On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility publicly censured attorney Cindy Powell Bice for violating multiple professional conduct rules. Bice faced allegations of misconduct related to her handling of client confidentiality.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Cindy Powell Bice,” with case no. 75012-3-SC.
The disciplinary board convened on December 13, 2024, to address a complaint filed against Bice stemming from her representation of a client in a child support modification case. During this legal representation, the client left a negative review of Bice’s services on Google. In response, Bice publicly disclosed sensitive and confidential information about the client, including specifics about the client’s financial situation, a contempt action related to child support, and details about the client’s disability and legal representation. This breach of confidentiality included sharing the date of a hearing and various communications that were meant to remain private.
Further compounding the issue, Bice failed to withdraw from representing the client promptly after the client terminated her services. Specifically, she delayed filing the necessary documentation for seven weeks, only doing so on the day of the scheduled hearing.
In addition to this case, Bice was found to have responded to four other negative reviews from former clients between 2015 and 2023. In these instances, she again revealed confidential information regarding their legal matters, including the amounts paid for services and legal advice provided, which should have remained confidential.
As a result of these actions, the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that Bice violated several provisions of the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 1.6(a), which pertains to the confidentiality of information, Rule 1.9(c), regarding duties to former clients, and Rules 1.16(a)(3) & (d), related to declining or terminating representation.
In addition to the public censure, Bice has been ordered to complete three hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) focused on client confidentiality and the use of online and social media within ninety days. The CLE requirement is in addition to the three ethics hours mandated by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
According to avvo.com, Ms. Bice is a family attorney in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She attended the Nashville School of Law, graduating in 2004. She acquired her law license in Tennessee in 2006.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
