Court lifts suspension of LV lawyer

Monday, Sept. 10, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has lifted the temporary suspension of Las Vegas lawyer Kenneth L. Hall, who was convicted of child abuse and neglect, a gross misdemeanor.

The court said the conviction did not involve a felony and the gross misdemeanor that Hall was convicted of does not qualify as a "serious crime," which would warrant temporary suspension.

The court sent the case back to the Southern Nevada Disciplinary Board of the State Bar to decide if Hall should be otherwise disciplined.

The disciplinary board had initially recommended the suspension on grounds Hall had sexual relations with a female client that he secretly videotaped in the presence of the woman's 3-year-old daughter.

Hall's lawyer, in court documents, said that neither an attorney-client relationship nor a secret videotaping were elements of the crime to which he pleaded guilty.

Hall maintains it was never established the woman was a client, that the acts were secretly taped and that the child had reached the age of 3.

After his guilty plea, Hall was placed on two years' probation, fined $2,000 and ordered to perform 16 hours of community service. He also waived his rights, allowing the state to conduct a search for pornographic evidence in his possession.