On Sunday, June 7, 2026, This Is Reno reported that Lance White, an attorney and candidate for family court judge in Washoe County’s Second Judicial District Court, was found in contempt of court. He was ordered to pay a $500 fine and received a five-day jail sentence, which was suspended.
White is also facing disciplinary action from the Nevada State Bar due to six counts of alleged unprofessional conduct stemming from grievances filed by three separate clients. The state bar has requested a hearing before the Northern Nevada Disciplinary Board.
The contempt of court finding occurred on April 29, after White repeatedly failed to draft and submit divorce documents for a client, despite numerous reminders. He was supposed to appear at a March hearing regarding his noncompliance with court orders, but did not, according to District Court Judge Sandra Unsworth. When White eventually filed the required document, his client was listed as his own witness, the address was incomplete, and a notary’s seal was missing.
Judge Unsworth’s written statement detailed White’s failures, noting that he “failed to prepare and file the documents; he failed to file an affidavit explaining this failure to prepare the required documents; he failed to pay $300 to the Second Judicial District Court’s Benevolent Fund; and most egregiously, he failed to appear at the Order to Show Cause hearing scheduled for March 18, 2026.”
The judge also stated that White’s response to a subsequent order was to promise immediate submission of a response, which never materialized. The court further admonished White for his ongoing noncompliance with previous orders, including his failure to submit documents and appear at the March 18th hearing.
White reportedly failed to submit a divorce decree following an August settlement conference. The court noted his repeated failure to file paperwork since August, despite multiple reminders. He only filed the divorce decree in early May, after the contempt finding, and this action allowed him to avoid the five-day jail sentence.
White apologized to the court, attributing his failure to submit divorce paperwork for an August 2025 settlement to a “calendaring error” and claiming he was “previously unaware that the required documents remained outstanding.”
In addition to the court proceedings, three of White’s clients filed complaints with the Nevada State Bar, initiating an investigation. During this investigation, White also repeatedly failed to respond to the Bar, according to documents obtained by This Is Reno. The Bar sent a reminder letter via email after missing the initial deadline, and White responded that he would submit a response “straight away,” but no response was ever filed. The Bar attempted to obtain a response from White regarding three complaints, and he failed to respond eight times.
The complaints highlight White’s failure to communicate with clients. One client hired him in 2024 to file a court motion. White promised to file it, but then became unreachable for months via phone, email, or in person. The motion was not filed until much later. The Bar alleges this four-month delay caused the client harm. When White finally appeared in court with this client in 2025, he was described as “disheveled, aloof and unprepared.”
Another client hired White in 2024 for a debt collection case and also alleged months of being ignored. After several months, this client stated White failed to perform the promised work, ignored her, and did not return funds after she terminated his services.
A third client engaged White in early 2025 for a divorce, paying a flat fee. After providing divorce paperwork details in July 2025, this client alleged repeated instances of being ignored. White allegedly stated the documents would be ready “in a few days” but never delivered them. This client fired White in September, requesting her files and a refund. According to the bar, White never responded, provided the documents, or refunded the money. This client ultimately had to file the paperwork herself.
White faces six counts of professional misconduct, including failing to keep clients informed, not responding to the bar, and failing to surrender funds and documents to clients. He only provided statements to the Bar after formal disciplinary action was filed. In his January response to the Bar, White admitted to several rule violations, including four counts of misconduct, while denying other allegations.
This Is Reno could not confirm the current status of the Bar investigation, and White’s profile on the state bar website does not indicate any disciplinary actions taken against him to date.
In 2019, White was among three individuals recommended to replace Judge Frances Doherty, who had retired. Unsworth was appointed to the seat by then-Governor Steve Sisolak. White ran against Unsworth in 2020 but was unsuccessful. He is currently running against Alexander Morey, who was recently appointed to fill the seat vacated by disgraced Judge Bridget Robb.
Source: This Is Reno
