Overton County lawyer censured

•Statement issued by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee

On July 3, 2024, Jonathan Lee Young, an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee, received a Public Censure from the Supreme Court of Tennessee.

Mr. Young represented a client in an emergency conservatorship petition. Mr. Young, during the representation, signed another attorney’s name, “with permission”, to an order without authorization from said attorney and then presented said order to the presiding judge ex parte and obtained the judge’s signature. The order named an attorney ad litem to the conservatorship case, and Mr. Young, after obtaining the judge’s signature, failed to then file the pleading with the clerk of the court and failed to advise the guardian ad litem or the newly appointed attorney ad litem of the court order. Mr. Young, in the same case, also filed pleadings with incomplete information and multiple documents with improper notarizations. Mr. Young executed a Conditional Guilty Plea acknowledging that his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3 (diligence); 3.3(a) (candor toward the tribunal); and 3.5(b) (impartiality and decorum of the tribunal).

A Public Censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.