Arena v. Schulman, LeRoy & Bennett

OPINION

FRANK G. CLEMENT, JR., J.,

delivered the opinion of the court,

in which WILLIAM B. CAIN, J., and JERRY SCOTT, SR. J., joined.

An attorney who voluntarily withdrew from a law firm appeals from the trial court’s decision upholding the validity of an agreement that required him to share fifty percent of the contingency fees he earned on files he took from the firm if he maintained a practice in Davidson County after withdrawing from the firm. The attorney challenges the agreement on the grounds that it violates Tennessee’s public policy against restraints on the practice of law. The firm…