On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility announced the permanent disbarment of attorney James Daniel Marshall by the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Marshal was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to former client Barbara Covington and to return all property taken from her within 30 days of the court’s Order of Enforcement.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of James Daniel Marshall.”
The disciplinary action stemmed from a Petition for Discipline involving two complaints against Marshall. According to the Board, he neglected to communicate with clients, failed to respond to multiple motions filed against his clients, and did not submit discovery responses in a timely manner. He also missed court-scheduled conference calls, leading to the dismissal of a client’s lawsuit with prejudice. Additionally, Marshall failed to comply with a court order, neglected to preserve client property, and did not cooperate with disciplinary investigations or advance his clients’ cases.
The Hearing Panel determined that Marshall knowingly violated multiple Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 1.1 (competence), Rule 1.2 (scope of representation), Rule 1.3 (diligence), Rule 1.4 (communication), Rule 1.15 (safekeeping property and funds), Rule 3.2 (expediting litigation), Rule 3.4 (fairness to opposing party and counsel), Rule 8.1 (bar admission and disciplinary matters), and Rule 8.4 (misconduct).
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
