A Hamilton County attorney who represented former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy in her criminal case has been permanently disbarred after facing his own set of charges.
Alan Christopher Norton is not eligible for reinstatement to the practice of law in Tennessee, the Board of Professional Responsibility announced in a Wednesday statement.
Norton did not immediately respond to a voicemail Thursday morning.
Norton was temporarily suspended Dec. 16, 2024, upon the board’s finding that he posed a threat of substantial harm to the public, the statement said.
“To date, Mr. Norton has not requested, nor been granted, reinstatement,” the order of enforcement said.
His suspension came two weeks after he was indicted on a felony charge of forgery and misdemeanor criminal simulation in Rhea County.
At the time, he was representing Murphy on criminal charges related to falsely filling out official documents about her residency.
Murphy is scheduled to head to trial in January for 17 counts including illegal voter registration, false entries on official registration or election documents, false entries in governmental records, forgery, perjury and official misconduct. She is currently represented by attorney McCracken Poston.
Murphy came to Chattanooga from the Atlanta Police Department in 2022 and was required to live in Tennessee by contract. But conflicting government documents signed under penalty of perjury suggested she may have remained a resident of Georgia, as first reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
According to Norton’s indictment, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation allegedly found he forged the signature of 12th District Chancellor Melissa Willis on court orders filed from June to September 2024.
The district covers Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties.
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Norton consented to disbarment because he could not defend himself against disciplinary charges, the statement said.
He allegedly forged a chancellor’s signature on three court orders, forged the name of a Tennessee attorney on a fake motion and forged the deposition transcript he provided to a client.
Norton violated certain rules of professional conduct including criminal conduct, conduct involving dishonesty and communication, the statement said.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.
