TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 30, 2023

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is reporting that former Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston has received a private reprimand from the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR). Former County Commissioner Tim Boyd shared a letter from the BPR with the paper. Boyd had filed a complaint against Pinkston in August 2021 with concerns around the employment of Pinkston's spouse and brother-in-law in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. In February 2022, the Tennessee Comptroller's Office found those hirings violated state nepotism law. The BPR declined to comment for the story, saying allegations of attorney misconduct are confidential "unless and until public discipline is imposed or formal disciplinary proceedings are filed." Pinkston also did not comment, but has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained his management decisions were legal and ethical.