Supreme Court Affirms Memphis Attorney’s 180-day Suspension From the Practice of Law

The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed a 180-day suspension of Memphis attorney Homer L. Cody’s law license.

In 2011, the Board of Professional Responsibility filed a petition for discipline against Mr. Cody based on a complaint of misconduct.  The petition alleged, among other things, that Mr. Cody failed to cease representation of two parties with conflicting interests.  A hearing panel found that Mr. Cody did, in fact, have a conflict of interest and that his continued representation of both parties was a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.  Initially the panel recommended that Mr. Cody be publicly censured for his violation; however, even after the panel’s recommendation, Mr. Cody continued to represent both clients.  As a result of his continued representation, in August 2012, the Board of Professional Responsibility filed a second petition against Mr. Cody, and a hearing panel recommended that he be suspended from the practice of law for a period of 180 days.

Mr. Cody appealed to the Shelby County Circuit Court, which affirmed the hearing panel’s findings and conclusions of law.  Mr. Cody then appealed to the Supreme Court, alleging a number of procedural, jurisdictional, and constitutional errors and claiming that the hearing panel acted arbitrarily in finding that he violated the Rules of Professional Conduct and in imposing a 180-day suspension.

The Supreme Court upheld the decisions of the hearing panel and the Shelby County Circuit Court.  In an opinion authored by Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee, the Court addressed Mr. Cody’s claims, finding each to be without merit.  The Court further found that the hearing panel did not act arbitrarily in finding that Mr. Cody failed to adhere to the duty required of attorneys under the Rules of Professional Conduct.  Based on Mr. Cody’s multiple rule violations, prior disciplinary record, repeated inability to follow court orders, refusal to acknowledge his misconduct, and more than 30 years of experience as a licensed attorney, the Court found that a 180-day suspension from the practice of law was appropriate.

Read the opinion in Homer L. Cody v. Board of Professional Responsibility, authored by Chief Justice Lee.