Russell Shane Mainord, an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee, received a Public Censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Mr. Mainord represented three separate clients in immigration cases. In the first complaint, Mr. Mainord charged an unreasonable fee, failed to communicate with his client, and failed to exercise supervisory authority over an attorney in his firm. In the second complaint, Mr. Mainord failed to provide his client with a copy of his files after he was terminated and failed to take proper action on behalf of his clients when he failed to file court documents. In the third complaint, Mr. Mainord failed to exercise managerial and supervisory authority over his nonlawyer staff, which caused a delay in the proceedings. In all three cases Mr. Mainord failed to diligently represent his clients and their interests.
By these acts, Mr. Mainord has violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 (competence); 1.3 (diligence); 1.4 (communication); 1.15 (safekeeping property and funds); 1.16 (declining or terminating representation); 3.2 (expediting litigation); 5.1 (responsibilities of partners, managers and supervisory lawyers); and 5.3 (responsibilities regarding nonlawyer assistants), and is hereby Publicly Censured for these violations.
Additionally, as a condition of the Public Censure, Mr. Mainord shall refund $1,700 in attorney fees to the client in the first complaint, $4,000 in attorney fees to the client in the second complaint, and $3,500 in attorney fees to the client in the third complaint, within 60 days of issuance of this Public Censure.
A Public Censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.