The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 21 suspended 23 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 11 of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2024 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Stuart Teicher, The CLE Performer, is back with three ethics webcasts on July 11. Don’t miss “What Emojis Teach About Lawyer Legal Ethics” at 9 a.m. CDT, “Cat Proverbs and Attorney Ethics” at 10:15 a.m. and “What Overrated Rock Bands Teach About Attorney Ethics” at 11:30 a.m. The titles say it all but for more information click on the links above to learn more or register to attend.

You’ve probably used a live chat window on a website; maybe with a business like Amazon, FedEx or an airline. Often times it’s handier than being on hold, even if you like hold music. Add the same capability to your website for client and prospect engagement. This chart compares major live chat vendors. Find this and more in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Practice Management Center.

On May 20, the Tennessee Supreme Court decided not to impose reciprocal discipline on Reagan Michelle Taylor Fondren. It previously had directed Fondren to notify the court why it should not impose the same discipline as that imposed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. In addition to considering Fondren’s response, the court states that an independent investigation was undertaken by the Board of Professional Responsibility, which determined that reciprocal discipline was not appropriate in this circumstance. The court also approved a request to file documents in the case under seal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated Coffee County lawyer Matthew Lee Harris. The court had suspended Harris on April 17 for being substantially noncompliant with a Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program (TLAP) monitoring agreement and posing a risk of substantial harm to the public. Harris petitioned the court for dissolution of the suspension on May 16. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that Harris had remedied his noncompliance and sufficiently established his fitness to practice law. The court also approved a request to file documents in the case under seal.

In preparation for the Aug. 1 primaries and the Nov. 5 general election, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is urging all Tennesseans meeting eligibility requirements to consider becoming poll workers for this year’s election cycle. For more information about becoming a poll worker, visit https://sos.tn.gov/pollworkers.

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Smith has officially launched his bid to be elected Tennessee’s District 68 state representative. He is seeking to replace Curtis Johnson, the long-time representative who recently announced his pending retirement. Clarksville Online has more on the campaign.

Dozens of officials and community members gathered in front of the Hamilton County Juvenile Court recently to celebrate the launch of a Safe Baby Court, the Times Free Press reports. Under the program, parents work with a team of professionals, including case managers, welfare workers, developmental specialists and attorneys to find the best placement for their infants and toddlers. In 2017, Tennessee passed legislation to create the "Zero to Three Court Initiative" to improve the outcome for children under age four. About 1,000 children have been involved in the program across the state since its creation.

A conservative group in Wisconsin has filed complaints against the American Bar Association (ABA), a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota and three law schools alleging bias in hiring programs for students. According to Bloomberg Law, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the complaints with the U.S. Justice and Education departments, claiming that the programs violate federal law by targeting applicants based on race, age and sexual orientation. The law schools targeted were South Texas College, the University of the Pacific and Willamette University.

Naussany Investments, the company trying to foreclose on and sell Graceland, is dropping its effort, according to the Daily Memphian. The move comes after Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins this morning postponed a planned auction. Naussany claims that Lisa Marie Presley failed to repay a $3.8 million loan she took out in 2018 using the property as collateral. Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough sued Naussany after news of the sale broke. She claims the loan documents involving her mother had been forged.