LV attorney admits to misconduct

Las Vegas attorney Philip Singer, who was temporarily suspended in November, resolved his disciplinary proceedings Thursday by agreeing to accept disbarment.

Singer, 42, filed a conditional guilty plea with the State Bar of Nevada in which he admitted to several acts of misconduct.

Under the agreement, which must be approved by the Nevada Supreme Court, Singer must wait three years from the date of his suspension to seek reinstatement of his law license. He also must pay at least $67,000 in restitution.

Singer obtained his Nevada law license in October 2001.

According to the Supreme Court's order of suspension, "Singer appears to have misappropriated funds from clients and third-party lienholders, accepted and cashed retainer checks without performing any services, and commingled client and personal funds."

In a petition seeking Singer's temporary suspension, the State Bar outlined "a pattern of failing to safekeep trust account monies and refusing to respond to the State Bar." The bar attributed Singer's lack of response to his "flippant attitude."

According to the petition, an audit of Singer's trust account revealed "that there were many settlements deposited in which the complete amount was not distributed."

Singer handled divorce, personal injury and criminal cases. He represented Nicolas Serrano-Villagrana, the drunken driver whose pickup plowed through a bus stop in 2004, killing a 4-year-old boy.

Serrano-Villagrana, an illegal immigrant, claimed someone else was driving the truck when the crash occurred on Eastern Avenue, near U.S. Highway 95. The defendant was convicted in 2005 and later received a prison sentence of 12 to 40 years.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.