Sevier County lawyer Andrew Nicholas Wilson received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The court found that he failed to deposit unearned fees into a client trust account and failed to keep his client adequately informed as to the amount of fees billed during the course of the representation. His actions violated Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4, 1.5(f) and 1.15.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued a supplemental suspension order yesterday for four attorneys who failed to complete required CLE hours for the 2018 compliance year. They are John Poole, Hermitage; William Moore Haywood, Lewisburg; Vivian Lee Crandall, Oak Ridge; and Trippe Steven Fried, New York. Download the order or see the full list of attorneys suspended for non-compliance in 2018.

Nashville lawyer Jason Daniel Holleman was censured yesterday by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court took the action after determining that Holleman placed a concealed tracking device on the vehicle of an ex-girlfriend and traced her whereabouts without her consent for six months. The court noted that Holleman’s actions were prohibited by law and violated Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(a), (b), and (c).

Stewart County lawyer Erin Danielle Bryson was censured yesterday by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Bryson, an assistant district attorney in Stewart County, was found to have violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.3(h), 3.8(d) and 8.4(d). At a court hearing, an investigator for the district attorney told Bryson he had samples of the evidence at issue “in my car.” On direct and cross examination, however, he said the evidence was in the sheriff’s office. After the hearing, Bryson checked with the sheriff’s office and found that the evidence was not there. The investigator later prepared an amended report explaining his incorrect testimony. However, Bryson did not inform opposing counsel of the false testimony for six months and did not inform the court at any time.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today censured Shelby County attorney Addie Marie Burks. Burks was found to have violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.3, 1.1 and 8.4(d). Burks was hired to represent a client in defense of a civil collection matter. After the plaintiff filed a motion for default, Burks filed a Notice of Appearance with a certificate of service indicating it was mailed to opposing counsel on that date, but it was not mailed until a few days later. Burks did not appear at the hearing on the motion for default and the motion was granted. She then filed a motion to set aside the default, but this motion was never served on opposing counsel and was eventually struck by the court. Burks did not appear at the hearing on the final judgment, and a final judgment was entered against her client for $40,000.

The Tennessee Supreme Court censured two Knox County lawyers yesterday. The Board of Professional Responsibility filed a petition for discipline against Margaret Beebe Held after she had a conflict of interest between her client and her client’s expert witness. Held self-reported the incident and made a good faith effort to mitigate adverse consequences. She was ordered to pay the costs of the disciplinary proceeding and restitution to her client. Lisa Collins Werner also received a public censure. While representing a father in a custody dispute, Werner met privately with a minor outside of the presence of a guardian ad litem. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

The Tennessee Supreme Court censured three lawyers today. The court found that Fayette County lawyer Angela Lashanda Jenkins-Hines notarized a document, but did not witness the signature nor did she have personal knowledge of the individual or her signature. The court found that Rutherford County lawyer Stephen Walker Pate engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a client, risking his independent professional judgment and attorney-client privilege. The court found that Nashville lawyer John Terence Tennyson failed to comply with the conditions of a prior censure requiring him to reimburse funds to a former client. While he did ultimately reimburse the funds, he was 100 days delinquent in doing so.

Davidson County lawyer Janet L. Layman received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 31. The court took the action after finding that Layman retained funds belonging to her former law partner for over a year after they dissolved their partnership. The court also found that she deposited some of the funds into her operating account or transferred the funds to herself. The former partners filed civil lawsuits against each other. Layman eventually turned over all funds due to her former partner but the court determined that her actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.15, and 1.16.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Matthew Ledvina of Zurich, Switzerland, from the practice of law on March 11 after he entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Ledvina pled guilty to the serious crime of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in violation of Title 15, United States Code, Section 78j(b) and Title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 240.10b-5. The court referred the matter to the Board of Professional Responsibility to determine the extent of final discipline to be imposed.

Carroll County lawyer Benjamin Dempsey agreed to a conditional guilty plea offered by the Board of Professional Responsibility to settle a disciplinary complaint against him in January. After the board presented the plea agreement to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the court expressed concern that the recommended punishment was too lenient in light of the nature of the misconduct. On March 27, the court rejected the plea and referred the matter back to the board for further proceedings.