The Tennessee Supreme Court disbarred Maury County lawyer Amanda Howell Castillo from the practice of law on Jan. 7 and ordered her to pay restitution to one former client. Based on two complaints, the court found that Castillo failed to represent a client in a diligent manner, reasonably communicate with a client, expedite a client’s litigation, comply with an order of summary suspension, respond to disciplinary complaints, and inform a client of her suspension from the practice of law and withdraw from representation. The court also found that in the second complaint, Castillo failed to set her client’s case for hearing, provide the professional services for which she was retained and return an unreasonable fee to the client. The court determined that these actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4(c), 8.1(b) and 8.4(g).

The annual State of the Environment Law Conference will be held at noon CST on Jan. 21 at Vanderbilt University Law School and is free and open to the public. The program will begin with lunch and a panel examining the state of the environment in Tennessee, followed by four additional panel discussions on a range of environmental issues. The conference will conclude with a cocktail hour, providing attendees an opportunity to network with panelists and other participants. The event will allow ample time for audience questions and discussion, continuing a tradition of engaging and informative programming. See a detailed agenda.

The TBA YLD, in collaboration with the TBA General, Solo and Small Firm Section, will present “The Rookie Series: Opening Your Own Firm” on Jan. 29 at noon CST as a live webcast. The one-hour program is designed for aspiring solo practitioners and entrepreneurial attorneys considering launching a solo or small firm and will cover key steps for opening a practice, common pitfalls to avoid and resources available through the TBA. The program will feature attorneys who have successfully made the transition to firm ownership, including Emma Elliott of Peregrine Law, Jesse Harbison of Jesse Harbison Law, Savannah Oliver of the Law Office of David McKenzie and Ryan Terrell of Ryan Terrell Law. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 5 dismissed a petition from Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman, which sought to dissolve a temporary suspension imposed by the court on Sept. 3, 2025. The court suspended Freeman based on his failure to respond or provide adequate responses to multiple complaints of misconduct. Freeman filed the petition to dissolve on Sept. 17, 2025. The Board of Professional Responsibility held a hearing to consider Freeman’s petition. In a report filed after the hearing, it recommended that the petition be denied. On Dec. 23, 2025, it asked the court to approve the recommendation. The court agreed and assessed the costs incurred for the proceeding to Freeman.

Sumner County lawyer Lee Wilson McDougal received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 7. McDougal was appointed counsel to a parent in a dependency and neglect juvenile proceeding involving allegations of severe abuse. Following the adjudicatory hearing, McDougal complied with the client’s request to file a de novo appeal but failed to inform his client of the court’s adjudication and final disposition. The court also found that he failed for 10 months to consult with his client about the appeal, failed to keep his client reasonably informed about the appeal status, and failed to comply with the client’s requests for documents. After the client requested that he withdraw from representation, McDougal delayed withdrawal for at least four months according to the court. These actions were determined to pose substantial potential harm to the client and to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 1.16 and 8.4(d).

Knox County lawyer Bret Philip Bryce received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 7. The court found that Bryce failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, failed to communicate with his client about the representation, and failed to comply with a court order. These actions were determined to be prejudicial to the administration of justice, to cause a delay in the case for over nine months and to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 3.2 and 8.4.

Shelby County lawyer Brian Wade Lynn received a censure on Jan. 6 from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Lynn’s law license was administratively suspended on March 5, 2025, for non-payment of his professional privilege tax, and he has not sought reinstatement of his license. The court found that at the time of the administrative suspension, Lynn was counsel of record in 14 bankruptcy cases, and that after receiving the suspension, he filed two notices in one of his bankruptcy cases. The court found that he also significantly delayed providing notice to his clients of the administrative suspension, withdrawing as counsel of record, and complying with other obligations. The court determined that Lynn violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 1.16(d), 3.4(c) and 8.4(d).

Hardin County Lawyer Nicholas Lee Surratt was censured Jan. 6 by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Surratt agreed to represent a client in transmitting a demand letter in connection with a contract dispute. The client paid a $350 fee for drafting and transmittal of the demand letter. The court found that Surratt never drafted the demand letter, took no other action for the client, failed to respond to the client’s inquiries about the status of the representation and never refunded the $350 fee. The court determined that these actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.15 and 1.16(d). It also directed Surratt to pay restitution of $350 to his client within 60 days.

A new report from Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower finds that most students using Education Savings Account (ESA) vouchers are leaving average or high-performing public schools rather than the lowest-performing ones, and overall are underperforming public school peers in both achievement and growth. The review also found that the state education department lacks clear standards for evaluating and removing low-performing private schools from the program, and did not adequately market ESAs to low-income families as required by law. In addition, despite high parent satisfaction and some score improvements over time, the program has been underused. Lawmakers are expected to consider proposals to expand the program when the legislature reconvenes. Chalkbeat has more on the comptroller's report.

Spencer Fane, which has offices in Nashville and Hendersonville, recently announced it has merged with the Washington, D.C., boutique intellectual property firm Global IP Counselors. More than a dozen patent and trademark attorneys from Global IP Counselors now join Spencer Fane’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in the Washington, D.C., office. Read more in a press release from the firm.