The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated four lawyers yesterday who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements. View the order or the full list of those suspended and reinstated online.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated to active or inactive status after being suspended for various administrative violations. They include 11 who had been suspended for CLE violations: one in 2023, two in 2022, two in 2021, three in 2020, two in 2018 and one in 2013; nine who had not paid the professional privilege tax: eight in 2023 and one in 2022; and 46 who had not paid the annual Board of Professional Responsibility fee: 30 in 2023, 10 in 2022, two in 2021 and four in 2019. See updated lists at the links above.

Knox County lawyer Keith Allen Pope was temporarily suspended from the practice of law today in Tennessee. The court took the action upon finding that Pope is substantially non-compliant with a Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and poses a threat of substantial harm to the public. Pope is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by Oct. 12. After that date, Pope shall not use any indicia of lawyer, legal assistant or law clerk nor maintain a presence wherein the practice of law is conducted. The court allowed the Board of Professional Responsibility to file exhibits in the case under seal. The court said the documents contained personal healthcare information, which is confidential and not public record.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Shelby County lawyer Brian Chadwick Rickman from the practice of law for five years, with two years to be served on active suspension and three years on probation. The court took the action based on six disciplinary complaints, including that Rickman failed to ensure the safekeeping of client funds, protect clients against misconduct by his supervising employer, and report supervisors’ misconduct to the court or the Board of Professional Responsibility. He also failed to comply with court orders directing the disbursement of client funds, comply with requests for information from the board and notify the court and opposing counsel of his suspension. Rickman agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.15, 3.4, 5.1, 8.1(b), 8.3 and 8.4(d) and (g).

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated two lawyers on Friday and one lawyer today who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements. View the Sept. 8 order and the Sept. 11 order to see two reinstated after meeting requirements for 2022, and the Sept. 8 order for one meeting requirements for 2021.

The Supreme Court of Tennessee temporarily suspended Joseph Houston Crabtree Jr., from the practice of law today finding that Crabtree failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning a complaint of misconduct. Section 12.3 of Supreme Court Rule 9 provides for the immediate temporary suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law in cases of an attorney’s failure to respond to a complaint of misconduct. Crabtree previously was suspended on Nov. 22, 2022, for a period of three years, with one year served on active suspension and the remaining two years on probation. That suspension remains in effect.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated two lawyers yesterday and one lawyer today who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements in 2022. View the Sept. 6 order, the Sept. 7 order or see the list of all those reinstated online.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated three lawyers on Friday and two lawyers today who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements in 2022. View the Sept. 1 order, the Sept. 5 order or see the list of all those reinstated online.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated three lawyers yesterday and three lawyers today who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements in 2022. View the Aug. 30 order, the Aug. 31 order or see the list of all those reinstated online.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 18 attorneys on Monday 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 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.