The Board of Professional Responsibility will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of Labor Day.
Attorney Details
Name:
Rhea, Howard William
BPR Number:
002218
Status:
Definitions for BOPR Status Codes
Active
- eligible to practice law in Tennessee.
Active - Military Exempt
- an attorney on full-time active-duty in the armed forces is eligible to
request exemption from payment of registration fees; while the license is
on exempt status, the military exempt attorney may not engage in the
private practice of law in Tennessee, his practice is limited only to his
engagement in the military.
Deceased
- an attorney who is no longer living.
Disability
- an inactive status resulting from an attorney being incapacitated from
continuing to practice law.
Disbarred
- terminates the individual’s status as a lawyer. May apply for reinstatement after 5 years.
Disbarred Permamently
- terminates an individual's status as a lawyer. Attorney will never be reinstated.
Federal Exempt
- attorneys who serve as a justice, judge, or magistrate judge of a court of the United States
or who serve in any federal office in which the attorney is prohibited by federal
law from engaging in the practice of law.
Inactive
- attorneys not currently practicing law may request inactive status, such as retired attorneys
65 years of age or older, faculty members of Tennessee law schools who do not practice, or attorneys
not engaged in the practice of law in Tennessee.
Surrendered
- an attorney in good standing who is no longer practicing in Tennessee may
choose to voluntarily surrender their law license and no longer be licensed to
practice law in Tennessee.
Suspended
- not in good standing and cannot practice law in Tennessee, subject to reinstatement to
active status. This may be as a result of failure to pay annual attorneyÕs dues, failure to
pay the annual Professional Privilege Tax, non-compliance with IOLTA reporting, failure to meet
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements, or imposed disciplinary actions.