TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Oct 22, 2019

Shelby County lawyer William Allan Cohn was publicly censured today by the Supreme Court of Tennessee. On June 5, 2018, the Board of Professional Responsibility filed a Petition for Discipline alleging that Cohn accepted a non-refundable fee and cost deposit to handle an uncontested divorce. After completing the necessary pleadings, his client’s wife refused to sign the documents, and Cohn was terminated by his client. Cohn believed that the fee agreement entitled him to additional fees, and he used the cost deposit to cover the additional fees. No costs had been incurred during the course of the representation, and the cost deposit should have remained in Cohn’s IOLTA account until they were refunded to the client. A Hearing Panel found Cohn violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15(c) and 8.4(a).

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