Las Vegas lawyer Clarence Gamble has been suspended from practicing law for another 18 months and ordered to pay restitution to settle grievances involving his misuse of money belonging to clients.
The Nevada Supreme Court approved Gamble's conditional guilty plea in the case Tuesday.
The court order says more than 30 grievances were received against Gamble in 1999 and 2000. He was accused of "borrowing" from his trust account to meet operating expenses and overhead in his practice and, according to the court order, began accepting more work than he could handle in an attempt to generate income.
As a result, he was unable to properly handle the needs of all of his clients.
"During 1999 and 2000, matters apparently degenerated to the point that many clients, opposing counsel and third-party lienholders complained to the bar," according to the high court.
Gamble was suspended from practicing law in April 2000.
The final order requires he be suspended for a total of three years but begins that suspension from the April 2000 date. It requires he pay restitution to all involved and the costs of the disciplinary proceeding.
He cannot seek reinstatement until all restitution is paid and any reinstatement must be subject to a one-year probationary period. During that probation, he must work in a group setting with no access to bank accounts.
