State mourns death of Judge Bob Moon
Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon died in his home early Thursday morning from what appears to be a massive heart attack, according to Hamilton County courthouse officials. Moon, a lifelong resident of Hamilton County, earned his law degree at Memphis State in 1976 and returned to the area to begin practicing law. He served as Signal Mountain City judge for 13 years before becoming a General Sessions judge in 1996. General Sessions Court Judge Ben Hall McFarlin, president of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference, said that "Judge Moon served on the bench with great honor and dignity for many years. He was also adept at striking the right balance between serving the court, his community and spending time doing the things he enjoyed with the people he loved."
Funeral services have been set for Saturday at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home and on Saturday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian. Burial will be in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.
Read more from the Chattanooga Times Free Press
Haslam, Harwell, Ramsey unite on judicial selection plan
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey earlier this week proposed a constitutional amendment that would set in stone the state's merit selection system for appointing appellate judges. Haslam said the amendment is needed to settle once and for all the long dispute over how judges are named and elected. "The uncertainty surrounding the process, the differences on what the constitution means and the effect that these have on the judicial branch are all results that no one wants," Haslam said. "This is the best way to handle it." TBA Executive Director Allan Ramsaur has argued that such a constitutional amendment is unnecessary but said that if the General Assembly decides it is, the association will support it.
Read more in the Tennessean
Herron announces plans to step down
Tennessee Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, has announced plans not to run for office in 2012, but instead serve as president of the Ned McWherter Center for Rural Development when his current term expires. The center, a non-profit, non-partisan, charitable organization that provides scholarships and educational opportunities for Tennessee students, was founded in 2008 with the blessing of former Gov. McWherter.
Humphrey on the Hill has more
Download Herron's statement
New bar foundation fellows named
The Tennessee Bar Foundation has named its 2011 class of fellows. The group includes Athens lawyer Bridget J. Willhite; Bristol lawyer Julie Poe Bennett; Chattanooga lawyers William E. Godbold III and Don Wayne Poole; Decherd lawyer Steven M. Blount; Dyersburg lawyer Jeffrey L. Lay; Franklin lawyers Joanie L. Abernathy and Mark Hartzog; Jackson lawyer Jeffrey P. Boyd; Knoxville lawyers Beecher A. Bartlett Jr., Donna R. Davis, Tony Farmer and Wayne A. Ritchie II; Lawrenceburg lawyers Charles W. Holt Jr. and Patricia B. McGuire; Lewisburg lawyer Michael M. Boyd; Memphis lawyers Leslie I. Ballin, Elizabeth T. Collins, Jef Feibelman, Monice M. Hagler, Robert L. Hutton, Jon P. McCalla and Shepherd D. Tate; Morristown lawyer John F. Dugger Jr.; Nashville lawyers Martha L. Boyd, Daniel L. Clayton, William J. Haynes III, Robert J. Mendes, Edward S. Ryan, Keith B. Simmons, Robert H. Waldschmidt and Sheree C. Wright; and Rogersville lawyer Kindall T. Lawson.
Legal aid groups plan additional layoffs in 2012
With the U.S. House and Senate cutting funding for civil legal assistance to the poor by about 14 percent for this budget year, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) reports that an ongoing wave of layoffs and staff reductions already engulfing local programs will likely worsen. The group released a survey today indicating that legal aid agencies plan to lay off 393 employees in 2012, including 163 attorneys. That makes for an expected loss of 1,226 full-time personnel compared with 2010 staffing levels.
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports
Bar Center directions
How to get to the Tennessee Bar Center.
If your email address changes
Remember to tell us if your email address changes so you don't miss out on any TBA benefit or service. Go online or contact the TBA at (800) 899-6993.
|
|
|
Journal online
Pro Bono from Home ... and Other Unlikely Places
OnlineTNJustice.org makes providing pro bono easier for clients and lawyers
Read about this and more in the January Tennessee Bar Journal.
Free online research for TBA members
Unlimited online legal research is now available free to all TBA members through an agreement with Fastcase, a leading online legal research firm.
TBA offers insurance services
Responding to member needs for health disability, life and professional liability insurance, the TBA now provides TBA Member Insurance Solutions. The program offers TBA members experienced agents and highly rated carriers.
Court approves first major amendments to ethics rules
The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted the first set of comprehensive amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct since the new rules became effective in March 2003. These amendments became effective Jan. 1, 2011. Find information about the new rules and the changes they will bring to the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct.
|
|
|
