The Tennessee Supreme Court today denied a motion from Knox County lawyer Keri Elizabeth Rule for a show cause hearing. The court took the action after the Board of Professional Responsibility opposed it.

Vanderbilt Law School students Evan Donaldson and Mary-Preston Austin were top performers at the Region 8 mock trial competition in Memphis and qualified for the upcoming National Trial Competition in San Antonio in March. “Evan and Mary-Preston were the epitome of poise and professionalism, and each earned a perfect cross examination score in the final round,” said Annie Berry Anselman, adjunct professor of law, who coaches the team and teaches Trial Advocacy at the school.

Baker Donelson President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Keller tells the Memphis Business Journal that the law firm is reassessing its office needs companywide. Keller, who works out of the firm’s Tri-Cities office in Johnson City, is the former chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Department. Read more of her comments and how the evaluation process may impact the firm’s two-office approach in Memphis.

Plan now to take part in the Tennessee Bar Association’s TBA Day on the Hill on March 22. The event gives TBA members an opportunity to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession, such as the professional privilege tax and funding for indigent representation. Activities begin with a luncheon, followed by meetings with legislators in the afternoon, and the annual Big Shrimp legislative reception that night. Sign up now to take part.

An article in yesterday’s issue of TBA Today indicated that the new law firm of Herzfeld, Suetholz, Gastel, Leniski and Wall (HSGLaW) will assume work on opioid litigation previously handled by Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings. In fact, the new firm will take over responsibility for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) baby cases. Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, which is rebranding as Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, will continue to handle governmental opioid work.

The American Bar Association recently released a list of lawyers across the country who achieved the distinction of ABA Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Leader in 2022. The group of 140, which includes nine lawyers in Tennessee, handled the most pro bono questions through the ABA Free Legal Answers portal. Lawyers had to answer at least 50 civil legal questions to be included. Tennessee lawyers recognized are: Kevin D Balkwill, Ethics Law PLLC; Richard B. Gossett; Bryan C. Hathorn; Samantha Lunn, Law Offices of Samantha A. Lunn; Mary Jo Middlebrooks, Middlebrooks & Gray; Bruce A. Ralston, Law Office of Bruce A. Ralston; Carl E. Seely, Divorce Incorporated; and Yasmin K. Stiggons and Brian M. Wetzstein, Husch Blackwell. Five law firms with offices in Tennessee also were recognized for answering at least 75 questions in 2022: Butler Snow, Husch Blackwell, Jackson Lewis, and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. See the full lists.

Registration is now open for the Legal Aid Society’s 5th Annual Breakfast of Champions set for April 5 in Nashville. The breakfast, which will run from 8-9 a.m. CDT at City Winery, is the group’s signature fundraising event. Funds raised will directly impact low-income and vulnerable communities in Middle Tennessee.

Human rights experts with the United Nations’ Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER) say they have grave concerns with the death of Tyre Nichols, the Commercial Appeal reports. While acknowledging the quick arrest of the officers involved, the group said in a statement that “The horrifying footage of [the] beating is an alarming reminder of the urgent need of genuinely new approaches to traffic safety, traffic stops, and public safety more broadly." EMLER officials plan to visit the United States in April to work with government officials and stakeholders to address police brutality. Last week, Nichols’ family filed an urgent appeal asking the United Nations to condemn Nichols’ death. The Hill has more on that story.

A state House subcommittee yesterday approved a narrow exception to the Tennessee Human Life Protection Act, which took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case. The amended bill, HB883, would clarify that termination of a pregnancy for the following reasons would not constitute a criminal abortion: medical emergencies, disposal of unimplanted fertilized eggs, removal of ectopic or molar pregnancies, medically futile pregnancies or lethal fetal anomalies. The state currently has no explicit exception in its abortion ban. Instead, the law allows doctors to argue that an abortion was medically necessary. The bill approved by the subcommittee would remove this “affirmative defense” language, WJHL reports.

Save the date for the 2023 Intellectual Property Forum set for April 28 in Nashville. The night before, attendees are invited to a networking reception from 5-7 p.m. CDT to kick off the program. Watch for more details about speakers, topics and pricing coming soon.