Stay current with legal news in Tennessee. This page features the latest news for and about the Tennessee legal community, either produced by the Tennessee Bar Association or collected from news sources.
The Jackson-Madison County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is hosting “Pour Your Heart Out for CASA” – a wine tasting and fundraiser for the Madison County CASA program. The event will take place May 30 at 5:30 p.m. at Flatiron Grille, 1160 Vann Drive, Jackson 38305. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online. For more information contact Terica Smith at terica.n.smith@gmail.com.
The Tennessee Supreme Court recently agreed to hear two civil cases. The first addresses business liability when customers injure third parties. The suit will test whether businesses have a duty to take steps to protect customers from reasonably foreseeable risks, which in this case involved an inebriated customer who was expelled from the store and then caused a car accident in the parking lot. The second case concerns surrogacy agreements and the rights of a surrogate who changed her mind about giving up the child. The Raybin Perky Hot List has a summary of each case.
The Chattanooga Bar Foundation has elected its 2013 class of fellows. They are: Judge Suzanne Bailey, Wade K. Cannon, Larry L. Cash, William G. Colvin, Lee Davis, Richard B. Gossett, H. Wayne Grant, Jennifer H. Lawrence, Linda J. Norwood, Dana B. Perry, Judge Christie M. Sell and Richard C. Wagner.
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear a First Amendment case involving town board meetings in Greece, N.Y., that include prayer. It will be the first time in three decades that the court has taken a case involving the constitutionality of prayer at the opening of a government meeting, SCOTUSblog reports. It was one of five cases accepted for the October term. The others deal with the right of airline passengers to sue over frequent flyer issues, whistleblower protections for contract employees, constitutionality of home searches when only one resident gives consent, and the burden of proof in patent cases when infringement claims also are made.
A recent editorial in the Tennessean urges Davidson County Probate Judge David Randy Kennedy to remove Public Guardian Jeanan Mills Stuart from office, citing reports that she has overbilled clients and charged a lawyer rate for countless tasks that have nothing to do with legal expertise. Kennedy recently removed Stuart from a pending case and said he would not assign others to her until reviewing her conduct.
Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law the first major revisions in more than a decade to the state law that governs the process of placing state residents under the control of a court-appointed conservator. The new statute, which will take effect July 1, was the product of a series of hearings held across the state by the TBA. Speaking about the legislation, House sponsor Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, said that the “intent of this law is to clarify the process, to make sure people aren’t being taken advantage of.” The Tennessean has the latest developments. TBA members will be able to learn more during a program at the 2013 TBA Convention in Nashville that focuses on changes in the law that came out of the last General Assembly session.
Adams and Reese, a New Orleans-based law firm with a Tennessee presence in Memphis and Nashville, has merged with Columbia, S.C.-based firm Ellis Lawhorne, to create a new office in that state. Nashville attorney Gif Thornton, who chairs Adams and Reese's executive committee, said "The merger is beneficial for both firms with Adams and Reese expanding its regional footprint and Ellis Lawhorne extending its reach for its clients” into six southern states and the nation's capital. Read more on the firm’s website.
Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Jim Henry, the temporary head of the troubled Department of Children's Services (DCS), as the department’s new permanent director. He will take office on June 1, WBIR News 10 reports. Henry, who has continued to serve as commissioner of the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) during the interim period will be replaced there by Debra Payne, a deputy commissioner. Read more about the Henry and Payne appointments in the governor's announcement.
The Knoxville-based law firm Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones PC has opened an office in Chattanooga. The firm is currently sharing space with the law office of Bob E. Lype & Associates at 6181 Vance Rd. Wimberly Lawson, which focuses on labor and employment, commercial, business, insurance and immigration law, has offices in Knoxville, Nashville, Cookeville and Morristown. Chattanoogan.com has more on the firm’s plans.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is seeking applicants for two fellowship programs. The first is open to lawyers who have experience working on legal or policy issues related to pro bono legal assistance, crime victim legal issues or victims’ legal rights. The candidate selected will assist OVC build capacity for the provision of free legal assistance to victims of crime. The second fellowship will focus on developing communication strategies to reach victims, service providers and other professionals, and proposing ways to better leverage OVC’s existing resources for victims. Each fellowship is designed to span a four-year period with funding of $135,000 provided in the first year. Applications must be submitted by June 10.
The Nashville Bar Association (NBA) will hold its annual memorial service this Thursday to honor the lives and legal careers of lawyers and judges who died this past year. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the Downtown Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow in the church’s Fellowship Hall. This year’s service will remember Charles Galbreath, Houston Hagar, Judge Shelton Hatcher Jr., Mary Schaffner, Martin Simmons, Tom Ware and William Wommack.
President Barack Obama will discuss the legality of his administration's secret drone program and other counterterrorism practices during a speech Thursday at the National Defense University, a White House official told the Associated Press. The speech is an attempt to be more "transparent" with the public about the controversial drone program that has become the centerpiece of the White House's efforts to combat terrorism. The president also is expected to discuss efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which he has promised to do. WRCB-TV Chattanooga has more on the story.
The Rhea County Commission will once again renew talks of purchasing property for the construction of a new jail or justice center at its meeting this week, The Herald-News reports. According to a meeting agenda released by the county executive’s office, commissioners will discuss two properties currently under consideration for the project.
After seven trials, an episode of judicial corruption and 302 court appearances, the six-year saga to bring to justice those responsible for the torture-slayings of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian is one step closer to reality, Knoxnews reports. On Friday, a Davidson County jury, brought to Knoxville to hear a retrial of the case, found George Thomas guilty of the carjacking, kidnapping, rape and slaying of the young couple. But the jury gave Thomas’ defenders what they asked for, opting to impose a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Senior Judge Walter Kurtz, who is overseeing the case, could add time to the sentence when he considers whether to label Thomas a dangerous offender. That proceeding is set for June 4.
The TBA room block at the convention headquarters hotel, the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel, is now full. However, the TBA has made arrangements for attendees to receive a special $239 per night rate at the Hermitage Hotel, located one block from the Sheraton. Make reservations at this five-diamond-rated hotel by calling (888) 888-9414 or visiting the hotel’s website.
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder is featured in a recent post on Exchange, the blog of the ABA Center for Pro Bono. Holder shares her insights about the role of the judiciary in promoting pro bono service and reflects on Tennessee’s access to justice initiatives. When asked about the challenges of promoting pro bono service, Holder acknowledged the volume of cases as well as the need to help employers create an environment and culture that encourages pro bono work. And for those who think they are too busy to volunteer, Holder has this advice: “The response that you get from someone who truly needs legal services … is something you cannot replicate in any other aspect of your professional life. So once you do it, even though you think you don’t have the time, you tend to get pretty hooked. That’s when you start to remember why you went to law school — to help other people.”
Gov. Bill Haslam will administer the oath of office to Tennessee’s newest Court of Appeals judge, Thomas R. Frierson II, Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. at the Morristown-Hamblen High School West. Dignitaries, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary R. Wade, Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Charles Susano Jr., Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittain and Morristown Mayor Danny Thomas will be on hand to give remarks. A reception will follow the ceremony. Haslam appointed Frierson in February to fill a vacancy created when Judge Herschel P. Franks retired at the end of 2012. Prior to his appointment, Frierson was a chancellor in the Third Judicial District, serving Greene, Hamblen, Hancock and Hawkins counties. The AOC reported the news.
The Shelby County Chancery Court has proposed amendments to its local rules that will take effect July 1. The court is accepting public comments through June 14. Comments or questions should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Central to Donna L. Russell, Clerk and Master, Chancery Court of Shelby County, 140 Adams Ave., Room 308, Memphis, TN 38103.
A group of 19 young lawyers recently graduated from the Memphis Bar Association’s 2012-2013 Leadership Forum. They are: David Biggers, Anne Davis, Jake Dickerson, Amber Floyd, Lisa Gill, Adam Johnson, Brooks Kostakis, Christina Kurdilla, Gabrielle Lewis, Omar Malik, Laura Martin, Michael C. McLaren, Melisa Moore, Ruchee Patel, Shayla Purifoy, Robert Ratton, Maya Siggers, Tony Silva and Mary Wagner. In addition to leadership training, the group made several presentations to middle school and high school students and conducted a legal clinic for veterans. See photos from the graduation ceremony.
University of Memphis School of Law professor Lee Harris has been named among the most influential minority law professors in the nation by the magazine Lawyers of Color. Harris has taught at the school since 2005 in the areas of contracts, corporations and mergers and acquisitions. Before joining the Memphis faculty, he worked at Baker Donelson in Memphis. Harris earned his law degree from Yale and was a visiting student at the London School of Economics. The publication also recently recognized the school's Tennessee Institute for PreLaw as a successful program giving diverse high school students the opportunity to be eligible for law school admission.
