TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 22, 2021

The Tennessee Supreme Court held for the first time today that lawyers who make unethical statements may receive harsher discipline if they choose to post those statements publicly on social media. In the case In Re: Winston Bradshaw Sitton, BPR#018440, the court found that Nashville attorney Winston B. Sitton posted comments on Facebook with instructions on how to shoot someone and make it look like self-defense. The comments were made in response to a question about state firearms law. The Board of Professional Responsibility recommended that Sitton’s law license be suspended for 60 days. The court rejected that recommendation saying it was too lenient. It instead imposed a suspension of four years, with one year to be served on active suspension and the rest on probation. Justice Sharon Lee filed a separate opinion saying she agreed with the sanction but did not believe the court had authority to review the hearing panel’s record. Read more about the court's action or download the BPR release.