Georgia lawyer Sarah Medley Smith was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 4. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Smith has been on inactive status since Dec. 17, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Smith’s petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.

Davidson County Lawyer Anne-Marie Moyes was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 5. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Moyes has been on inactive status since May 27, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Moyes petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Shelby County lawyer William Shea Forgety from the practice of law on Sept. 9 after finding that he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning one complaint of misconduct.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Shelby County lawyer Andrewnetta Melissa Boyd from the practice of law on Sept. 9 after finding that she failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning one complaint of misconduct. The court notes that this suspension is in addition to an administrative suspension, entered Aug. 20, 2024, for failure to complete continuing legal education obligations.

On Sept. 5, the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Mitchell Ray Miller, who now works in Williamson County, from the practice of law for two years with four months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation with conditions, including engaging a practice monitor and obtaining additional continuing legal education. The court found that in seven separate matters, Miller accepted payment for attorney fees but then either failed to perform the work for which he was retained, failed to appear at scheduled hearings, failed to reasonably communicate with clients or unreasonably delayed matters through a pattern of neglect, resulting in actual or potential harm to multiple clients. Additionally, Miller on repeated occasions failed to respond to BPR inquiries in a timely manner; however, he did ultimately refund all unearned attorney fees. Miller agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 8.1 and 8.4(d).

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Shelby County lawyer Archie Sanders III to the active practice of law on Sept. 3. He had been suspended on May 27 for one year with two months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation subject to conditions. The court noted that the reinstatement is conditioned on continuing compliance with the conditions set forth in the May order.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman on Sept. 3 after finding that Freeman failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about four complaints of misconduct. Freeman is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and he must cease representing existing clients by Oct. 3.

Georgia lawyer Stephen William Mooney was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Aug. 27. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Mooney has been on inactive status since May 11, 2018. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Mooney’s petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and he had met all requirements for reinstatement.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Aug. 29 suspended Rutherford County attorney Andre Chase Rabideau from the practice of law for seven years after a hearing panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) concluded that Rabideau failed to represent clients in a diligent manner, communicate with clients regarding the status of their case, inform clients of his administrative suspension and withdraw from representation. The court also found that Rabideau repeatedly made misrepresentations to clients concerning court dates and filings with the court; misrepresented the status of his license to a court; engaged in the unauthorized practice of law; accepted fees but failed to provide the professional services for which he had been retained; and abandoned representation of clients without notice to clients or permission of the court. These actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.15, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4, 5.5, 8.1(b), and 8.4(c), (d) and (g). The court imposed the following conditions on any reinstatement: completing a practice and professional enhancement program, completing any requirements imposed by the Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program and paying restitution payments to four former clients. After reinstatement, Rabideau also must engage a practice monitor for two years.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order on Aug. 27 referring Sevier County lawyer Aaron Michael Kimsey to the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) for whatever action it may deem warranted. The court took the action after Kimsey pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days, with all but 48 hours to be served on supervised probation.