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.
Recently appointed Eighth Judicial District District Attorney General Lori Jones rallied support for the Stand in the Gap anti-drug program Sunday. Other counties taking part in the coalition include Claiborne, Campbell, Hawkins, Hancock, Union, along with Lee County, Va., and Bell County, Ky. Learn more about he coalition’s efforts from the Claiborne Progress.
Fundraising in Shelby County’s district attorney general’s race is heavily lopsided, with incumbent Amy Weirich already bringing in more than $250,000, while her challenger, Memphis lawyer and former state legislator Carol Chumney, has only brought in about $3,500, the Commercial Appeal reports. Political analysts look at whether Chumney’s name recognition will let her overcome the fundraising disadvantage.
Sentencing for Shanterrica Madden, convicted in the killing of her college roommate, MTSU basketball player Tina Stewart, has been rescheduled to Tuesday. The sentencing hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in Circuit Court Judge Don Ash’s courtroom, the Daily News Journal reports.
With Rhea County commissioners looking at construction of a new justice center, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that officials and historical preservation activists are asking them to keep the old structure in mind as they make their plans. "The courthouse is like any other building. If it is not used, it will deteriorate and collapse. We don't want that to happen,” Tom Davis, chair of the Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society's board says.
The Shelbyville woman who backed out of her adoption of a 7-year-old Russian boy by putting him on a plane to Moscow has lost her bid to keep from paying $150,000 in child support, the New York Times reports.
Robert Carter on Friday was named by Gov. Bill Haslam to succeed 17th Judicial District Attorney General Chuck Crawford, who is resigning effective July 31. Carter, 31, of Fayetteville, will serve the unexpired portion of Crawford's term as district attorney until results of the August 2014 election take effect. The Marshall County Tribune reports that Carter has been an assistant district attorney since 2010, most recently prosecuting DUI cases and previously working in the child support division.
Russell Gray has been named managing shareholder of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz’s Chattanooga office. Gray assumes the role held for seven years by Joe Conner, who will continue his commercial litigation practice with the firm. Read more about Gray in the Hamilton County Herald.
Knox County lawyer John O. Threadgill was disbarred June 6, and then a second time on July 12 by the Tennessee Supreme Court. He was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $24,000 to four former clients. The Board of Professional Responsibility filed petitions for discipline against him pursuant to Rule 9, Section 8.2, of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, charging him with misappropriation of client funds, neglect of client matters, failure to communicate with clients, and practicing law while suspended. The board also filed a petition for final discipline against him based upon his guilty plea to theft in State of Tennessee v. Threadgill. Download the BPR release
The erosion of new associate hiring at law firms has resulted in a dramatic three-year decline in starting salaries for recent law graduates. Research by NALP, formerly the National Association for Law Placement, found that average starting salaries for members of the class of 2011 holding full-time jobs fell by 6.5 percent compared with the previous class, to $78,653 from $84,111. The median reported salary dropped by 5 percent, to $60,000 from $63,000. The median starting salary has dropped by 17 percent since 2009, according to NALP, and the average salary has decreased by 16 percent. Learn more from the National Law Journal
Chattanooga lawyer Bo Hixson talks about his 25 years of commercial litigation practice -- and his involvement with P.A.T.H. (Partnering With Attorneys to Help) to General Sessions Court. Through this program, individuals with a case on the Monday docket can receive basic information about Sessions Court rules and procedures from volunteer attorneys. Although Hixson is on the board of the Chattanooga Bar Association, which launched the program, he was not an immediate believer in P.A.T.H. “I was skeptical about it at first because of my concern about an attorney crossing the line from giving general guidance to giving legal advice,” he says. Then he volunteered one Monday morning, and the experience changed his opinion. Read more from the Hamilton County Herald
With unprecedented numbers of distressed litigants applying for free legal services, reaching out to lawyers for reduced fees, or representing themselves, the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission continues to work to help people who can't afford a lawyer. The Nashville Ledger explores the progress, including the recent data showing an increase of Tennessee attorneys doing free legal work, and the publication of the court's eight plain-language divorce forms. Anne-Louise Wirthlin, the court's Access to Justice Coordinator, says judges and court clerks are reporting an increase in people using the forms, and the ATJ Commission is in the process of developing plain-language forms for other situations.
The Nashville Pro Bono Program and attorneys from Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP are also involved in this effort, hosting monthly programs to explain self representation. The first is Aug. 7, from 5-7 p.m., at the Legal Aid Society’s downtown headquarters.
The third and final in a series of debates hosted by the Bradley County Bar Association and the Cleveland Lions Club is set for July 17, with candidates in the 3rd and 4th Congressional district races. The forum will be at the Johnson Theatre at Cleveland State Community College at 6:30 p.m., with a theme of "An informed vote is the best vote." The Cleveland Daily Banner urges readers to attend the forum and writes that "sometimes it’s just best to hear what [candidates] have to say, and how they say it, in person and up-close in a comfortable, nonpartisan and enclosed atmosphere," and praises the bar association and Lions Club for organizing the events.
The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Johnson City lawyer Bryan Bradley Martin on July 11 for one year, but allowed him to serve all time on probation. Martin submitted a conditional guilty plea that he neglected clients’ matters and failed to communicate with his clients. The court found his actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2 and 8.4. Download the BPR release
With U.S. District Court Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays's ruling yesterday that municipal schools referendums in the greater Memphis area may take place, a Sept. 4 trial date has been set to determine whether statutes allowing the referendums are constitutional. Mays agreed that submissions of possible evidence for the non-jury trial, which will focus narrowly on the issue of whether the Public Chapter 905 law is invalid because it applies only to Shelby County, would be due Aug. 10 -- eight days after the Aug. 2 referendums. Read more in the Commercial Appeal
Beginning today, registered voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for the August 2 state primary and county general elections. Early voting continues through July 28. Whether you vote early or on election day, valid state or federal photo identification is now required when voting in person. The Secretary of State's Office has more on this year's voter requirements. Help for voters is available in many areas, including these guides for Memphis and Knoxville
George Thomas, one of four suspects in the January 2007 slayings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, has filed a motion invoking his right to a speedy trial in a move designed to prevent the Knox County District Attorney from challenging — for a second time — Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood's decision to grant Thomas a new trial. Thomas' new trial had been set to begin in October, however, prosecutors have been trying to block it. The News Sentinel has the latest in the case.
Judge Samuel Mays ruled today that the Aug. 2 municipal schools referendums in the greater Memphis area may take place, with early voting to begin Friday. The ruling ended a daylong hearing, in which Mays listened to representatives from the Shelby County Commission and the suburbs, which want residents to vote on whether to start separate school districts. According to the Commercial Appeal, Mays is still discussing the possibility of not certifying votes on the referendum until a decision is made on the constitutionality of legislation that allows for the creation of multiple municipal school systems in the county.
Hamilton County residents reportedly are receiving a “prank” phone message indicating they have failed to report for jury duty and will be fined $500 and serve a 30-day prison sentence. Victims are being contacted via text and/or email and told to call a number to receive a message. The phone numbers are (704) 319-7254 and (704) 319-7242. Officials say this prank is happening all over the country and that citizens should not to call the numbers. While the punishment for failing to report for jury duty in Hamilton County is accurate, officials says they would never text or email that information. Instead, no-shows would receive a letter or a subpoena with a court date. Read more on Chattanoogan.com
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility has filed a petition for discipline against Paul Rush, an assistant district attorney in the 10th Judicial District, which covers Bradley, McMinn, Polk and Monroe counties. The petition states that Rush knew a key witness in Cleveland's 1999 Valentine's Day triple slaying was going to be prosecuted on check fraud charges, but didn't tell defense attorneys until one or two days before the trial began. His failure to share the information, according to the petition, triggered a mistrial and allowed the murder defendant to walk free. The Times Free Press reports
