The law license of Williamson County lawyer Jay Nelson Chamness was reinstated to active status today, retroactive to April 17. Chamness previously was on disability inactive status.

Hamilton County lawyer Arthur C. Grisham was suspended from the practice of law today. The Tennessee Supreme Court took the action after finding that he failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a misconduct complaint. Grisham is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by May 29.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on April 22 suspended 18 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 11 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.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Cumberland County lawyer Melanie Beth Shada from the practice of law after finding that she failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning a complaint of misconduct. Shada is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and she must cease representing existing clients by May 25. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has directed Davidson County lawyer Howard MacCarthur Romaine to resolve outstanding obligations with the Tennessee Department of Revenue, the Appellate Court Cost Center and the Board of Professional Responsibility by June 10 or it will dismiss his petition for reinstatement to active status. Romaine petitioned the court on March 25 to have his law license transferred from disability inactive status to active status. He has been on disability inactive status since Jan. 24, 2017.

Shelby County lawyer Kelvin Arthur Massey received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 23. The court found that while under active suspension from the practice of law, Massey engaged in unauthorized practice by providing legal advice, drafting legal documents, providing legal services, and holding out to the public that he was an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4(c), 5.5(b)(2) and 8.4(g).

Obion County attorney David Lynn Hamblen has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Hamblen represented the mother of a child in a custody matter in which an order had been entered granting the mother supervised visitation. The parties and their counsels were discussing entering an agreed order giving the mother unsupervised visitation, but prior to any agreement on that issue, Hamblen’s client called him and said she was having a problem arranging for her visitation to be supervised on a particular day. Hamblen then instructed his client to go ahead with unsupervised visitation. Opposing counsel filed a motion for contempt, and Hamblen told opposing counsel that he had instructed his client not to comply with the existing court order, and that he knew no order had been entered relieving her of the supervised visitation. The court found that Hamblen violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4 and 8.4(d).

Hamilton County lawyer Jennifer Yates Stickley petitioned the Tennessee Supreme Court for reinstatement of her law license on April 5. The Board of Professional Responsibility responded to the petition, stating that Stickley has outstanding obligations with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. On April 16, the court issued an order giving her until May 31 to complete those requirements or her petition will be dismissed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has transferred the law license of Shelby County attorney Jack Randal Tomblin to disability inactive status. Tomblin may not practice law but may petition the court to return to the practice of law by showing his disability has been removed.

On April 10, Overton County lawyer Lynda W. Patterson received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Patterson was hired to seek damages against the former residential tenants of her client. She negotiated an agreed judgment with the tenants, prepared the order, secured signatures and mailed the document to the court. The order though was never entered by the court. Patterson’s client contacted her twice about the status of the order, but she did not respond. Fourteen months later Patterson discovered the order had not been entered and proceeded with a default judgment against the former tenants. The court found that her actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 3.2 and 8.4(d).