NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When attorney Rocky McElhaney saw Lamont Bell empty out a backpack overflowing with legal paperwork, he said he felt compelled to help.
"I looked at that mound of paper ... and I'm like, this poor guy," McElhaney said. "Look at all the stuff he's trying to gather and understand."
McElhaney was one of several attorneys who contacted me after I highlighted Bell's struggle to find a new attorney following years of legal disputes tied to rebuilding his home after the March 2020 tornado.
At the time, Bell said he believed mistakes by his former legal team cost his family hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"You think he has your best interests," Lamont Bell told me in our first interview. "They bill you. You pay your bills. And you get to court and bam, no evidence has been turned in. It's just a nightmare."
Bell told NewsChannel 5 his family put about $300,000 into legal action involving a contractor who worked on their home after the 2020 tornado.
"Pretty much my life savings for the last 30 years," Bell said.
McElhaney said Bell's story was difficult to watch.
"It just broke my heart," McElhaney said. "I was compelled to do it."
Bell files malpractice lawsuit
This summer, Bell and McElhaney filed a $1 million legal malpractice lawsuit against attorney Robert Turner and several other attorneys who previously represented Bell.
The lawsuit alleges a series of mistakes by Bell's former legal team led to significant financial consequences for the family.
According to the complaint, Bell's attorneys allowed one contractor-related lawsuit to be dismissed, failed to properly introduce key evidence in another case, and contributed to a $126,000 judgment against the family.
The lawsuit claims those setbacks ultimately forced Bell and his family to take out a mortgage on their home.
The complaint also accuses the attorneys of fraudulent billing practices.
"I feel blessed, hopeful," Bell said through tears after filing the lawsuit.
Disciplinary action and response
In November 2025, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility suspended Turner's law license after disciplinary proceedings connected to Bell's case.
However, in their response to Bell's lawsuit, Turner and the other defendants deny Bell's allegations and deny wrongdoing.
NewsChannel 5 contacted the defense attorney representing the defendants and is awaiting a response.
A message for consumers
McElhaney says one lesson applies beyond Bell's case. He says many clients wrongly believe they're stuck once they hire an attorney.
"A lot of clients feel like once they hire a lawyer, they're stuck with that lawyer. And the public needs to know that they're not," McElhaney said.
McElhaney said Bell's experience should remind people that they are not obligated to stay with an attorney if they lose confidence in the representation they are receiving.
"If the client becomes uncomfortable with anything that's going on, they have a right to change lawyers," McElhaney said.
Bell's legal fight is ongoing, but McElhaney hopes others can learn from what Bell says happened to him.
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