The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed four new members to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR), the Court-designated body responsible for overseeing the ethical conduct of attorneys.
The Court has also named Lela M. Hollabaugh, of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Nashville, as chair and Clarence Halmon, of Archibald & Halmon in Memphis, as vice-chair of the Board. Both will serve one-year terms in their respective leadership positions.
The new appointees include:
Michael E. Callaway, of Cleveland, has been in private practice at Bell and Associates since graduating from law school at the University of Virginia. He has served on the Board of Law Examiners since 1989 and has previously served on the Board of Professional Responsibility.
Wade V. Davies, of Knoxville, is managing partner of Ritchie, Dillard & Davies. He has been with the firm since 1993, after graduating first in his class from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Mr. Davies is named in The Best Lawyers in America publication and is a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College.
Michael U. King, of Huntingdon, is owner of King Law Office. He has been in private practice for 10 years. Mr. King graduated from the Mississippi College School of Law with honors. He was named Best Attorney in the 2009 Carroll County News Leader Readers Choice Awards.
J. Russell Parkes, of Columbia, is a founding member of the Hardin Parkes, Kelley & Carter law firm. Mr. Parkes received his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law. He is a past president of the Maury County Bar Association and is a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Mr. Davies, Mr. Callaway and Mr. Parkes have been appointed to three-year terms, which will expire on December 31, 2013. Mr. King has been appointed to fill the unexpired term of a member who resigned from the Board. His term will end on December 31, 2011.
The Court has also reappointed Kate Gooch and Clarence Halmon to a second three-year term, which will expire on December 31, 2013.
The Board of Professional Responsibility is comprised of nine lawyer members, and three non-lawyer members who offer an enhanced and balanced perspective of the professional responsibilities of the legal profession.