A Hamilton County attorney has been suspended from practicing law after allegedly failing to respond to a misconduct complaint.
Arthur C. Grisham Jr. must immediately stop accepting any new cases and stop representing existing clients by May 29, the Board of Professional Responsibility announced in a statement.
A petition for discipline was filed Aug. 4 but is sealed from the public; the statement does not include details about the alleged misconduct.
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Grisham said he didn’t realize he was suspended until a client alerted him. He mailed a complaint response to the board, but it apparently did not get to them, Graham said.
“I have not been served with a suspension. I do not know what it is,” Grisham said by phone. “I thought everything was fine.”
Grisham cannot practice law, maintain a presence where law is practiced or take on any semblance of a lawyer, legal assistant or law clerk after May 29, the statement said.
He must notify all of his ongoing clients in addition to co-counsel and opposing counsel that the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered his license suspended.
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Grisham is also required to deliver to his clients any papers or property to which they are entitled.
His suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the board, the statement said. He may request either for good cause.
Grisham has been licensed since 1972 in Tennessee, and his office is in Chattanooga. He attended the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.