Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 | 10 p.m.
The Nevada Supreme Court on Friday suspended the license of Las Vegas lawyer Don Shreve Jr., accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a client.
According to court documents, Shreve represented Farmers Insurance Exchange from 2005-2009. Shreve settled cases in which Farmers was due to receive money, but he never forwarded the funds to the company.
In other cases, Shreve failed to file suit to collect refunds, or if he did bring a complaint in district court, he failed to follow up and the cases were dismissed. The company lost any potential money, according to one complaint.
Farmers filed a civil suit in district court in Las Vegas seeking to recover the funds and accused Shreve of malpractice. That suit is still unresolved.
In the meantime, the State Bar asked the Nevada Supreme Court to suspend Shreve’s license so he could not work with clients at his independent law firm until a disciplinary hearing could be held.
The Nevada Supreme Court, in its ruling, said Shreve “poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public” and precluded him from accepting any new cases and representing existing clients. It ordered all money derived from his law practice be deposited in a trust account; withdrawals can only be made with approval from the State Bar of Nevada.
The court sent the case to the Southern Nevada Disciplinary Board of the State Bar, which will examine the allegations and recommend a final penalty, which could include Shreve forfeiting his license to practice law..
The disciplinary board will hold a hearing, giving Shreve a chance to defend himself. It will then make a recommendation to the Supreme Court for appropriate punihment.
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