Articles

All Content

5,138 Posts found
Previous • Page 352 of 514 • Next

BPR Issues Ethics Opinion on Interstate Law Firm Using Trade Name

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
The Board of Professional Responsibility has issued a formal ethics opinion regarding the opening and operation of a proposed interstate law firm between Tennessee and Florida, using a trade name, SETCO law. The opinion deals with the growth, development and diversity of the legal profession, which has spawned a proliferation of new ways of conducting the practice, taking lawyers far beyond the sole practitioner and single office law firm models of an earlier era.

Hamilton County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
Hamilton County attorney John R. Meldorf yesterday received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. Meldorf represented a wife who was awarded attorney fees from her husband in the final decree of divorce. At the conclusion of the divorce, the wife owed Meldorf a small balance for his fees. The ex-husband subsequently filed bankruptcy and listed Meldorf as creditor instead of his ex-wife. Meldorf collected funds as a creditor from the bankruptcy trustee even though such funds were properly owed to his former client. He failed to promptly notify his former client upon receipt of such funds and paid himself fees owed by the former client without her knowledge or consent.

Hamilton County Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
Hamilton County attorney James Dimmett Purple received a public censure yesterday from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Purple failed to diligently represent or adequately communicate with a client who had retained him in a quiet title action. He filed the quiet title action without naming essential parties and failed to amend the petition at the request of his client unless additional fees and costs were paid to him. He also filed pleadings that named parties in the style of the case when such parties were never included in the petition.

LAET to Honor Pro Bono Award Winners

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) hosts its annual Pro Bono celebration on Oct. 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ironwood Studios in Knoxville. The event, entitled “Forging Justice,” will honor attorneys and law firms who have made a significant impact in access to justice work. The highlight of the evening will be the induction of Terry J. Woods into the Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Woods served at LAET’s Central Region Pro Bono Director from 2000 until her retirement in 2016. Also honored will be Tyler Sims as Pro Bono Law Student of the Year, Cheryl Rice as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, the Volunteer Ministry Center as Pro Bono Community Partner of the Year, and London & Amburn as Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. Contact Kathryn Ellis at (865) 637-0484 for more information.

Mississippi Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017

Carter C. Hitt, an attorney licensed to practice law in Mississippi, yesterday received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. Hitt, who is not licensed to practice in Tennessee, collected a fee from a client for representation in a breach of contract and personal injury action which arose in Tennessee. Hitt failed to limit the scope of his representation to only non-litigation matters, failed to diligently represent his client, and did not adequately communicate with his client. Hitt also drafted and filed a pleading in a Tennessee court which was purported to have been filed pro se by his client. Hitt’s actions were deceptive to the court and constituted the unauthorized practice of law.

CLE Ski and More

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017

As the premiere Snowmass slope side resort, the Stonebridge Inn offers access to four remarkable ski areas: Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk. Join attorneys from across the state and earn 15-hours of CLE between runs at the TBA's annual CLE Ski program.

Metro Nashville Loses Appeal Over Police Records

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a man who said the Metro Nashville Police Department was stymying his requests for accident reports, the Nashville Post reports. Bradley Jetmore sued the city over a policy change within the police department which stopped providing unlimited access to accident reports within 72 hours. The appellate court upheld a trial court decision in Jetmore’s favor, and awarded him more than $56,000 in attorneys’ fees.

Alabama Lawyer Censured

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 13, 2017
Brandy Murphy Lee, an attorney licensed to practice law in Alabama, yesterday received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility. Lee committed several violations of the Tennessee pro hac vice rules during her representation of a client to include: practicing before certain tribunals without permission or approval, filing pleadings without the signature of her local counsel, and practicing for a period in excess of two years after her pro hac vice status had expired.

Former McNairy County Assistant DA Indicted

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 12, 2017
A former McNairy County Assistant District Attorney has been indicted following an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, The Jackson Sun reports. At the request of former 25th District Attorney General Michael Dunavant, TBI agents began an investigation into the activities of former ADA Bobby Gene Gray. He was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges of official misconduct, theft under $1,000, simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance and simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. 

Lawsuits Filed Over Las Vegas Shooting Face Legal Obstacles

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Oct 12, 2017
Lawsuits filed in the wake of the Las Vegas mass shooting face many obstacles, the least of which includes a 2005 law that protects gun makers from civil claims brought by gunshot victims, the ABA Journal reports. At least two lawsuits have been brought against the manufacturers of “bump stock” devices, which allow accelerated gunfire from a semi automatic weapon and were used by the killer in the Vegas incident. It is unclear whether a bump stock is a gun component covered by the law’s liability shield.
Previous • Page 352 of 514 • Next