Bradley County lawyer Sherman Ames III was suspended Tuesday for six months by order of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, according to a news release from the Board of Professional Responsibility.
Ames will receive credit for the 21-day period from the termination of disability inactive status on Nov. 8 until the hearing of his case on Nov. 29, 2011, and also must pay the board's costs in the matter, the release states.
The board filed a petition for discipline on Nov. 30, 2009, alleging Ames was engaging in the unauthorized practice of law based upon complaints from the Washington attorney general's office and an investigator for the unauthorized practice of law unit in Montana.
Ames is not licensed to practice law in Washington or Montana, and he was doing so in a period when he was suspended in Tennessee, so he had no license at all, the release states.
Ames, whose actions violated several rules of professional conduct, must comply with the requirements of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 18 on the responsibilities of suspended lawyers, the board's release stated.