Knox County lawyer Roger David Hyman received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 28. The court found that Hyman violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2 and 1.4 when he failed to promptly communicate with opposing counsel his client’s desire to withdraw from a divorce settlement. The court found that Hyman also failed to take any other action to protect his client’s interests, causing his client potential injury. Hyman executed a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated the rules.

Davidson County lawyer Luvell Leigh Glanton received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 30. The court found that Glanton violated Rules of Professional Conduct 5.3 and 8.4(d) when he instructed his paralegal to appear in his stead at a case management conference. The paralegal did not disclose that he was not an attorney and was perceived by the Special Master and opposing counsel to be an attorney. The court also found that Glanton failed to supervise his paralegal and allowed the paralegal to hold himself out in an attorney’s capacity. The action was determined to be prejudicial to the administration of justice and required that the case management order later be vacated.

Hamilton County lawyer Zachery Steven Darnell received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 10. The court found that Darnell violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4 and 8.4(d) when he failed to timely notify the trial court, a custodian appointed to oversee his finances, and opposing counsel of the receipt of an asset subject to court injunction. The Supreme Court also found that Darnell should have asked the court’s permission to deposit the proceeds into his trust account. The Supreme Court released notice of the censure on April 29. A similar censure was imposed on Darnell’s colleague Daniel Olen Barham.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued a public censure for Williamson County lawyer Daniel Olen Barham on March 20. The court found that Barham violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4 and 8.4(d) when he failed to timely notify the trial court, a custodian appointed to oversee his finances, and opposing counsel of the receipt of an asset subject to court injunction. The Supreme Court also found that Barham should have asked the court’s permission to deposit the proceeds into his trust account. The Supreme Court released notice of the censure today. A similar censure also was imposed on Braham's colleague Zachery Steven Darnell.

Shelby County lawyer Marti Lee Kaufman received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 25. The court found that Kaufman violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 3.2 and 8.4 while handling two car accident cases and one civil fraud matter. In the first case, Kaufman delayed 17 months in filing a lawsuit against the driver of the other car involved in the accident and then failed to properly serve the defendant. In the second case, Kaufman took no action for 17 months, and then took no further action after filing a complaint. In the third matter, Kaufman was hired to represent a client in a civil fraud matter but failed to take action for 30 months. She ultimately refunded the client’s retainer.

Shelby County lawyer Curtis Douglas Johnson received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 24. The court found that Johnson knowingly failed to file fee disclosures required by the federal bankruptcy court, even after being instructed by the court to do so. The Supreme Court also found that Johnson failed to promptly notify his client that he had received and accepted a settlement offer in a wrongful eviction case, and later failed to notify his client that he had received the settlement funds. Johnson then distributed funds held in trust for a different client to the client before her settlement check was deposited and cleared. His actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4, 1.15(a) and (d) and 3.4(c).

The Tennessee Supreme Court on April 24 suspended 11 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; six 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 2025 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility on April 21 voted to withdraw Formal Opinion 2025-F-172, which was issued March 14 and addressed limited scope legal services provided by a private attorney. Formal Opinion 2025-F-171, also issued March 14 and still applicable, addresses the ethical propriety of a non-disparagement clause in a products liability case settlement agreement that makes the lawyers in Firm A parties to the settlement proposed by Firm B. See all past opinions from the board.

On April 9, the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected a motion from Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman to appeal a Board of Professional Responsibility decision to revoke his probation. On June 21, 2021, the Supreme Court suspended Freeman for three years, with 90 days to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. During the active suspension, complaints were lodged again him. After a hearing, the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that probation should be revoked, and Freeman be required to serve the remainder of the time on active suspension. It informed Freeman that he had 60 days to appeal the decision to the circuit or chancery court. The Supreme Court found that information to be incorrect. Under the rules, a hearing panel’s order on a petition to revoke probation is to be treated as a decree of the trial court. Thus, any appeal is to be made to the Supreme Court within 30 days. Freeman appealed 37 days after the hearing panel’s decision. The trial court, recognizing that it lacked jurisdiction, transferred the appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for timeliness but noted that Freeman could file a motion requesting entry of a corrected judgment, which, if granted, would begin a new 30-day time frame for appealing.

Dickson County lawyer Bridget Eileen Rose Metzger was reinstated to the practice of law on April 11, after being placed on inactive status more than five years ago on April 21, 2016. The Board of Professional Responsibility determined that Metzger met all requirements for reinstatement.