The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Steven Michael Hodgen from the practice of law on May 31 after finding that he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning a complaint of misconduct. Hodgen is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by June 30.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has rejected a request for a hearing on a motion to dissolve a temporary suspension. The court said that Knox County lawyer Mark Steven Graham had failed to establish “good cause” warranting a hearing. Graham was reinstated to the practice of law in January 2022 with the condition that he comply with a Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) monitoring agreement. In May 2022, the court temporarily suspend Graham for noncompliance with his agreement. Graham filed a petition to dissolve the suspension and seek a hearing on the motion arguing that the agreement “terminated by its own terms” with the court’s action in January 2022. The court rejected that argument saying it is “belied by the plain language” of its January 2022 order.

Virginia lawyer Atina Rizk Stavropoulos has been reinstated to active practice of law in Tennessee. The Tennessee Supreme Court notes that the Board of Professional Responsibility found the petition for reinstatement to be satisfactory. Stavropoulos was placed on inactive status more than five years ago on Sept. 13, 2013.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 21 suspended 23 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 11 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.

On May 20, the Tennessee Supreme Court decided not to impose reciprocal discipline on Reagan Michelle Taylor Fondren. It previously had directed Fondren to notify the court why it should not impose the same discipline as that imposed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. In addition to considering Fondren’s response, the court states that an independent investigation was undertaken by the Board of Professional Responsibility, which determined that reciprocal discipline was not appropriate in this circumstance. The court also approved a request to file documents in the case under seal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated Coffee County lawyer Matthew Lee Harris. The court had suspended Harris on April 17 for being substantially noncompliant with a Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program (TLAP) monitoring agreement and posing a risk of substantial harm to the public. Harris petitioned the court for dissolution of the suspension on May 16. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that Harris had remedied his noncompliance and sufficiently established his fitness to practice law. The court also approved a request to file documents in the case under seal.

New Mexico lawyer Samantha Alane Smith has been reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee. She had been placed on inactive status more than five years ago on June 7, 2016. Smith petitioned the court for reinstatement and the Board of Professional Responsibility found the petition to be satisfactory. She was reinstated effective April 29.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated Knox County lawyer Matthew David Barocas to the practice of law conditioned on his continued compliance with conditions imposed when the court suspended him on Jan. 18. Barocas was suspended for one year, with three months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. During the probationary period he must engage a practice monitor, complete the Board of Professional Responsibility's Trust Account Workshop as well as additional continuing legal education hours, and pay disciplinary costs. He also must not incur new complaints of misconduct related to the suspension. Barocas petitioned the court for reinstatement on April 17.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to defer consideration of a petition from the Board of Professional Responsibility recommending that Daniel Graham Boyd be suspended until after a hearing on Boyd’s request for judicial diversion. That hearing is set to take place May 30. Boyd relied on Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, section 22.7 in making his request. The court also approved a request to file documents in the case under seal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has directed the Board of Professional Responsibility to file a response in a case regarding whether the court should impose reciprocal discipline on Jason Russell Buckley. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court imposed a one-year active suspension on Buckley in September 2023. On April 8, the Tennessee court asked Buckley to file an answer as to why it should not also apply the same discipline in Tennessee. Buckley filed a response on May 6, arguing that identical discipline should not be imposed in Tennessee based on Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 9, § 25.4. The board is to provide a response to that argument no later than June 12.