Ex-Knox County law director's suspension reinstated

Ex-Knox County law director's suspension reinstated

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Bill Lockett Bill Lockett

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated a state Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel's ruling to suspend former Knox County Law Director Bill Lockett.  

While Lockett worked at Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley, he received payments for legal services and didn't remit them to the firm.

Lockett pleaded guilty in April 2010 to theft and willful failure to file income tax returns and resigned from office.

A TBPR hearing panel found that Lockett should be suspended for four years and, if reinstated, should be supervised for one year.

Lockett appealed to Knox County Chancery Court, which applied additional mitigating factors and reduced the suspension to two years.

In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the chancery court's decision.

The Supreme Court did its own review of the hearing panel's decision and agreed that the four-year suspension was consistent with sanctions imposed on other attorneys for similar criminal conduct.

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