State Supreme Court Suspends McMinn County Lawyer For Violation Of Professional Conduct

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Effective immediately, a McMinn County lawyer has been suspended following an order from the Supreme Court of Tennessee on Tuesday. 

After the Supreme Court found his conduct was a violation of Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct, Joseph H. Crabtree Jr. will face a three-year suspension, with one year served on active suspension and the following two on probation. 

The initial petitions regarding discipline against Crabtree were filed in February 2019 by the Board of Professional Responsibility. 

According to the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, there were many instances of erroneous advice given to clients that Crabtree failed to correct. Many of these expired on the client’s claim. He also failed to advise the same client to seek legal advice independently before completing a settlement of the client’s malpractice claim. 

The Supreme Court also reported that Crabtree failed to communicate with clients, failed to complete work he was hired to do, failed to distribute settlement proceeds after depositing them into his account, failed to respond to orders resulting in clients being responsible for attorney fees, and failed to communicate with clients or keep them informed about their cases. 

He was also guilty of failing to file a personal injury suit before the statute of limitations expired, failing to respond to disciplinary counsel’s request for information, and failing to repay attorney’s fees for uncompleted jobs. 

The Supreme Court found Crabtree’s conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 (competence), 1.3 (diligence), 1.4 (communication), 1.8 (h) (conflict of interest), 3.2 (expediting litigation), 3.4 (c) (fairness to opposing party and counsel), 8.1 (b) (disciplinary matters), and 8.4 (a), (c), and (d) (misconduct).

Crabtree must complete six hours of Continuing Legal Education on ethics and six hours on law office management, per orders of the Supreme Court. He must also pay restitution to two former clients, and reimburse the Tennessee Lawyers Fund for Client Protection for any funds that it may pay to the complainants. 

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com