| Tennessee Bar Association

April, 2010

Cover Story

Your Clients Need to Know the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction

In early colonial America, and as late as 1829 in Tennessee,[1] individuals were often branded on their hand after being convicted of a crime. While branding has long been outlawed, the extensive use of criminal background checks by employers, landlords, and others...

Feature Story

Lawyer in the Box

Don't worry. You'll be back in the office by lunch. Lawyers always get excused from the jury box during voir dire. WRONG! Maybe the seventh time is the charm. At least, it used to be my lucky number. After being called for jury duty twice in the last 10 years (once civil, once criminal), and being excused from six juries, they finally got me.

Feature Story

Daisy Root's Trial

One of my favorite Tennessee killers is Daisy Alexander Root. She rid Memphis of cruel husband Brenton Root around 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 1935.

Who were these two? Daisy Alexander was born on April 16, 1905, in Decatur, Ala. Soon the family moved to Pontotoc, Miss. The parents separated when Daisy was 11; after divorce her mother married R....

President's Perspective

The TBA 'Family'

We can all relate to the wonderful feeling we get when someone compliments us on a family member's accomplishment or thoughtfulness. I get that wonderful feeling all year long, thanks to the outstanding performance and fantastic attitude of our dedicated Tennessee Bar Association staff members. Their work on behalf of your bar association is critical to...

People

General Sessions Court Judge Dan Eisenstein, who presides over the Davidson County Mental Health Court, recently recognized and thanked representatives of Subway Development of Tennessee for the company's donation of Subway restaurant gift cards to the Mental Health Court's probation treatment program. The gift cards are used as rewards...

Criminal Law

Keeping Your Client Out of Jail (the Second Time)

Getting one's client out of jail on bond or obtaining a suspended sentence is certainly a good result. However, this does not end the lawyer's obligation to assist the client in staying out of further trouble. For many clients the shock of incarceration sometimes lasts only a few weeks. Clients may lapse back into the "bad behavior" that caused them to...

But Seriously, Folks

The Cover-up: Invoking One's Privilege Against Self-Tattoo-Ization

We all have our prejudices, and let me admit mine. I don't like tattoos. Actually, it's worse than that. I hate tattoos. I hate tattoos on men, and I really hate tattoos on women.

Bank on It

Feud is Alive and Raw for Banks and Credit Unions

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Al Capone and Bugs Moran. The Hatfields and the McCoys. The Montagues and the Capulets: famous feuds that evoke specific images of warring enemies. We know them from history and fiction, but unless you pay close attention to the financial services industry, you may not know much about the blood feud between banks and...

Book Review

Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator

By Sam Davis Elliott | Louisiana State University Press | $48 | 352 pages | 2010

News

Jackie Dixon to Lead TBA in 2012

Association Elections

Nashville lawyer Jacqueline (Jackie) Dixon was elected vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association and will become its president in 2012-2013.

Dixon is a partner in the newly created firm of Weatherly McNally & Dixon, which focuses on criminal defense, complex personal injury and domestic relations cases. She...

Letters of the Law

Judges should keep friends, on Facebook and in the real world

[This letter was written to columnist Bill Haltom.] I thoroughly enjoyed your column in the TBJ about the proposed Florida Ethics Opinion prohibiting lawyers and judges for being "friends" on Facebook (But Seriously, Folks, "If You Are a Judge, You Better Get a Dog...

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: Mark Anthony Carey, Buffalo, N.Y.; Nathan William Conrey, Old Hickory; Clay Spencer Nails, Corinth, Miss.

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Paine on Procedure

The Trial of Louis Fain

Carrie Allen left her family home in Bean Station and moved to Knoxville. In 1932 she was 24, working as cashier at the S & W Cafeteria, and living on the second floor of a boarding house at 614 West Church Ave. Louis Fain and his family moved from New Market to Knoxville when he was a young boy; his mother was dead. In 1932 he was about 26, selling...