Case Explained: Man who pretended to be attorney in Las Vegas pleads guilty – Legal Perspective

A North Las Vegas man admitted Wednesday that he practiced law without a license by using a real attorney’s bar number.

Jerrell Roberts, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony count of obtaining and using personal identifying information of Las Vegas civil attorney Jerrell Berrios.

Prosecutors have agreed not to oppose probation for Roberts. If he successfully completes probation and other requirements, he can withdraw his felony plea and plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of practicing law without a license instead.

He was arrested at the Regional Justice Center in August after police said he used Berrios’ bar number on filings and while appearing in court.

At the time of his arrest, Roberts worked for Clark County Juvenile Justice Services. He was put on leave and his current employment status is unclear. County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Roberts told police he made up Berrios’ bar number, even though he and Berrios shared a first name.

Defense attorney Michael Pariente said Roberts did the right thing by pleading guilty.

“He made a big mistake,” said Pariente. “He took accountability for what he did and he’s going to comply with the terms of his probation and he’ll get the opportunity to get a misdemeanor and put this whole chapter behind him.”

The lawyer said Roberts was trying to help his mother in probate court.

“As you can imagine, legal fees are extremely expensive in these types of cases,” he said. “He had the right intention but he went about it the wrong way.”

Roberts, who appeared in court at his plea hearing wearing a tie and dress shirt, declined comment.

Police described an elaborate ruse in Roberts’ arrest report.

Roberts had given a real attorney a business card that referred to him as “Jerrell D. Roberts, Esq., Attorney and Financial Consultant,” according to police.

He also invited his family, friends and coworkers to attend a ceremony for his swearing-in to the bar, which was conducted by Family Court Judge Sunny Bailey in 2024, police said.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Colleen Brown said Bailey had no idea Roberts was not authorized to practice law. A court spokesperson said the judge would “forgo commenting” because Roberts’ case was still pending.

The plea agreement seemed like a fair result after consultation with the victim, the prosecutor said.

Berrios did not respond to requests for comment.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.