Courts

Can't Just Commit Felonies On The Clock And Keep Your License In Tennessee

Practice being honest or lose your practice!

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941344There’s nothing wrong with being a criminal lawyer. Everyone needs representation! But being a criminal lawyer can sow distrust in the profession — a quick run through lawyer jokes should tip you off to us not needing any reinforcement of that stereotype. Fox 17 has coverage:

The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the decision of a Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel disbarring a Davidson County attorney for three criminal convictions. The criminal convictions arise from the attorney’s conduct in representing a client in post-divorce proceedings, the Tennessee Supreme Court reports.

As important as it is to represent your client’s interests, good intentions won’t bless lying on notarized documents to help your client’s case. Digging the hole deeper by getting your client to lie under oath and leaving out the part that they’d get in trouble for doing so isn’t the biggest help either.

A jury convicted Mr. [Robert] Doll on two counts of subornation of aggravated perjury for having his client lie under oath and one count of criminal simulation for forging the client’s signature. All three convictions are Class E felony offenses and serious crimes under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Mr. Doll’s law license and referred the matter to a Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel to hold a hearing to determine the extent of final discipline to be imposed.

Doll, unhappy with the Panel’s decision to disbar him, complained that his punishment was more severe than in similar cases of misconduct. The court’s summary of why he was punished so severely held no punches:

“[I]t is undisputed that the jury in the criminal case credited testimony showing that Mr. Doll took advantage of the trust his client placed in him and pressured her into lying in court, all in order to shield Mr. Doll from the fallout of his actions.” The Court agreed with the panel that Mr. Doll’s conduct “cuts through the very heart of the judicial system and cannot be minimized in any way.”

You really shouldn’t need a reminder to not lie to a court and then finesse your client into covering for your fibbing, but if you do, pin up a reminder to not be the next Robert Doll somewhere on your inspiration board.

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Tennessee Attorney Disbarred After Felony Convictions For Client Perjury [Fox 17]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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