Court reinstates Washington County attorney Jeffrey Johnson

A Washington County attorney will be reinstated to the active practice of law May 1 under an order from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court entered the reinstatement order April 30 for attorney Jeffrey Dennis Johnson, according to a release from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. According to the release, Johnson had been suspended April 1 for two years, with 30 days to be served as an active suspension and the remainder on probation subject to conditions. Those conditions include employing a practice monitor during the probationary period and repaying all board costs, the release states. The release states that Johnson filed a petition for reinstatement April 1 under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 30.4(c), and that the Board of Professional Responsibility found the petition satisfactory and submitted an order of reinstatement to the court. Johnson's reinstatement is conditioned on his continued compliance with and timely satisfaction of the terms outlined in the court's April 1 order, according to the release. According to the April 1 press release, Johnson represented a client in a criminal matter after representing the client in a separate criminal matter some years previously. The release said the new representation was improperly conditioned upon the client making outstanding payments for the prior representation. In a subsequent motion to withdraw from the most recent representation, the release said Johnson made derogatory and disparaging statements about his client, and revealed confidential information related to the representation of the client without the client's consent. Mr. Johnson executed a Conditional Guilty Plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct.