Giles County lawyer Richard Hannah Dunavant was reinstated to the active practice of law on Oct. 26 after being on disability inactive status since Jan. 21, 2016. He filed a petition on Sept. 28 demonstrating that the disability had been removed. The Tennessee Supreme Court removed the disability status and Dunavant is immediately eligible to resume the active practice of law in Tennessee.

Shelby County lawyer Stephen R. Yoder was reinstated to the active practice of law yesterday after being on inactive status since Aug. 18, 2015. The Tennessee Supreme Court accepted the Board of Professional Responsibility’s recommendation that reinstatement was satisfactory and Yoder had met the requirements of the rules. He was reinstated retroactively to Oct. 31.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently directed Alabama lawyer Larry Wayne Brantley to inform the court within 30 days why the imposition of reciprocal discipline would be unwarranted. Brantley entered into an agreement to resolve disciplinary action brought against him by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding his representation of private clients while employed as a federal employee. The USPTO issued a public reprimand and subjected Brantley to a 36-rnonth probationary period.

Shelby County lawyer Monica Aislynn Timmerman was reinstated to the practice of law yesterday. The Tennessee Supreme Court took the action after a panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that Timmerman was in compliance with her Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program Monitoring Agreement. Timmerman was suspended in September for not complying with the agreement and posing a threat of substantial harm to the public.

Davidson County lawyer Robert Redman Laser III was suspended from the practice of law today by the Tennessee Supreme Court after the court found that he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a misconduct complaint. He is precluded from accepting any new cases, and must cease representing existing clients by Dec. 1.

The law license of South Carolina lawyer Keith Lane Edmiston was reinstated to the active practice of law today. Edmiston had been placed on disability inactive status on Dec. 15, 2017. He filed for reinstatement on Feb. 7, demonstrating the disability had been removed. The Tennessee Supreme Court removed the disability status in April but maintained the inactive status until all disciplinary complaints were resolved.

Putnam County lawyer John Philip Parsons was reinstated to the practice of law today. He had been disbarred by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 13, 2017. Parsons filed a reinstatement petition on March 10 and a formal hearing was held on Sept. 7. The Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) recommended he be reinstated. The court conditioned reinstatement on Parson’s engagement of a practice monitor who must meet with him once a month for one year to assess his caseload, timeliness of tasks, adequacy of communication with clients and accounting procedures, and provide monthly written reports to the BPR.

The state Supreme Court reinstated the license of Tennessee attorney Rachel K. Tyson effective Oct. 19 after Tyson completed requirements of the BPR.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended 25 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 14 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 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated three lawyers this week who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements in 2023. View the reinstatement order or see the full list of those suspended and reinstated here.