Robert Conrad Jr. will take over as director of the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts as of March 1, Bloomberg Law reports. Conrad will replace Roslynn R. Mauskopf, who is stepping down at the end of this month. Lee Ann Bennett, the office’s deputy director, will lead the agency in an acting capacity for the month of February. Conrad has spent nearly two decades on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, including seven years as chief judge. He took senior status this past May. The office oversees administrative business affecting the federal court system, including drafting the judiciary’s budget requests to Congress. Read more in a press release from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is opposing sunsetting of the Board of Court Reporting and elimination of the licensure requirements for court reporters in the state. In a statement, the council writes that, “properly trained and licensed court reporters” are necessary for certain juvenile court proceedings, including termination of parental rights. Because of the high stakes involved in these cases, the council says it is vital that transcripts accurately reflect what happens. Without licensed court reporters, the group says it is concerned that the “legitimacy and authenticity of the transcript may be challenged” — potentially leading an appellate court to vacate or reverse a juvenile court decision with “catastrophic consequences for the child and prospective adoptive family.” Public comments on possible sunsetting of the court reporting board were accepted through Jan. 19.

Today is recognized as the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, an observance that recognizes the courage of legal professionals who work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law and champion human rights at risk to their own safety. According to a statement from ABA President Mary Smith, this year’s recognition focuses on the situation in Iran, where since 2022, some 66 lawyers have been arrested and detained for defending those held by Iranian security forces for participating in human rights protests. But Smith notes that lawyers, judges and their staff around the world face harassment, including in the United States, where she says there is a “troubling increase” in “intimidation and threats of violence.”

Warning that crime in Shelby County is at a “crisis point,” state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, has asked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathon Skrmetti for a legal opinion on possible ways to speed cases through the justice system. The Tennessee Journal reports that, according to Taylor, there are 300 pending murder trials in the county, with more being added each day. In his letter to Skrmetti, Taylor writes that Shelby County Criminal Court judges have tried only 40 criminal jury trials in 2023 compared to some 200 per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor also notes that former Memphis mayor Jim Strickland and District Attorney Steve Mulroy have called for action.

Clarksville lawyer Kevin C. Kennedy of The Kennedy Law Firm recently received a Golden Gavel Award at the National Trial Lawyers Summit, which was held in Miami, Florida. Kennedy received the award for his legal internship program. For decades, The Kennedy Law Firm has provided a legal internship program that has allowed high school, college and law school students to experience the real-life practice of law. Participants in the program also hear each year from area judges, who share their experiences and how they achieved their positions on the bench.

The state got the green light this month for a $3.1 million project to install special bullet and riot resistant laminate film on the windows of eight state government buildings in Nashville, The Tennessee Journal reports. Approval from the General Assembly’s Fiscal Review Committee came after the Department of General Services addressed concerns raised by lawmakers over a proposed no-bid contract. State officials said the vendor selected was the only one that could provide the product with the highest degree of security.

The TBA's Tax Law Section will present its annual forum on Feb. 1, live in Knoxville with viewing sites in Nashville and Chattanooga. Make plans now to gather with colleagues at the Nashville offices of Lewis Thomason to join the livestream. This year's program will focus on the tax implications of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) new policy on name, image and likeness (NIL) activities. E. Michael Brezina, a Knoxville attorney and law professor who also co-founded Next Level Athletics and Varsity Sports Group, will lead this fascinating discussion. Can't make it to Nashville? Check out opportunities for joining from the Olsen Law Firm in Chattanooga.

The TBA’s next book club discussion event will take place Wednesday with Preston Lauterbach, author of “Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis.” The event will take place virtually on Zoom. Register to attend. The book, selected by TBA President Jim Barry, centers on an ex-slave who becomes the south’s first Black millionaire in Prohibition-era Memphis. Lauterbach brings history and the realities of race relations to life in his works, which also include “The Chitlin’ Circuit” and “Bluff City.” He also has co-authored three memoirs on significant figures in Black music: American blues musician and song writer Robert Johnson; Memphis soul drummer Howard Grimes; and a soon-to-be released biography of the Blind Boys of Alabama.

The Memphis Bar Association announced this evening that the following area courts will be closed tomorrow: Shelby County Chancery Court, Circuit Court (if there are emergency matters that require attention, emails should be sent to the division clerk), Criminal Court, General Sessions Criminal Court, Juvenile Court and Probate Court, as well as Memphis city courts. General Sessions Civil Court as well as the federal courts in Memphis and Jackson will be closed tomorrow and Friday. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court will be closed to the public tomorrow, but court proceedings will take place virtually and all staff will be available to answer calls.

Attorneys interested in seeking one of 700 appointments to various American Bar Association (ABA) committees, commissions and other entities have until Feb. 12 to apply. New positions available this year include 10 slots for young lawyers to serve on special or standing committees through a Young Lawyers Fellows program. Read more about the appointment process in this letter from ABA President-elect Bill Bay. Applications are posted online. For questions or guidance on the process, contact TBA ABA Resources Committee Chair Jonathan Cole or Tennessee Delegate John Tarpley.