Cindy Powell Bice, an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee, received a Public Censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Ms. Bice represented a client in a child support modification case. During the case, the client posted a negative online public Google Review of Ms. Bice’s legal services. Ms. Bice posted a public response with detailed confidential information relating to the representation of the client, including references to client’s minimal payment toward her retainer fee, a contempt action brought against client for failure to pay child support and her inability to pay, the client’s disability and disability attorney, the actual hearing date, and reference to various attorney-client communications.
After the client discharged Ms. Bice’s services, she did not file to withdraw her representation for seven weeks and delayed doing so until the day of the client’s hearing.
In addition, between 2015 and 2023, Ms. Bice also posted online responses to four negative client reviews, revealing confidential information about former clients’ representation, including disclosure of fee amounts paid, legal advice given, actions/inactions by the clients, and other information that would not have been available as public record or generally known.
By these acts, Ms. Bice has violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6(a) (confidentiality of information), 1.9(c) (duties to former clients), and 1.16(a)(3) & (d) (declining or terminating representation), and is hereby Publicly Censured for these violations. Ms. Bice is further ordered to complete three hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) about client confidentiality and online/social media use within 90 days of this order. The CLE hours are in addition to the three ethics hours already required by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
A Public Censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.