The Supreme Court of Tennessee today suspended Cleveland attorney Kent Thomas Jones from the practice of law for 90 days pursuant to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 9, § 12.2. The court found that Jones sent threatening and/or derogatory emails to his client and opposing counsel in two separate matters, that he failed to properly maintain client funds in a trust account and failed to satisfy a lien obligation in a timely manner from which his client suffered actual harm. His actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.15, 4.4, 8.4(a) and 8.4(d).

Robert. L. Bakeris, a Florida licensed attorney, today received a Public Censure from the Supreme Court of Tennessee and was ordered to pay the costs and fees of the Board of Professional Responsibility. While appearing in a Tennessee matter pro hac vice, Bakeris failed to pay the required registration fees for a two (2) year period. Upon learning of the missed payments, Bakeris made full payment of the unpaid fees and asserted that it was an inadvertent oversight which was confirmed by his office manager in charge of making the payments.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 23 suspended 24 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 10 of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2024 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week dismissed a reinstatement petition filed by Shelby County lawyer Teshaun David Moore because the petition was not properly filed. The court noted that attorneys seeking reinstatement from a suspension in excess of one year must file their petitions with the Board of Professional Responsibility, not the court. The justices also point out that reinstatement petitions must be accompanied by a $2,000 advance cost deposit. Moore was suspended for six years on Dec. 11, 2020, with four years to be served on active suspension and the rest on probation subject to conditions.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated the law license of Hamilton County lawyer Jessica Mines Dumitru to active status on Feb. 16, but made the change effective as of Feb. 5. Dumitru was placed on inactive status more than five ago on Nov. 3, 2015.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed the decision of a Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel, which has recommended suspending the law license of Nashville attorney Brian Manookian. The court instead permanently disbarred Manookian. The court held that, after Manookian’s continuing, serious violations of multiple Rules of Professional Conduct, even after receiving several sanctions and suspensions, disbarment was the only appropriate action. Read the BPR press release on the disbarment.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday directed Wesley Shelman Spears to inform the court why discipline imposed in the state of Connecticut should not also be imposed in Tennessee. The court noted that Spears was suspended from the practice of law for two years by the Connecticut Superior Court in September 2023. That court found that Spears engaged in conduct that was prejudicial to the administration of justice and involved dishonesty or misrepresentation.

On Jan. 26, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Alex Fletcher Thompson from the practice of law for failure to comply with an order from the court issued on Nov. 28, 2023. Thompson subsequently filed a petition for dissolution of the suspension and requested a hearing to challenge the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program’s interpretation of the order’s requirements. The board recommended that the dissolution petition be rejected on the grounds that Thompson did not establish good cause for a hearing. The court disagreed, saying Thompson had provided sufficient cause and directed the BPR to conduct an immediate hearing.

Jackson attorney Angela Joy Hopson was permanently disbarred by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 9 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $35,234 to eight individuals as well as the costs of the disciplinary proceeding. The court took the action after Hopson was found to have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for misappropriating client money, failing to appear, misleading clients, failing to notify clients of the status of cases, failing to communicate with clients, failing to prosecute cases diligently, charging an unreasonable fee, failing to refund unearned fees, engaging in the unauthorized practice of law while suspended, and failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility. Hopson previously had been temporarily suspended for failing to respond to the board regarding an unrelated complaint. The court dissolved that suspension.

On Monday, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated the law licenses of two attorneys who had been on inactive status. Memphis lawyer and former federal judge Bernice Bouie Donald had been on inactive status since March 26, 2012. She was reinstated effective Jan. 26. Florida lawyer Tracey Robinson-Coffee had been on inactive status since April 23, 2013. She was reinstated effective Jan. 11.