Microsoft Word - ebb_171717796_4083743201_6 (2021)
Note: This document was published in 2021. Information in older documents may not reflect current board procedures or policies.
Need help? Please use the Assistance Request Form below.
Original PDF Document
Download Official Record (hammet-40850-nashville-lawyer-censured-1.pdf)
Alternative Accessible HTML
Accessible Alternative: This HTML version is an automatically processed accessible alternative. While it provides a searchable format, the text extraction may contain formatting or character errors. The original PDF remains the authoritative official record.
Need a different format? Use the Request Assistance Form.
BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE
SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE
10 CADILLAC DRIVE, SUITE 220
BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE 37027
TELEPHONE: (615) 361-7500
(800) 486-5714
FA24: (615) 367-2480
E-MAIL: ethics@tbpr.org
Website: www.tbpr.org
RELEASE OF INFORMATION
RE: LAWRENCE BUFORD HAMMET, II, BPR #13816
CONTACT: KEVIN D. BALKWILL
BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
615-361-7500
January 20, 2021
NASHVILLE LAWYER CENSURED
On January 20, 2021, Lawrence Buford Hammet, II, an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee,
received a Public Censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Mr. Hammet withdrew disputed funds from his client trust account and paid himself a fee which
exceeded the amount that his client alleged was agreed upon at the commencement of the representation. The
client filed a civil suit against Mr. Hammet which was appealed after trial. The Court of Appeals found that Mr.
Hammet failed to keep the disputed funds in his client trust account until the dispute was resolved and that Mr.
Hammet improperly calculated his fees which were unreasonable. The Court of Appeals awarded judgment to
the client in the amount of $67,335.69 and remanded the case to the trial court for a determination of pre-
judgment interest. The trial court subsequently awarded pre-judgment interest to the client in an additional
amount of $22,092.10.
By these acts, Lawrence Buford Hammet, II has violated Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5 (fees) and
1.15(e) (safekeeping property) and is hereby Publicly Censured for these violations. As a condition of the
Public Censure, Mr. Hammet shall satisfy the judgments against him on or before January 19, 2021.
A Public Censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorneyâs ability to
practice law.
Hammet 40850-5 rel.doc