TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Dec 29, 2025

Sevier County lawyer James Ralph Hickman was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Dec. 23. The court found that Hickman engaged in the unauthorized practice of law on July 10, 2023, and July 13, 2023, when he appeared in court on behalf of two clients and counseled the clients regarding the entry of guilty pleas while his license to practice law was suspended. His actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5.