Fourth Of July Weekend 2020

  • Law
  • Parent sues CCSD after daughter went missing for four days in 2018. [RJ]
  • Nevada defends church attendance cap in the 9th Circuit. [Las Vegas Sun]
  • The complex path to overhauling Nevada’s 34 occupational boards. [TNI]
  • The special legislative session is scheduled for July 8. [TNI]
  • Overall unemployment fell in June. [Las Vegas Sun]
  • Speaking of unemployment, how is the market looking for lawyers right now? Are your firms in a freeze, hiring, laying off? 
  • As we go into the holiday weekend, we wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July. Remember not to drive if you have been drinking and do your best not to spread COVID-19!
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 4:41 pm

I will do my best not to spread COVID-19 but no promises.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:08 pm

Off topic, but I have something to ask about more recent trends attorney advertising. I see a lot of claims, often by lawyers with no significant reputation within the legal community, who claim they were voted the best lawyer in this field or that field. This is a phenomenon of the last decade or so.

Years ago that would have attracted ethical scrutiny as it implies that some objective third party attorney rating service, of significant repute and venerability, have voted this attorney the best. It suggests that there has been a survey of judges, attorneys, and perhaps client input as well, to determine who the best attorneys are in given fields.

But what most of this now appears to involve is some publication(either paper publication or online) that often has little or nothing to do with the law, grants this "best of' designation to whoever is willing to spend the most to advertise with such publication, or the one who is simply willing to contribute the most money to such publication.

Saying someone has an AV Martindale Hubbell Rating is fine, as is indicating an attorney has specialization certification in an area where that is available.

But saying someone is the "best attorney" in their field in all of Clark County, simply because they essentially bought that title is quite disturbing.

There used to be far more accountability in this area, but with the plethora of on line advertising in recent years it is real difficult to regulate or to even ascertain what occurred. Apparently, the attorneys have sufficient coverage if they merely state in small print the name of the publication or on line enterprise that says they are the "best."

And if push comes to shove, the company could merely say they made these "best of" evaluations based on their own opinion, that money did not sway the decision, and it would then be difficult to prove otherwise.

So, there is simply seems no real way to protect the public from being misled when an attorney pays some publication or company to say the attorney is voted "the best."

Also notice that if you type in "Best(insert field of practice) Attorneys In Las Vegas, a lot of names pop up with 10 ratings. These are often attorneys who are considered abominable and dreadful by their colleagues and the judiciary, while attorneys who are truly great in the area may not be listed or receive only like a 6.5 rating.

The bad and mediocre attorneys who receive the maximum rating, and whose names pop up among the first few names, are simply more savvy and attuned as to how to have effective internet marketing, are willing to pay to be rated 10 and be one of the first names and photos to pop up when someone is searching for an attorney in that area of practice.

Here's a promise I make you(and I keep my promises). Type in "best(and then insert personal injury, criminal law, family law, probate, guardianship, commercial,bankruptcy or any area of law that comes to mind). I promise you will be incredulous at some of the names that pop up. These people with "10" ratings are far more likely to be marginal or worse than they are to be considered good or better.

If you do not see any marginal or poor quality lawyers appearing as one of the "best", simply let me know and your money will be cheerfully refunded(allow 6 to 8 weeks for the refund to be processed).

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 7:08 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

It's puffery. Golden rule: if the attorney appears on a billboard, you are hiring a puffer.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 8:53 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

My mother voted me the Best _____ Attorney in Las Vegas.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:11 pm

11:08. Way too long, but essentially correct.

I just typed in Best Family Lawyers In Las Vegas, and then Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Las Vegas.

Some of the people who popped up first, with high ratings, are not well regarded at all by their colleagues.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:20 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I was just invited to be listed on Who's Who and they do not know my correct gender. Those "superlawyes" are a joke.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:20 pm

11:08–it's not necessary to write War And Peace.

It can be summarized that the Bar projects that they are tough and effective at regulating attorney advertising to avoid it being misleading, but these are a couple areas they either can do nothing about or have not really tried.

There seems to be no accountability if someone pays a publication to give them "the best of" title. And as to attorneys who arrange to be rated like a 10, and be one of the first names to pop up when people search the internet for an attorney in a given field, nothing has been done, and perhaps nothing can effectively be done.

It's all so nuanced with too many moving parts, things which are difficult to establish, too much room for plausible deniability, etc.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:25 pm

Not 11:08 – damn dudes/dudettes, you really have to criticize the length of someone's post? – don't read it if it is too long for you – damn how about a little civility – maybe a little encouragement?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 8:55 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Exactly. About 3 months ago I posted something for the first time ever because the issue was compelling to me. My post was about half the length of 11:08 and I received a few snippy comments about the length of the post. Meanwhile nearly every day – look at the posts all this week – there are novels drafted here that never get slammed, Much of jackasses comment on this blog

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 3, 2020 2:03 am
Reply to  Anonymous

To each is own. Some lengthy ones I thoroughly enjoy. Generally speaking, the shorter the better, or "less is more."

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 6:33 pm

11:25 is right. This is a legitimate issue which requires some discussion and analysis. It cannot be effectively dealt with via a glib one liner or two.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 7:24 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

This is true but there are tons of posts on this board that are four times as long as they need to be. Clarity and concision people.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 8:57 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

11:24. Most people reading this blog are working – you tool. If a post is too long, don't read it. Many people post to get something off their chest.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 10:20 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Is my post too long? No, it's the readers who are wrong.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 3, 2020 1:29 am
Reply to  Anonymous

12:24 here. My problem isn't with long posts. It's with long posts that say what a short post could say. I am sure these are the people that give me 20 page oppositions with 4 actual pages of substance inside.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 3, 2020 7:01 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I very rarely go over 10 pages on any motion. It takes forever to parse it down that tight, but I figure it is worth it.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 4, 2020 4:11 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I'm sorry – I didn't have time to write something brief!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 9:09 pm

Procedural questions: Do judges receive notification that they have been preempted? Also, how long to do you have to do it?
Thanks!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 9:17 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Look at Supreme Court Rule 48.1

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 6, 2020 11:05 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Make sure you file a Peremptory Challenge, not Preemptory. Made that mistake once.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 2, 2020 9:56 pm

As to this topic being discussed, no one has suggested as to whether there can be any control over it. Is it simply buyer beware?

Let's say someone is a dreadful attorney but they pay some marginal and shoddy fly-by-night publication or group to say they are the best, they can then trumpet that they were voted the best personal injury, or family attorney, or criminal defense attorney, and nothing can be done?

Asking the public to be more discerning is unrealistic. When you speak to members of the public, they assume that if you are voted "the best" or "one of the best" that it is by some legal assessment organization or publication that seeks input form other attorneys, judges, etc.(kind of like a Martindale Hubbel situation).

If you canvass them, that's what the overwhelming majority of them think. So, should it really just be dismissed as puffery, and let the buyer beware type situation?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 3, 2020 1:16 pm

It's not the length of 11:08's post rather its the Cap'n obviousness of its subject matter. We all know this "Best Lawyer" stuff is bs…

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 3, 2020 4:47 pm

That Elite thingy that Nevada Business magazine does is the biggest joke.
Martindale-Hubbell became a joke years ago.
AVVO has always been a joke.
SuperLawyers seemed to be accurate until about five years ago when they opened their doors too much and I can no longer trust their list.
The only one that has maintained full integrity is Best Lawyers. It's sad that we professionals can't use an actual guide other than Best Lawyers to give a referral. And Best Lawyers is so tough to get into that it sucks that Super Lawyers no longer gives us an accurate Top 5%, so it's tough to make a good referral when we don't need a Top 1% or Top 2% in Best Lawyers and are looking more for a Top 5% or Top 10% to referral.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 5, 2020 6:18 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Super lawyer's website does not even work. Congratulations to you all who brag about it on Facebook. You are a superlawyer

Anonymous
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Anonymous
July 5, 2020 2:20 pm

The first link lead in makes it sound like the child went to school for 4 days but the page says they went missing for 4 days.