| Tennessee Bar Association

February, 2010

Cover Story

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Begins New Life at Historic Downtown Campus

Like a church, a structure doesn't make a school. But adding state-of-the-art AV/IT equipment, live-client clinics, courtrooms, wireless, and 169,000 square feet of well-lit space doesn't hurt. The "countdown to downtown" for the University of...

Feature Story

'Boynton Cab' Revisited

What Ain't Misbehavin' for Unemployment Insurance Purposes?

As claims for unemployment insurance (UI) continue to rise with a worsening economy, more employers are challenging them in order to avoid increased tax rates that may result from being charged for those benefits. The unemployment insurance program is a joint federal/state program[1]...

Feature Story

Losing Battles but Winning Wars

Tennessee Department of Revenue

This article is a discussion of cases in which the Tennessee Department of Revenue has been the losing party in tax litigation, but has been successful in having the Tennessee General Assembly change Tennessee statutes, so that the Department's losing position in tax litigation becomes the correct position for...

President's Perspective

When We Work Together, We Are Stronger and Better

Diversity in the Profession

One of the most frequent and welcome comments I have heard during my term as president of the TBA from lawyers, judges, professors, journalists and others who are interested in the law is the fact that Tennessee currently has a female state bar association president (I am the fourth after Pam Reeves, Katie Edge and...

People

Nashville lawyer Christy Sawyer recently opened Lindsey...

But Seriously, Folks

If You Are a Judge, You Better Get a Dog

My best friend is a judge. In fact, we are more than friends. We are lovers. We've been sleeping together for 28 years. But we are not living in sin. We're living in Memphis, although I must admit that it is sometimes hard to tell the difference.

News

Annual Leadership Conference Celebrates, Educates, Governs

Tennessee Bar Association

The Tennessee Bar Association's annual Leadership Conference in Nashville, Jan. 15-17, included meetings of the TBA House of Delegates, which debates and makes recommendations on issues of importance to the law, lawyers and law practice; the Taskforce on Judicial Conduct Rules; the Committee on Racial and Ethnic...

Disciplinary Actions

Reinstated

The following attorneys have been reinstated to the practice of law after complying with Supreme Court Rule 21, which requires mandatory continuing legal education:
Daniel William Champney, Nashville
Norman Gregory Durham, Sanford, N.C.
Andre Philip Johnson, Nashville...

Paine on Procedure

The Trial of Cecil Johnson

Almost three decades after he murdered three humans in cold blood, Cecil C. Johnson Jr. was executed on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 at 1:34 a.m. CST.

The Supreme Court opinion at 632 S.W.2d 542 reports what he did to deserve the death penalty. In 1980 on July 6 Johnson told Victor Davis that he was going to rob Bell's Market on Twelfth Avenue South in...

The Law at Work

Non-Compete Agreements: It's Not All About You, Employers

In these times of economic woe, employers can add another thing to their list of worries — the unavailability of jobs and falling salaries may actually expose employers to what previously would have been considered unfair competition.