The Tennessee Supreme Court has publicly censured Williamson County lawyer Jay Nelson Chamness for violating Rules of Professional Conduct 4.1, 8.4(c) and 8.4(a). Chamness represented a plaintiff asserting employment discrimination in a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Over the course of 11 months, Chamness made at least four false statements to opposing counsel about personal circumstances for which he needed extensions of time. In the last instance, Chamness asked to reschedule depositions and for more time to draft a motion because his mother had died. She was, in fact, still alive.

The Supreme Court of Tennessee has temporarily suspended Matthew Lee Harris from the practice of law after finding that Harris was substantially non-compliant with his Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program Monitoring Agreement. Harris is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by May 17. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court. The court also approved a motion to file documents in the case under seal.

Montgomery County lawyer Joel David Ragland has been suspended from the practice of law after the Tennessee Supreme Court found that he misappropriated funds for his personal use and posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Ragland is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and must cease representing existing clients by May 12.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has directed Connecticut lawyer Jason Russell Buckley to respond within 30 days as to why discipline imposed in the state of Maine should not also be imposed in Tennessee. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court suspended Buckley for one year on Sept. 7, 2023, after finding that he took two online CLEs simultaneously, one on his computer and one on his iPad, and filed for credit for both. The Tennessee court says that if no response is received it will impose a discipline with identical terms and conditions.

Maury County lawyer James Thomas Dubois Jr. has been reinstated to the active practice of law today. Dubois had been on disability inactive status since Feb. 13, 2023. He filed a petition for transfer to active status on March 14. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Dubois demonstrated he no longer suffers from a disability and the petition was satisfactory.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has censured Madison County lawyer Marcus Allen Lipham for violating Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.2(a), 1.3, 1.4, 1.5(c) and 3.1. The court found that Lipham filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client that lacked any meritorious basis in fact or law. He then subsequently failed to file a response to the defense counsel’s motion to dismiss or seek leave to amend the original complaint, and agreed to dismissal of the suit with prejudice without his client’s informed consent. The court said Lipham also failed to respond to a motion for sanctions filed by defense counsel or notify his client of the motion hearing.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Chattanooga attorney David James Fulton from the practice of law upon finding Fulton misappropriated funds for his personal use and posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Fulton is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and he must cease representing existing clients by May 9. The suspension remains in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has censured Hawkins County attorney Terry Risner. The court found that Risner did not timely file a brief on behalf of a client with the Court of Appeals, despite being given two 10-day extensions. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 3.4 and 8.4(d). 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 has suspended Georgia attorney John Cris Helton from the practice of law in Tennessee for five years, with four years to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation with the condition that Helton engage a practice monitor. The court found that Helton failed to file required federal income tax returns for several years and willfully attempted to avoid tax liabilities. After the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiated civil litigation against Helton to recover approximately $400,000 in owed income taxes, Helton filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection, asserting that the IRS lien should be discharged. The federal bankruptcy court determined that the tax debt was non-dischargeable because the failure to pay was willful and intentional. On appeal, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling. Helton agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(c).

The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Shelby County lawyer Sheila L. Robinson-Beasley after finding that she misappropriated funds and property for her personal use, and poses a threat of substantial harm to the public. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.