Thomas Duncan Beatty III

Thomas D. Beatty, a respected member of the Nevada State Bar, passed away on April 27, 2020. He was born on May 15, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan, of parents Thomas D. Beatty and Helena DeBoer Beatty. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Francis Sharpe. Because his family moved frequently, Tom attended 24 schools before graduating from high school in Ogden, Utah. He moved to Las Vegas in 1959 to attend Nevada Southern University, now UNLV, but because NSU was not a degree-granting institution at the time, he attended and graduated from UNR and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in June 1963. He attended law school at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and upon graduation married his wife of 53 years, Sharon (Stiles) Beatty. Tom was accepted for a clerkship with then-Justice Jon Collins of the Nevada Supreme Court, but his patriotic duty to begin his required military service with the United States Army precluded his ability to accept the position. He received an Honorable Discharge in 1969. He and his wife settled in Las Vegas, where he began his legal career, which included private practice with the Foley Brothers; development of a bar review course for new law school graduates; service as a deputy and later Assistant Public Defender in the Public Defender's Office; service as the Assistant District Attorney; and work in his own law practice. Tom served as Chairman of the Commission on Equal Rights of Citizens from 1971-1973, appointed by then-Governor Michael O'Callaghan. He reported to the Governor regarding the DOJ's work to combat then-existing racial discrimination. In 1974, Tom was commissioned by the Governor to write a book analyzing Nevada criminal law, comparing Nevada law, rules, and practices with the A.B.A. Standards of Criminal Justice. Tom served as a mentor to new attorneys and as a lecturer-trainer to innumerable local, regional, and national organizations. He was a Fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a Master Emeritus with the Howard D. McKibben Chapter of the American Inn of Court. He served on the Nevada Board of Bar Examiners from 1976 to 1992; the Nevada State Bar Functional Equivalency Committee from 1993 to 2020; the Ninth Circuit Advisory Board from 2005-2009; the Clark County Law Library Board of Trustees from 1982 to the present; as well as numerous standing committees, task forces, commissions and advisory panels. He was an unsuccessful candidate for District Attorney in 1986, and he served on the Board of Trustees of the University United Methodist Church in 1995. Tom loved hiking in the mountains, diagramless crossword puzzles, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team, and sharing life events with family and friends. He believed in the nobility of the law and was passionate about defending justice.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sharon Stiles Beatty; his daughters Tamara Beatty Peterson (Christopher) and Jennifer Brinton (Robert); grandson Corbin and granddaughters Scarlett, Temperance, and Annalise; his sister, Sharon Edwards; and nieces and nephews.

Burial is private. A Celebration of Life will occur at a later date. Donations may be made to the Clark County Law Library, KNPR or another organization of choice.