18-0315-BAR-AnnualReport2017_fnl-1.pdf

What percentage of those are for actual discipline and what percentage are CLE?

FWIW, there was an increase of 96 suspended members from 2016 to 2017. That seems really high.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 7:00 pm

Willick makes reference to the fact that the CLE board was created in the 80s, but does anyone alive today actually know why we have a bar and a cle board? Seems redundant? Also, why even have cle–it's such a joke. If we're going to do it, at least just adopt the standard MCLE.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 7:37 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

The Bar makes money off its CLE programs. The CLE Board was created to regulate all CLE and the Bar couldn't oversee itself.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:00 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

12:00 PM–It was perceived that the State Bar provides CLE as it is the single largest producer and this would be a conflict to oversee others. However, the CLE Board has been mismanaged. I have heard they had a $600 or $700K surplus from the annual registration fees and the outrageous fees they collected from those who were non CLE compliant. The Nevada Supreme Court was not minding the store. It is just an example that the Courts don't do a good job running/managing things like the CLE Board. Personally, I think they should just bring back the registration fee and quit trying to pass it on to providers. The Supreme Court mandates CLE then requires a fee and further regulation. I am admitted in other states. I simply submit a form that I am in compliance in that state and that is the end of it. Sometimes there is an audit and I then submit proof. These fees and regulations are redundant. Besides that the CLE Board squandered our money on upgrades in their operations. I heard they have 7 employees. Are you kidding me? Seven (7) employees. The majority of lawyers live and practice down in Vegas but they are up in Reno and dominated by Northern Nevadan Attorneys. Why not give to to the State Bar? Can't be worse than what it is now.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:17 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I actually have no problem with the State Bar regulating CLEs, attorney admission, and attorney discipline. Those seem like eminently reasonable things for the State Bar to handle. Of course, why simply regulate an industry when you can use your regulatory authority to exploit the profession? Why should you limit yourself to facilitating educational credits when you can profit on providing the education? Those trips to Chicago aren't going to pay for themselves, not when the membership increases only incrementally!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:35 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I love Marshal with one L – He is a great guy – Very knowledgeable – Good sense of humor – but if you both have a hearing at the same time try to be first as he is very … thorough … haha I'm sure he will enjoy that reference if he ever is on this blog

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 2:50 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Since the SBN like all mandatory bars profits from compulsory CLE classes it offers, installing a credentialing/accrediting regime on its third-party CLE provider competition is at best a conflict of interest and at worst unfair competition and in potential breach of federal antitrust laws. See "North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission," 135 S. Ct. 1101 (2015) at https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/13-534

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 2:59 am
Reply to  Anonymous

There is no empirical proof that CLE makes lawyers more competent, more ethical or more professional. In truth it's just a money-making scam for the bar that also happens to serve the bar's self-serving public relations goals. Willick is totally right in declaring it "a time-and-money-consuming bureaucracy that falsely portrayed itself as providing a service important to the public, but which actually did not make lawyers better or provide the public any useful information, and so did no actual good."

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 7:10 pm

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Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 7:44 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

#doyouevenrecruitbro?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 8:20 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Today is a great day for a raised donut. #crumbraised

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 8:23 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

@12:10 here: No I do not usually/often recruit, and I am NOT recruiting here. I am only connecting interested attorneys with a firm partner.

It's part of doing everything possible to help my clients free up time to successfully market for the best clients in their practice areas.

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Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 9:48 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

"@aol.com"

LOLOLOLOLOL.

I'm more of an "@lycos.com" person myself.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:41 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

More of an Arpanet, Eudora, Pegasus emailer myself

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:45 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I can't believe you people are making fun of someone for the email they use.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 12:10 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Who you people?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 12:12 am
Reply to  Anonymous

4:45 I think they are just joking (I hope)

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 4:04 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

No, not joking. I have an @aol.com email address. In fact I have five of them since that was the maximum that you could have in 1997. Yes, 1997. In this day and age, people are not going to take your business seriously with an @aol.com when obtaining a domain is so easy and inexpensive.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 4:21 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

If you have an @aol.com email address, I automatically assume you are over 60.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 4:35 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

9:04,

Filthy casual. I bet you jumped on the AOL bandwagon when 3.0 came out, didn't you? AOL 2.0 4 lyfe!

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
June 5, 2018 4:42 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

No, I go way back to the origins when AOL was going to take down Netscape and be the new Microsoft. I still have the AOL modem squeal haunt my dreams.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
June 5, 2018 5:13 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

i kinda miss AOL. Not gonna lie. Instant messenger, screen names, user profile pages, chat rooms..it all brings back memories. Remember a/s/l? hahah

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
June 4, 2018 7:51 pm

For all of you who are intrigued/disgusted by the guardianship scandal, be sure to watch John Oliver's piece: https://youtu.be/nG2pEffLEJo

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 8:48 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Damn hippos.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 11:37 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

F**k hippos!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 12:40 am
Reply to  Anonymous

hahaha F hippos!!!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 12:44 am
Reply to  Anonymous

#notallfoxes

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 4:27 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

The No Tall Foxes segment was classic. LMAO.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 9:13 pm

According to above the law, first year lawyers in NY, DC, LA, and Texas now make a 190k base salary.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 9:33 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Just enough to cover the studio rent, ramen, and cocaine binges. Biglaw for the win!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 9:39 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

DC and Texas aren't nearly as bad as LA and NYC. Parts of Dallas and Houston are almost in the same ballpark as Vegas. Though I think Texas might still be at the lowly 180k starting salary level.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 4, 2018 10:04 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

And to live like a king in Texas.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 12:33 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Who cares? No Las Vegas firm is in the top-tier big law with those starting salaries.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 2:28 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Do any Vegas lawyers ever come from top-tier big law firms? Do the schools that feed to Vegas send students to top-tier big law firms?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 5, 2018 5:11 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

There are several lawyers in town that came from top-tier firms. The schools that feed to Vegas do not produce many traditional big lawyers, but there are still plenty of lawyers here who come from schools that do.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
June 5, 2018 10:45 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

My firm has several lawyers that moved to Vegas after working at huge firms in big markets like DC, Chicago and LA. Kirtland & Ellis, Skadden, etc.

Also, Boyd has been sending its top grads to big L.A. firms/offices like O'Melveny for a few years now.