Singelton remembered as prominent pioneer attorney

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 10:26 a.m.

When Bill Singleton first came to Las Vegas it was to learn how to do battle -- not in the courtroom or other legal realms for which he gained respect as a premier attorney, but to better serve his country.

Singleton, a chief warrant officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II, was assigned to the gunnery school that became Nellis Air Force Base.

So impressed was he with the small but growing community, Singleton returned to Las Vegas after his military service and college days to practice law here. His career would span five decades and he would earn the trust of a Who's Who list of clients and the admiration of community leaders who got their start working for his firm.

William Singleton, who in 1962 co-founded the Las Vegas law firm that today is known as Beckley, Singleton, Jemison, Cobeaga & List en route to becoming a noted gaming and corporate lawyer, died Monday at his Las Vegas home. He was 77.

His family said the cause of death was heart failure following a lengthy illness.

Services for the Las Vegas resident of 45 years will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Palm Mortuary Chapel downtown. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

"My father's clients trusted him for his integrity and honesty," Peter Singleton, a rehabilitation supervisor for the state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, said. "They knew they could rely on him when the deal was going down.

"Also, he took pride in giving a great many young, local attorneys their start."

Among them were U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Nevada Gov. Bob Miller.

"Bill was extremely hard working, dedicated and ethical," Reid said. "He taught me to work hard, be ethical and always return my phone calls. I've tried to follow that example in every job I've had since then."

Miller said: "He was a great legal mind -- one of Nevada's most distinguished attorneys and a great gentleman as well."

Singleton's clients included billionaire hotelier Kirk Kerkorian, the Las Vegas SUN, gasoline chain store owner Jerry Herbst and longtime gaming figure Jackie Gaughan.

"He was always on his toes and did a great job," Gaughan, owner of the downtown Plaza and El Cortez hotel-casinos, said. "And he was such a nice fellow."

Gaughan visited an ailing Singleton a month ago. Even though he was having trouble breathing, Singleton remained optimistic, telling his friend he hoped he soon would be back on the job representing him and other clients.

"(Late SUN Publisher) Hank (Greenspun) and I felt warmly toward Bill," SUN Publisher Barbara Greenspun said. "He represented the SUN really well in the 1960s as our corporate attorney. It was at a time when we had a lot of work for him."

From 1970-74, Singleton took a break from the legal industry to serve as an executive for Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer Inc. He joined the studio as an assistant to the president and in 1972 became vice president for corporate development.

In that capacity, Singleton was responsible for corporate acquisitions and development of new business ventures. He was instrumental in the company's diversification efforts that led to the construction of the original MGM hotel-casino, now Bally's, on the Strip.

Singleton also was credited with developing the studio's interests in the areas of cable television, paid and closed-circuit TV and what was then known as "audio-visual cassettes" but now are simply called videos.

Born July 23, 1920, in Catron, Mo., Singleton graduated from Elgin (Ill.) High School. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California and earned a law degree at Stetson University in Florida where he was captain of the debate team that went on an international tour.

Singleton came to Las Vegas in 1953 and was partners with David Goldwater until 1962.

The debating skills Singleton developed in college carried over to the Las Vegas courtroom. He was lead attorney for Bonanza Airlines in a litigation that lasted seven years following a crash of one of its planes in the early 1960s.

Over the years his law firm was known by several names as partners changed. At one time, it was called Singleton, Beckley, Delanoy, Jemison & Reid. During his absence it was called Beckley, Delanoy & Jemison Chartered.

While working as a Hollywood studio executive, Singleton maintained homes in Las Vegas and Southern California and commuted between the two locations.

In the mid-1970s, Singleton returned to the law firm he helped found and was a senior partner until his death.

Singleton was past president of the Nevada and Clark County Bar associations and insurance committee chairman for the American Bar Association.

He was a member of the board of directors of Western Airlines and a member of the Mystic Krewe, Century Club, Thomas Law Club and Phi Delta Phi.

In addition to his son, Singleton is survived by his wife, Robin Singleton of Las Vegas; another son, Matthew Singleton of Huntington Beach, Calif.; a brother, Arnold Singleton of Long Beach, Calif.; five grandchildren; and one great grandchild. He was preceded in death by a son, William C. Singleton.

DONATIONS: In Singleton's memory to the UNLV Foundation, specifically to the new law school library.