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TBA Law Blog

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Coffee County Lawyer Suspended

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 20, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Coffee County lawyer Judith-Anne Ross St. Clair todaywas suspended from the practice of law by order of the Tennessee Supreme Court for three years, with six months to be served as an active suspension, and the remainder to be served on probation. A petition for discipline was filed against St. Clair concerning multiple complaints of misconduct. Prior to the final hearing, she entered into a conditional guilty plea admitting that on April 10, 2017, she was arrested for a schedule II drug violation in a drug free school zone. St. Clair entered a plea to amended lesser charges, received judicial diversion, and a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days. During the period of her arrest and subsequent drug treatment, she failed to communicate with her clients, failed to provide diligent legal services, and abandoned their cases. She has made restitution to two clients and has agreed to make restitution to a third client.

Shelby County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 19, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Shelby County attorney Shantell S. Suttle on Tuesday received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Suttle failed to timely file a client’s personal injury lawsuit and also failed to respond to requests for information from her client for three months in late 2016 and for six months in 2017. In another client matter, Suttle failed to timely pursue the closing of an estate after the initial filing opening the matter. Suttle took no action on the estate for more than a year, and failed to timely file an accounting. Suttle also failed to respond to requests for information from her client for eight months. The client paid Suttle a $2,300 fee for the estate matter.

Franklin County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 19, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Franklin County lawyer Joseph Scott Bean Jr. today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. During the duration of his four-year disciplinary suspension, Bean has maintained a trust account and used it as his personal checking account.  Although there was no evidence that client funds were involved, Bean’s conduct was improper and violated Rule 1.15 regarding trust accounts.

Mississippi Lawyer Suspended

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 18, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Tthe Supreme Court of Tennessee today temporarily suspended Candace Lenette Williamson of Southaven, Mississippi, from the practice of law upon finding that she failed to respond to the board regarding a complaint of misconduct. Section 12.3 of Supreme Court Rule 9 provides for the immediate summary suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law in cases of an attorney’s failure to respond to the board regarding a complaint of misconduct. Williamson is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and she must cease representing existing clients by Aug. 17.

Shelby County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 17, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Shelby County lawyer LaTrena Davis Ingram today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. In the representation of a client pursuing a medical malpractice claim, Ingram failed to comply with Tennessee’s statutory pre-suit requirements, which led to the dismissal of the lawsuit. On appeal, Ingram failed to file a transcript or statement of the evidence as required by the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, which resulted in the dismissal of the appeal and the assessment of court costs against her client.

Knox County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 17, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Knox County lawyer Brennan Patrick Lenihan today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. In three separate cases, Lenihan engaged in a pattern of neglecting client matters. In the first case, Lenihan ignored his client’s attempts to obtain information about his case as well as requests from the Board’s Consumer Assistance Program during this time period. In the second case, Lenihan allowed deadlines that were important to his clients to pass, he did not provide them with draft pleadings as they requested, and he did not reply to a number of their text messages inquiring as to the status of the matter. In the third case, he did not complete his client’s amendment to a custody order, he ignored her numerous attempts to communicate with him, including her request for her file and a refund of fees paid, and he ignored inquiries from the Board’s Consumer Assistance Program. In addition, Lenihan failed to respond timely to a disciplinary complaint.

Carter County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 17, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Carter County lawyer Dennis Dwayne Brooks on Friday received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. Brooks entered into an agreement to publish a book about the convictions of three people for murder, after he was successful in getting murder convictions as the lead prosecutor in the matters.  Brooks’ book was published prior to the conclusions of the appeals of two of the convictions. After Brooks’ book was published, one of the defendants filed a motion for a new trial and a writ of error coram nobis alleging that the book contained evidence that had not been provided to the defense. The appeals of two of the convictions were stayed for 18 months pending a hearing on these matters.

Sumner County Lawyer Disbarred

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 13, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
The Supreme Court of Tennessee today disbarred Andy Lamar Allman from the practice of law and ordered restitution in the amount of $322,898.85, and costs of the disciplinary proceeding be paid. This is the second order disbarring Allman and is based upon a petition for discipline involving 46 separate disciplinary complaints filed against him, an un-filed supplemental petition for discipline containing nine complaints and two disciplinary complaints under investigation. Allman knowingly and intentionally misappropriated client funds received in the settlement of litigation claims and life insurance proceeds held in trust for a minor child, knowingly, intentionally and systematically misappropriated unearned retainer fees and converted the funds to his personal or business use, failed to provide the substantive professional services for which he was retained, and misled clients regarding the status of their cases and the filing of pleadings. Allman failed to notify his clients of his temporary suspension, engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, and failed to respond to the board regarding a disciplinary complaint.  

Davidson County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 12, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
James D. R. Roberts Jr. received a public censure today from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. During a period of suspension from the practice of law, Roberts worked for the mailing service used by his law firm. While working for the mailing service, Roberts utilized his law firm email address to communicate with a client and to provide him with copies of letters being sent from his law firm through the mailing service. Roberts’ conduct constituted the unauthorized practice of law.

Hamblen County Attorney Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jul 12, 2018
News Type: BPR Actions
Alan C. Lee received a public censure on Monday from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Lee issued two checks from his trust account to two clients for settlement funds to those clients. At the end of the month, he mistakenly believed the two checks had been cashed by the clients, so he took the remaining funds on those matters as a fee. The two clients later cashed the checks, and the checks were covered by other funds in the account. Lee discovered the error, but did not replace the funds in his trust account which had been inadvertently taken as a fee for almost two months.
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