CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A Clarksville lawyer has been permanently disbarred from practicing law in Tennessee and is facing criminal charges in Montgomery County.
According to court documents obtained by Clarksville Now, attorney Joel David Ragland was not only facing repercussions from the Tennesse Board of Professional Responsibility, but an embezzlement charge in the Montgomery County court system.
The Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision to disbar Ragland comes more than a year after he was suspended for misappropriating funds, an action that was taken following his arrest last spring.
Report: Money embezzled from business partner
On March 22, 2024, the Clarksville Police Department received a report from the owner of Apex Title, Eric Yow, who stated that his business partner, Ragland, had been embezzling money from the business for at least one year, according to a copy of the arrest warrant.
At the time of the report, an audit was taking place where an estimated $85,236 had been misplaced, according to the warrant.
An in-house investigation was conducted, and in a recording between Yow and Ragland, Ragland admitted to writing multiple checks from Apex Title to his personal bank account. According to the warrant, the investigation revealed that an estimate of $60,000 was written from the trust of Apex Title to Ragland’s personal checking account.
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The affidavit further states that Ragland misappropriated funds by writing two checks to Moore Construction from Apex Title Trust to “pay back a personal loan” between Moore Construction and Ragland, totaling $25,236.
Ragland was arrested on an embezzlement charge on April 5, 2024. A March 2025 grand jury indicted Ragland on one count of theft of property greater than $60,000.
Ragland’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 24. He is also scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 12, 2026, for a final forfeiture hearing.
Clarksville Now has attempted to reach Ragland for comment.
Permanently disbarred from practicing law
The Tennessee Supreme Court announced this week that effective Wednesday, Oct. 8, Ragland had been permanently disbarred from the practice of law in the state of Tennessee.
According to a Board of Professional Responsibility news release, Ragland consented to his disbarment because he “could not successfully defend himself” against the charges relating to misappropriating funds by writing unauthorized checks against his firm’s trust account.
Jordan Renfro contributed to this report.
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