TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Dec 1, 2014

Knoxville lawyer Joseph Brent Nolan was suspended from the practice of law on Nov. 26 for two years, or indefinitely until restitution is completed. The Tennessee Supreme Court directed Nolan to pay restitution to three clients in the total amount of $69,599.54. The court took the action based on Nolan’s failure to supervise a non-lawyer employee, who was given control of his trust account and used funds from that account to pay law office expenses. As a result, a number of client settlements were delayed and some clients never received the funds to which they were entitled. In addition, the court found that Nolan failed to communicate adequately with clients; provide timely, accurate settlement statements; advise a client that he left private practice to become in-house counsel for a corporation; and properly withdraw from a case. While employed as in-house counsel, the court also found that Nolan improperly borrowed money from his employer/client. Download the BPR notice.