Overton County lawyer Jonathan Lee Young has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Young represented a client in an emergency conservatorship petition. During the representation, Young signed another attorney’s name, “with permission,” to an order without authorization from said attorney and then presented said order to the presiding judge ex parte and obtained the judge’s signature. The order named an attorney ad litem to the conservatorship case, and Young, after obtaining the judge’s signature, failed to then file the pleading with the clerk of the court and failed to advise the guardian ad litem or the newly appointed attorney ad litem of the court order. In the same case, Young also filed pleadings with incomplete information and multiple documents with improper notarizations. Young executed a conditional guilty plea acknowledging that his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 3.3(a) and 3.5(b).

The Tennessee Supreme Court, in an order issued yesterday, directed the Board of Professional Responsibility to respond to a filing from Hamilton County lawyer Shaheen Iltaf Imami that reciprocal discipline should not be imposed, after the state of Michigan imposed a public reprimand with conditions on April 24. On June 7, Imami filed a response with the court relying on Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 9, § 25.4 to argue that identical discipline should not be imposed in Tennessee. The board is directed to file its response to that argument no later than Aug. 1.

Knox County lawyer Gary Lee Anderson has been suspended from the practice of law for five years, followed by a period of indefinite suspension until $1,370 in restitution is paid to a former client. The court also directed Anderson to meet all CLE requirements, pay all costs incurred in the disciplinary matter within 90 days, and remit all outstanding registration fees and professional privilege taxes. The court took the action after finding that Anderson failed to communicate with clients, act in a diligent manner, expedite clients’ litigation, obtain informed consent from a client, respond to requests for information from disciplinary counsel, delineate and/or specify limits on the scope of representation, and take reasonable steps to protect clients’ interest after terminating representation. He also was found to have charged an unreasonable fee and a non-refundable fee without the client’s written agreement, and accepted client referrals from a non-registered intermediary organization. These actions violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.8, 8.1(b) and 8.4 (a), (c), and (d).

Hamilton County lawyer Jennifer Yates Stickley was reinstated to the practice of law on June 28 after being on inactive status for more than five years. She was placed on inactive status on Jan. 31, 2006. The Board of Professional Responsibility determined that Stickley had satisfied all outstanding obligations to the Tennessee Continuing Legal Education Commission and her reinstatement petition was satisfactory.

Washington, D.C., lawyer Johnnie Daniel Bond Jr. has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that while he was administratively suspended for failure to pay his annual fee and report on IOLTA funds, Bond was engaged in the active practice of law, including filing pleadings, appearing in court and entering agreed orders. During the suspension, Bond also advertised that he had law offices in Memphis and Nashville. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 5.5 and 7.1.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 24 suspended 17 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 15 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. Ten lawyers suspended this year also have been reinstated. 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.

Hamilton County lawyer Kent Thomas Jones has been reinstated to the active practice of law. He had been suspended for 90 days on Feb. 26. Jones filed a petition for reinstatement on June 5. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that the petition was satisfactory but directed Jones to pay half of the costs of the disciplinary hearing within 30 days and the remaining amount within 60 days.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended Knox County lawyer Jonathan William Doolan from the practice of law for nine months, with one month to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation with conditions. According to the court’s order, Doolan must contract with the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and comply with any of its recommendations. The action was taken based on two complaints that Doolan failed to reasonably communicate with his clients, act in a diligent manner, expedite litigation, respond to discovery requests in a timely manner, properly withdraw from representation, work within the scope of his representation, take reasonable steps to protect the client’s interest after terminating representation, and comply with requests for information from disciplinary counsel. Doolan agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.1.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today conditioned reinstatement of Davidson County lawyer Wendy Sue O’Neill on her completion of continuing legal education requirements. O’Neill petitioned the court for reinstatement on June 20. The court indicated that if the requirements are not met by Aug. 12, then the reinstatement petition will be dismissed.

On June 24, Coffee County lawyer Judith-Anne Ross St. Clair was reinstated to the active practice of law with conditions. The Tennessee Supreme Court directed St. Clair to engage a practice monitor for one year, continue to comply with her current Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program (TLAP) monitoring agreement, attend the next two Camp TLAP events, continue to engage with her therapist for one year, and complete 15 hours of continuing legal education, including at least three hours of legal ethics, as long as she remains licensed. St. Clair was suspended in July 2018 with three years to be served on active suspension and six months to be served on probation.