The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Idaho lawyer Edward Kendall White on Nov. 12 after he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a complaint of misconduct. He is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and must cease representing existing clients by Dec. 12. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the Supreme Court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated South Carolina lawyer David Lee Mundy on Nov. 4. Mundy had been on inactive status since May 15, 2008. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that the reinstatement petition was satisfactory and that Mundy met the requirements of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, § 10.8(c).

Roane County lawyer Eric John Montierth received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Nov. 4. A client hired Montierth to file two types of immigration petitions for both her parents and her husband. The client signed a written fee agreement and paid a total of $6,500 in nonrefundable fees. Three months later, Montierth closed his immigration practice but did not notify his client. The court also found that Montierth did no work on behalf of the client, and failed to respond to a disciplinary complaint. The court determined that Montierth violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.16, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 8.1 and ordered him to make restitution in the amount of $6,500 to the client within 120 days.

The law license of Davidson County lawyer of Alex Fletcher Thompson was transferred to disability inactive status on Nov. 3. Thompson may not practice law while on inactive status. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court after showing that his disability has been removed. The court also issued an order allowing documents in the case to be filed under seal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 22 suspended 17 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee, 13 of whom also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. Of the lawyers suspended for fee and/or IOLTA violations this year, 11 have been reinstated to either active or inactive status in the last month. Access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

New Orleans lawyer Daryl Andre Gray was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Oct. 27. He had been suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 10, 2025, for six months, with two months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. Gray filed a petition for reinstatement on Aug. 29 and the Board of Professional Responsibility found it to be satisfactory. The court conditioned reinstatement on the engagement of a practice monitor for four months.

Roane County lawyer Dana C. Hansen Chavis received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 28. While Chavis was employed as a federal public defender with the Federal Defender Services of East Tennessee, she was assigned to appear pro hac vice to represent a death row defendant in a post-conviction appellate matter in Virginia. The court found that during the proceedings, Chavis failed to make reasonably diligent efforts to comply with a discovery request by an opposing party and negligently failed to disclose and produce material evidence responsive to a discovery request. Chavis agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging her conduct violated Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4(e) dealing with fairness to opposing party or counsel.

Davidson County lawyer James Broderick Johnson was reinstated to the practice of law on Oct. 22. He had been suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Sept. 19 for three months with 30 days to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The court conditioned reinstatement on completion of an additional six hours of continuing legal education on subjects related to client relations, the management of a law practice and/or Rules of Professional Conduct regarding the board’s disciplinary actions. Johnson filed a petition for reinstatement on Oct. 9. The Board of Professional Responsibility found it to be satisfactory.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 17 denied a motion for reconsideration and the Board of Professional Responsibility’s response in the case of Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman. On Oct. 9, the court revoked probation and suspended Freeman for three years, less 112 days previously served on suspension. In 2021, Freeman was suspended for three years, with three months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The court found that censures imposed on Jan. 10 and July 31 violated the terms of probation.

White County lawyer John Edward Hutson was reinstated to the active practice of law with conditions on Oct. 20. He had been suspended on Jan. 14 for two years, with six months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. Hutson filed a petition for reinstatement on Oct. 13. The Board of Professional Responsibility found it to be satisfactory. Reinstatement is conditioned on Hutson engaging a practice monitor during the first six months of the probationary period and meeting with the monitor monthly to review and assess his caseload, case management, timeliness of performing tasks, adequacy of communication with clients and accounting procedures.