A district attorney from Shelby County has been suspended from practicing law after being arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.
“On September 27, 2023, the Supreme Court of Tennessee temporarily suspended Monica Aislynn Timmerman from the practice of law upon finding that Ms. Timmerman is substantially non-compliant with a Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program and poses a threat of substantial harm to the public,” says a document issued by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee.
In February, Timmerman (pictured above) pleaded guilty to DUI and served two days in jail from an arrest in December. She had been a district attorney for only about a month when the arrest occurred.
At the time, she was charged with duty upon striking a highway fixture and failure to exercise due care, but those charges were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.
“Section 12.3 of Supreme Court Rule 9 provides for the immediate temporary suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law in cases where the attorney is substantially non-compliant with a Tennessee Lawyers Assistant Program monitoring agreement and/or poses a threat of substantial harm to the public,” the document says.
Timmerman is not allowed to take new clients and must cease representing existing clients by October 27.
It is not specified in the document itself why Timmerman’s ability to practice law has been suspended, but the Shelby County District Attorney released a statement saying that the suspension relates to failure to complete sobriety treatment.
“Ms. Timmerman has stayed sober since last December; there’s been no relapse, and her work has been satisfactory,” the office said in the statement. “The compliance issue concerned whether she’d do a period of expensive residential treatment, which she wasn’t sure she could afford. Ms. Timmerman has now come up with the funds, is beginning treatment, and expects to be in compliance before the Oct. 27 license suspension takes effect. If she fulfills all requirements and the suspension order is lifted, she will be able to resume working at our office.”
Timmerman told Commercial Appeal that failing to comply with the court’s orders was not “out of casual disregard or lack of willingness.”
“I was simply unable to personally afford to pay for the required treatment at the [Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program]-approved facilities, and insurance would not pay for the treatment because of my sobriety,” she reportedly said. “I am grateful that since the board’s recent decision, I have been able to secure the appropriate funding and TLAP has worked with me to reduce the cost of treatment. I look forward to participating in the recommended treatment and getting back to my purpose: seeking justice for victims of domestic violence. I encourage anyone that is struggling with alcohol or any substance abuse addiction to seek the help they need.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on X / Twitter.
