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.
An editorial in the Commercial Appeal, acknowledging the recent Justice Department report critical of the Shelby County Juvenile Court, says it's time to use that information and build on the reforms the court already has put in place. It's not the time, the paper says, "for finger pointing and racial politics."
Crossville lawyer Walter Alan Rose, 31, was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a schedule II controlled substance and was booked at the Putnam County Criminal Justice Center. Law enforcement officials had been investigating Rose for bartering legal services for narcotics. The Cookeville Herald-Citizen reports
The Chattanooga Bar Association will host its annual Law Day celebration on Thursday at the Sheraton Read House. The event will feature remarks from William T. "Bill" Robinson III, president of the American Bar Association; presentation of the 2012 Liberty Bell Award; announcement of the Law Day High School Essay Scholarship recipient; announcement of the 2012 class of Chattanooga Bar Foundation Fellows; and presentation of the Judge W. Neil Thomas III Paralegal Utilization Award. For more information contact the CBA at (423) 756-3222 or visit the association online.
Attorneys are among the professionals required to pay an annual $400 Professional Privilege Tax, which is due June 1. Tenn. Code Ann., Section 67-4-1701, imposes the tax for the privilege of holding an active license or registration, without regard to whether the profession is actually practiced in the State of Tennessee. Get more information and pay online
Lawyers and legal experts from 27 states traveled to Washington to meet with White House and Capitol Hill officials today to shake up what they see as a stalled process to fill federal judicial vacancies across the country. The Blog of Legal Times reports
A Washington Post columnist explains what happened when her brother and grandmother died without having wills. Michelle Singletary knows excuses -- to expensvie, too much paperwork -- and points out why those things are not true. The News Sentenel has it
A Putnam County commissioner has a plan to fix the current overcrowding situation at the Putnam County Justice Center. It starts with remodeling the old jail/clerk's office and making it a women's jail annex. The Herald Citizen has details
High-tech cameras that create a detailed picture of the whereabouts of cars, regardless of whether they are suspected of any link to criminal activity, are being used in Tennessee. This type of government surveillance is also raising privacy concerns across the country and is pushing police departments to consider how the cameras and records should be used. “I’m sure that there’s going to be people out there that say this is an invasion of privacy,” said Gallatin Detective James Kemp. But “the possibilities are endless there for solving crimes." The Tennessean has more
The legal sector rebounded from some of its recent employment woes last month by adding 3,900 jobs, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Revised data released by the bureau at the same time showed that those gains came on the heels of the legal sector losing 1,700 jobs in March -- 400 more than originally estimated. Factoring in last month's increase, the legal sector's total number currently stands at 1,120,900 -- the industry's highest total since June 2009 and 6,900 jobs ahead of last year's total through April. The Am Law Daily reports
Jury selection was to begin today in Chattanooga in the trial of Shanterrica Madden, accused of killing MTSU basketball guard Tina Stewart. Madden’s claim of self-defense comes at a time of intense national debate over what are known as Stand Your Ground self-defense laws, resulting from the fallout of the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. MTSU Criminal Justice professor and Murfreesboro lawyer Lance Selva explains the law and the issues a jury will have to consider when deciding whether to believe a claim of self-defense. The Tennessean has the story
In an editorial, the Times-Free Press says "it is entirely reasonable that Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill linking welfare benefits to drug tests for recipients" who are suspected of using drugs. The paper says multigenerational dependence on welfare is a serious enough problem already and the move should help "stop subsidizing lifestyles of drug abusers."
The ABA YLD Spring Meeting wrapped up this past weekend with a legal clinic for veterans, a presentation by the TBA YLD, and an award ceremony honoring two Tennessee lawyers. Attorneys from across the country in Nashville for the meeting helped serve 20 veterans during Project Salute. Later, Memphis lawyer and YLD Diversity Committee Chair Ahsaki Baptist spoke to attendees about the group’s Diversity Leadership Institute, which was named one of four finalists for the ABA’s Next Steps Challenge Grant. The conference wrapped up Saturday with a panel discussion featuring Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William C. Koch, Vanderbilt Law School Professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch speaking about recent funding cuts and attacks on the judicary. TBA Executive Director Allan F. Ramsaur moderated the discussion.
Of the 33 legislative primary races this year, the majority involve GOP incumbants, the TNReport says. There are 26 GOP legislators facing challengers, while only 10 sitting Democratic lawmakers face primary opposition. As a result of redistricting, however, four of these races will pit incumbent against incumbent. The primary election is Aug. 2.
The East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (ETLAW) will celebrate Law Day with a luncheon on Wednesday at noon, with the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court. The event will take place at the Foundry, 747 Worlds Fair Park Drive in Knoxville. The guest speaker is Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Email Terry Woods or call 865-384-2175 for more information. Download a copy of the invitation
Legal Aid of East Tennessee -- in collaboration with the Bristol Motor Speedway, Speedway Children’s Charities and East Tennessee Region Sports Car Club of America -- held a benefit event at the Speedway on Sunday, where about 100 drivers competed in the “Solo Time” autocross. Competitors also had an opportunity to try out the drag strip. The first-time effort earned $9,000, to be shared between LAET and Speedway Children’s Charities. Commemorative t-shirts are available. For information, t-shirt, a schedule of upcoming fundraising events or registration information, contact Dave Yoder.
Watchdog organization Law School Transparency has recalculated estimates of the debt that law students stand to incur after discovering that a number of schools had low-balled the cost-of-living figures that they provided to U.S. News & World Report. On average, schools underreported those expenses by $5,000, Law School Transparency's Executive Director Kyle McEntee says. For the class of 2015 — that is, students who will enroll in the fall — the new figure is $210,796 (compared to the initial estimate of $195,265). The National Law Journal reports
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the convictions of two disbarred Kentucky lawyers for a scheme to bilk clients of settlement money in the "fen-phen" diet drug litigation. The case, which alleged that the drug caused heart valve problems, settled for about $200 million, plus an extra $450,000 to settle new claims. The lawyers' retainer agreements with their individual clients called for each client's lawyer to collect about one-third of what the client recovered. According to the Sixth Circuit ruling, the clients ultimately received a total of about $73.5 million — less than 37 percent of the total settlement. Meanwhile, these lawyers and several others got $106.5 million. The National Law Journal has the story
The frantic efforts of Dewey & LeBoeuf's leaders to save the struggling firm appear to have reached a dead end, with sources inside and outside the firm familiar with its operations telling the The Am Law Daily Thursday that Dewey is poised to close by May 15 and possibly sooner.
Jacob W. Fendley and Elizabeth Fendley Hahn made history this spring by being the first siblings to simultaneously graduate from the Nashville School of Law. Following graduation, both passed the bar exam and now they practice in Clarksville with their father, Mart G. Fendley. The Leaf-Chronicle has a picture
A unique program started by Bradley County Juvenile Judge Daniel Swafford is using a garden to help improve student behavior. Kids from county schools who are either in detention or in a day treatment center program -- part of the Bradley County school system to provide mentoring about behavior -- have an opportunity to spend time weeding and helping out in the garden. Officer Ricky Tallent said about 90 percent of the day treatment center kids go back to their regular classrooms with fewer or diminished behavior issues. The Times Free Press has this story
