The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued a corrected order transferring the law license of Hamilton County lawyer Johnny Leon Woodruff to disability inactive status. The court issued its original order on Tuesday. It reports that Woodruff is currently incapacitated from continuing the practice of law and is unable to defend himself against disciplinary complaints pending before the Board of Professional Responsibility.

Davidson County lawyer Ivan Omar Lopez was censured Monday for violating Rule of Professional Conduct Rule 1.15. The court found that in the representation of two clients, Lopez paid the full cost of medical bills out of his operating account rather than paying a portion out of his trust account and the rest out of his operating account as he should have. When he discovered the error, Lopez made a second error in depositing too much into trust, resulting in commingling of $3,149 of his funds with his client funds for two weeks. The court found that his conduct was negligent, not intentional, and did not result in harm to his clients or to the medical provider at issue. As a condition of the censure, the court directed him to attend the Board of Professional Responsibility’s next Trust Account Workshop.

Shelby County lawyer Flordia M. Henderson today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. A client Henderson was representing in a small estate matter made untrue statements in court about the decedent’s marital status. Henderson failed to take proper remedial action prior to the conclusion of the proceeding and did not subsequently address the issue directly with her client. Instead, she filed a subsequent petition on behalf of the decedent’s estate alleging that the client had made knowingly false statements in her testimony. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the law license of Johnny Leon Woodruff be transferred to disability inactive status. Woodruff cannot practice law while on disability inactive status. Woodruff’s license may be reinstated by the high court if he is able to show that his disability has been removed.   

Williamson County lawyer Jason Scott Mangrum was publicly censured Friday by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that Mangrum failed to obtain consent from his clients for the voluntary dismissal of their lawsuit. Following dismissal of the suit, Mangrum also made misrepresentations to his clients, falsely claiming that depositions were in the process of being scheduled. He also delayed in taking proper action for his clients throughout the representation. The court found his actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2(a), 1.3, 1.4 and 8.4(c).

Mississippi lawyer Phillip Gregory Meek, who is also licensed in Tennessee, was disbarred by the Supreme Court of Mississippi on May 17. The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order on Wednesday asking Meek to provide any information as to why disbarment should not also be imposed in Tennessee. He has 30 days to respond or the court says it will impose reciprocal discipline.

Attorney Jake Preston Evans was suspended from the practice of law in Tennessee today. The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended him for 16 months, retroactive to March 9, 2020. Evans agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4 and 8.1. The court also directed Evans to make restitution to two clients, and contact the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program for an evaluation and, if recommended, to enter into a monitoring agreement with the program. According to the BPR website, Evans practices in Charlotte, NC.

Campbell County lawyer Kristie Nicole Anderson was suspended from the practice of law today for one year, with 30 days to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The Tennessee Supreme Court also ordered Anderson to engage the services of a practice monitor. The court reports that it received complaints from five clients regarding Anderson’s failure to file appropriate pleadings, submit timely orders, respond to discovery and reasonably communicate about the status of representation. Anderson agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging her conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4 (a).

Florida lawyer Paul Joseph Schwiep was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on May 3. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Schwiep paid all required reinstatement fees and all delinquent annual registration fees. The court filed its order on May 12.

Williamson County lawyer Rebecca Bruck Howald was reinstated to the practice of law on June 25. Howald was placed on inactive status on Jan. 2, 2015. The Board of Professional Responsibility reports that it reviewed her petition for reinstatement and found it satisfactory. The Tennessee Supreme Court issued its order on June 30.