Legal

Counterfeit cop: How a local attorney spots fake Rolexes and knockoff Louis Vuittons

Attorney Chris Austin talks to a saleswoman at the MAGIC convention Tuesday, August 20, 2013.

Usually, when F. Christopher Austin walks the aisles of the city’s convention centers, he’s a man on a mission, looking for counterfeit property and preparing for the fireworks that typically erupt when his team confiscates goods. This week, however, Austin, an intellectual property attorney with Kolesar & Leatham, is at MAGIC Market Week, a massive fashion trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, to teach people about what’s at stake when their products are copied.

State bar association president courting votes for 2014 ballot question

Attorney Alan Lefebvre poses in the law offices of Kolesar & Leatham Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013.  Lefebvre is the new Nevada Bar Association president.

Alan Lefebvre, elected in July as the 2013-14 president of the State Bar of Nevada, has a lot of work on his plate — and not just in his role as a civil attorney with at Kolesar & Leatham in Las Vegas.

Is Las Vegas courthouse attire appropriate? You be the judge

A look at the various types of attire worn at the Region Justice Courts, downtown Las Vegas, Monday Aug. 19, 2013.

Pajamas, T-shirts, flip-flops: Welcome to the Clark County Regional Justice Center, where Las Vegas' anything-goes attitude is reflected in the defendants' choice of clothing. It can be baffling for judges when a defendant doesn’t seem to consider that when prison time is on the table, it might be a good time to dress up. As defense attorneys routinely advise their clients, wearing a professional set of clothes is a way to show respect for the court and make a favorable impression on a judge.

Judge rules against think tank in bid for access to teacher emails

Clark County District Judge Douglas Smith is shown in court Thursday, May 9, 2013.

A Clark County District judge ruled today that schoolteachers’ work email addresses are not considered a matter of public record. District Judge Douglas Smith ruled that the “requested email database is confidential.”

Retired Las Vegas lawyer to receive $1.1 million for work on Boulder City bypass condemnation cases

The state is paying a Las Vegas lawyer $1.1 million to handle condemnation cases involving the Boulder City bypass project.

Disciplinary panel urges sanctions for Judge Steven Jones

The state Judicial Disciplinary Commission has suggested sanctions be imposed on suspended Clark County District Judge Steven Jones for his challenge to a complaint he sat on cases his girlfriend-attorney was involved in ...

Lawsuit over unpaid overtime may become class action for UMC's hourly workforce


UMC, owned by Clark County, is the region's only public hospital.

University Medical Center faces the prospect of defending itself in a class-action lawsuit over allegations of unpaid overtime and other work-related issues potentially involving thousands of hourly employees.

Judge won't toss $70M jury award against Sands

Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen is shown during a courtroom break at the Regional Justice Center Thursday, April 4, 2013. Suen is suing the Las Vegas Sands saying he is owed millions of dollars in an agreement in which he helped Sands secure its gaming license in Macau a decade ago.

A Hong Kong businessman is one step closer to collecting a multimillion-dollar award from Las Vegas Sands Corp., the largest U.S. casino company.

Lawsuit alleges Apple shortchanges store workers

In this March 11, 2011, photo, Apple specialist Toni Perreira gives a customer instructions on how to use the iPad 2 at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York.

Apple is facing accusations of shortchanging thousands of employees who haven't been getting paid while being forced to wait in line to show they aren't trying to steal an iPhone, iPad or other merchandise from the company's bustling stores.

Las Vegas businessman charged with bilking investors now accused of tax evasion

A Las Vegas businessman accused of swindling investors out of millions to pay gambling debts was charged with tax evasion in a new indictment on Tuesday.

Disciplinary hearing for Clark County judge delayed 45 days

A disciplinary hearing for Clark County District Judge Steven Jones, accused of unethical conduct, will be delayed at least 45 days, the state Commission on Judicial Discipline said.

The rise of retail law

Half Price Lawyers owner and attorney Glenn Truitt sets up for First Friday outside their office on Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, July 5, 2013.

Lawyer Glenn Truitt stands downtown, passing out T-shirts and cigarette lighters to art fans and hipsters mulling about First Friday. The trinkets bear the name of Truitt’s law firm, Half Price Lawyers, and he is working to change the public’s perception about how a law office should represent clients.

Law firms to merge, giving 110-year-old Denver company presence in the region

Phoenix-based Lewis and Roca LLP, a Southwestern law firm with offices in Las Vegas, is merging with a smaller, 110-year-old firm based in Denver.

Glowsticks and gavels: EDC's Pasquale Rotella heads to court next week

Electric Daisy Carnival creator Pasquale Rotella at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

If convicted, the rave kingpin faces nearly 14 years in prison.

Goretorium’s legal troubles are latest example that celebrity ties don’t guarantee success in Las Vegas

Eli Roth gets into the Halloween spirit hosting a bash at Eli Roth's Goretorium on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.

A lawsuit filed against Goretorium's owners offers a glimpse into what may have prompted the bankruptcy filing.