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.

On April 4, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Shelia L. Robinson-Beasley. On May 7, Robinson-Beasley petitioned the court for a hearing on dissolution of the suspension. The court notes that the authority cited in the petition for a hearing — Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, section 30.4(c) — does not govern the process, but that it will proceed with a hearing before the Board of Professional Responsibility or a disciplinary panel in accordance with Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, section 12.3(d).

Virginia lawyer Atina Rizk Stavropoulos filed a petition for reinstatement of her Tennessee law license on April 29. In assessing the petition, the Board of Professional Responsibility found that Stavropoulos has outstanding obligations with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The Tennessee Supreme Court has directed Stavropoulos to resolve those issues before June 24 or it will dismiss the petition for reinstatement.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has directed Hamilton County lawyer Shaheen Iltaf Imami to respond to its request regarding the imposition of reciprocal discipline. The response is due 30 days from receipt of the notice and should address why a public censure with conditions imposed by the state of Michigan should not also be imposed in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Knox County lawyer James Patrick Henry from the practice of law upon finding that Henry failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding six complaints of misconduct. Henry is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and must cease representing existing clients by June 5.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated to active or inactive status after being suspended for various administrative violations. They include 14 who had been suspended for CLE violations: 12 in 2023, one in 2022 and one in 2017; 14 who had not paid the professional privilege tax: 13 in 2023 and one in 2020; and 30 who had not paid the annual Board of Professional Responsibility fee: six in 2024, 15 in 2023, three in 2022, two in 2021, one in 2020, one in 2019, one in 2018 and one in 2009. See updated lists at the links above.