Law firm adds district judge, practice
Judge David Wall, one of the most popular in Clark County District Court, will step down at the end of the month to join Mainor Eglet, the law firm that earlier this year won a $500 million verdict in the first case related to the valley's hepatitis outbreak.
In another blockbuster move, the law firm of Artemus W. Ham IV will merge with Mainor Eglet effective immediately.
"I've seen their work from the bench and respect their outstanding trial skills," Wall said in a statement. "I'm also anxious to work with new partner Artemus Ham IV, whose work I have admired from the bench for quite some time."
Attorney Robert Eglet described Wall as an "immense asset" for the firm.
Ham, a fourth-generation Nevadan and the third Artemus Ham to practice law in the state, said he looks forward to the merger.
Ham brings about 100 clients and 75 active cases to the firm.
Wall, who earned a reputation as a tough litigator first as a public defender in capital cases and then as a chief deputy district attorney, said the opportunity to join Mainor Eglet was too good to pass up.
"My decision wasn't based on a desire to leave the bench," he said. "I served the county for eight years. I had a tremendous staff throughout, but I wanted to get a new challenge and get back in the courtroom. I spent 15 years as a trial lawyer."
While Wall built his reputation in the criminal law arena -- he and District Attorney David Roger were the lead prosecutors in the first trial related to the death of casino boss Ted Binion in 1998 -- Eglet said the firm is not going to represent criminal defendants.
"I think a great trial lawyer is a great trial lawyer," he said. "And David is a great trial lawyer."
Lawyers who participated in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's biennial Judicial Evaluation Survey this year rated Wall at 91 percent, one of the highest retention scores among district judges at the Regional Justice Center.
Wall's current term doesn't expire until 2014.
The Nevada Supreme Court will take applications from attorneys interested in filling the position. In the meantime, senior judges will handle the cases assigned to Wall.
