The Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed the decision of a Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel, which has recommended suspending the law license of Nashville attorney Brian Manookian. The court instead permanently disbarred Manookian. The court held that, after Manookian’s continuing, serious violations of multiple Rules of Professional Conduct, even after receiving several sanctions and suspensions, disbarment was the only appropriate action. Read the BPR press release on the disbarment.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday directed Wesley Shelman Spears to inform the court why discipline imposed in the state of Connecticut should not also be imposed in Tennessee. The court noted that Spears was suspended from the practice of law for two years by the Connecticut Superior Court in September 2023. That court found that Spears engaged in conduct that was prejudicial to the administration of justice and involved dishonesty or misrepresentation.

On Jan. 26, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Alex Fletcher Thompson from the practice of law for failure to comply with an order from the court issued on Nov. 28, 2023. Thompson subsequently filed a petition for dissolution of the suspension and requested a hearing to challenge the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program’s interpretation of the order’s requirements. The board recommended that the dissolution petition be rejected on the grounds that Thompson did not establish good cause for a hearing. The court disagreed, saying Thompson had provided sufficient cause and directed the BPR to conduct an immediate hearing.

Jackson attorney Angela Joy Hopson was permanently disbarred by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 9 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $35,234 to eight individuals as well as the costs of the disciplinary proceeding. The court took the action after Hopson was found to have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for misappropriating client money, failing to appear, misleading clients, failing to notify clients of the status of cases, failing to communicate with clients, failing to prosecute cases diligently, charging an unreasonable fee, failing to refund unearned fees, engaging in the unauthorized practice of law while suspended, and failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility. Hopson previously had been temporarily suspended for failing to respond to the board regarding an unrelated complaint. The court dissolved that suspension.

On Monday, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated the law licenses of two attorneys who had been on inactive status. Memphis lawyer and former federal judge Bernice Bouie Donald had been on inactive status since March 26, 2012. She was reinstated effective Jan. 26. Florida lawyer Tracey Robinson-Coffee had been on inactive status since April 23, 2013. She was reinstated effective Jan. 11.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 30 issued an order referring Anderson County lawyer Matthew Allen Birdwell to the Board of Professional Responsibility for whatever action the board deems warranted. The court took the action after Birdwell pleaded guilty to possession of a handgun while under the influence, a Class A misdemeanor, in the Criminal/Circuit Court for Anderson County. He received judicial diversion.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today transferred the law licenses of three attorneys to disability inactive status. They are: Hamilton County lawyers Jeffrey D. Boehm and Carol Anne Mutter and Williamson County lawyer William Howard Knapp. The lawyers may petition the court to be reinstated upon showing that the disability has been removed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently suspended 27 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. 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.

Knox County lawyer Mark Steven Graham has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court noted that Graham’s law license is currently suspended yet he filed a pro se lawsuit and identified himself in the pleading as a “lawyer” and “member of the Bar of the State of Tennessee.” Graham also signed the pleading by using the term “Esq.” and included his Board of Professional Responsibility licensure number and a designation that he was filing pro se. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1, 3.4 and 8.4(g).

Davidson County lawyer Alex Fletcher Thompson was temporarily suspended from the practice of law on Jan. 26. The Tennessee Supreme Court took the action after finding that Thompson failed to comply with its order entered on Nov. 28, 2023. The court also granted a motion to file documents in the case under seal.