Davidson County lawyer Wendell Cornelius Dawson was suspended from the practice of law for three years on Jan. 26, with three months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The Tennessee Supreme Court conditioned the suspension on Dawson incurring no new complaints of misconduct related to the discipline, additional continuing legal education, engagement of a practice monitor and payment of costs in the amount of $6,265. The court found that Dawson failed to communicate with clients adequately about the status of their cases, move his clients’ cases forward diligently and expeditiously, respond to requests for evidence from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and represent his clients competently. These actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 3.2 and 8.4(a).

Davidson County lawyer Joseph Paul Weyant has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Weyant was hired to file a petition to probate a client’s late fiancé’s estate. At the time the fiancé died, the fiancé was a beneficiary of his mother’s estate, and it was anticipated that he would receive a distribution from that estate. Weyant filed the petition but then filed a motion to close the estate prior to a distribution. Weyant then terminated representation of the client. The client hired another attorney to reopen the late fiancé’s estate and paid that attorney $3,102. The court found that Weyant’s action violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4 and 8.4(d). The court also conditioned the censure on the payment of $3,102 in restitution to the client within 90 days.

Sullivan County lawyer Charles Brandon Sproles has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Sproles represented a grandmother in successfully seeking child support for the grandchild of whom she had legal custody. But he delayed more than eight months in entering an order setting the child support despite multiple requests from the client. In the intervening eight months, the grandmother received some of the owed child support by opening a case for child support with the local state child support office on her own. The court found Sproles’ actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 3.4 and 8.4(d). The court also conditioned the censure on Sproles paying the client restitution in the amount of $1,572 within 90 days.

Rutherford County lawyer Jerry Baxter Jackson III has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found, that in one case, Jackson failed to timely file an amended parenting plan as ordered by the court, take action to extend the deadline with the court and attend the court’s next scheduled hearing. In another client matter, Jackson failed to respond to a motion for summary judgment on behalf of his client and failed to explain the effect of the motion to the client. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 3.4 and 8.4(d).

Knox County lawyer Thomas Fleming Mabry has been disbarred by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that Mabry failed to properly notify the IRS in advance of a foreclosure, failed to timely notify clients of a suspension, engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, charged his client an unreasonable fee, failed to promptly refund unearned fees and prepaid expenses, failed to account for prepaid expenses, failed to promptly furnish a client file to new counsel, failed to promptly withdraw from representation, made material misrepresentations to his client, misappropriated third-party funds, and improperly held himself out as authorized to practice law in North Carolina. These actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 5.5(a) and 8.4(a), (b), (c) and (g). Read more in this release from the court.

The Supreme Court of Tennessee has suspended Shelby County attorney Robert Harris Golder from the practice of law for four years, with one year to be served as an active suspension pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 12.2, and the remainder to be served on probation. Complaints against Golder include allegations that he failed to communicate reasonably with his clients, failed to perform work necessary to the representation, failed to provide competent representation, disclosed confidential information during withdrawal, charged an unreasonable fee, failed to comply with multiple court orders and failed to expedite litigation. Golder executed a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4.

On Jan. 9, Henry County attorney Rebecca Carole Griffey received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Griffey filed an application for a chancellor position on May 29, 2019, with the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission. She knowingly failed to disclose information responsive to questions on the application. The court found that Griffey violated Rules of Professional Conduct 8.2(a)(3), 8.2(b) and 8.4(c) and (d).

Effective Jan. 18, the Supreme Court of Tennessee suspended Knox County lawyer Matthew David Barocas from the practice of law for one year, with three months to be served on active suspension and the remainder to be served on probation. The suspension is conditioned on Barocas incurring no new complaints of misconduct related to this suspension during the year, engagement of a practice monitor, completion of the Board of Professional Responsibility's Trust Account Workshop and additional continuing legal education hours, and payment of disciplinary costs. Barocas agreed to a conditional guilty plea, acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.5(e), 1.15(a), (d) and (e), 3.3(a), 3.4(b), 3.5(e) and 8.4(a)-(d) and (g).

Davidson County attorney James Daniel Marshall was issued an order of temporary suspension by the Tennessee Supreme Court after the court found that he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning a misconduct complaint.

Davidson County lawyer Dana L. Nero was censured on Jan. 8 for failing to notify a client that she had been suspended. The Tennessee Supreme Court says that Nero was temporarily suspended from the practice of law on Oct. 7, 2022, and while suspended represented a client in Davidson County Criminal Court. Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 28, requires that those suspended notify all clients of the suspension within 10 days of the order. The court also found that Nero failed to give the client any papers or other property they were entitled to receive. Her actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4(c) and 8.4(g).