TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Apr 28, 2026

The Tennessee Supreme Court on April 27 permanently disbarred Hamilton County lawyer Arthur C. Grisham Jr. from the practice of law. The court found that Grisham violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3 and 1.4 when he knowingly and repeatedly failed to respond to court orders, pleadings and discovery requests; failed to communicate with his client about the impact of these actions; and failed to inform his client of the resulting dismissal of his action. Further, Grisham knowingly filed an appeal without informing his client and obtaining authorization, and knowingly ignored court orders to correct deficient pleadings, which resulted in the dismissal of the appeal. The court modified the recommendation of the Board of Professional Responsibility's hearing panel to impose a 10 year suspension. It said that a comparative analysis of similar cases and a review of American Bar Association (ABA) standards justified permanent disbarment.