Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee received a warm farewell from colleagues and friends during a retirement dinner held by the Bradley County Bar Association last week, the Cleveland Banner reports. The dinner, held at the Museum & Cultural Center Friday, honored Lee for her years of judicial service, including as the state’s first female chief justice from 2014 to 2016. Lee is retiring from the court tomorrow. A number of events across the state this month have honored her work.

Gov. Bill Lee is calling his special-called legislative session on public safety a success that is giving him hope for the future of Tennessee, WSMV reports. He also said that while he does not have a plan for legislation he wants lawmakers to pass when they reconvene in January, he wants to keep talking about ways to keep Tennesseans safe. “This has been an important week for Tennessee, a difficult week, but a week that’s hopeful,” he said. In a video statement released last night, Lee thanked Tennesseans, especially family members from the Covenant School, for engaging in efforts to strengthen safety across the state. He also highlighted the four bills that passed the General Assembly during the special session, saying, “Significant funding was focused on issues that matter to public safety. We improved the background check system, attacked human trafficking, made more access for safe storage. We funded mental health resources across the state. We made progress.”

Judge Thomas J. Wright, who has served as a senior judge for the last two years, will join Collins Shipley PLLC on Sept. 1, the Citizen Tribune reports. According to a release from the Greeneville personal injury firm, Wright will focus on litigation and alternative dispute resolution services. Wright was named a senior judge in 2021. He previously was a circuit court judge for the Third Judicial District from 2006 to 2021 and served as Greene County General Sessions and Juvenile Court judge from 1998 to 2006. He also was the federal defender in Greeneville and spent a number of years in private practice. The Greeneville Sun has more on his decision to move into private practice.

Memphis Area Legal Services will host its Attorney of the Day clinic on Sept. 7 beginning at 1 p.m. CDT. During the clinic, volunteer attorneys will meet with pro se litigants to provide help and make referrals. Clients are seen on a first come first serve basis. The clinic takes place in Room 134 of the Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Memphis 38103. Volunteer attorneys are needed to help. Sign up here to volunteer.

The Association for Women Attorneys Foundation will host its annual Mary Wolff Memorial Golf Tournament on Sept. 11. The event will take place at The Links at Galloway, 3815 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis 38111. Registration and lunch will begin at noon followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. CDT. Proceeds from this year’s tournament will benefit Girls Inc. of Memphis and fund sponsorships for University of Memphis law students. Learn more or register here.

Services for former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist will begin tomorrow in Memphis with visitation at 10 a.m. and a "Celebration of Life" service at 11 a.m. CDT at Christ Church Memphis, 4488 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38117. Overflow parking for the service will be available at Oak Court Mall and Memphis police will be on hand to assist with traffic, the Commercial Appeal reports. Next week on Sept. 5, Sundquist will lie in state at the Tennessee State Capitol from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT. His funeral will be held the same day at First Lutheran Evangelical Church, 113 Eighth Ave. S., Nashville 37203. He will be buried in the East Tennessee town of Townsend.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating the death of 70-year-old Thomas Earl Williams at the Shelby County Jail, the Commercial Appeal reports. According to the paper, it was not clear why Williams was in jail and his case did not appear in the Shelby County Criminal Justice Portal or the Shelby County Inmate Lookup database. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, confirmed Williams' death, but said it could not comment further due to the investigation. Since 2016, there have been at least 52 deaths at the jail, which includes a sharp increase in deaths and mortality rates over the last three years, the paper reports.

As a follow up to this spring’s popular Accounting 101 webcast, next month's Tales from a Tax Return: An Introduction to Understanding Tax Returns is designed to introduce basic tax principles to attorneys including the various types of tax returns an attorney may encounter in their practice. The program will focus on helping non-tax attorneys understand the information found on an individual 1040 and the sources of that information. Join in on Sept. 20 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT for this one-hour overview.

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Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin this week held an expedited hearing in a legal dispute over a decision by the Tennessee House of Representatives to ban protest signs during a specially called session on public safety. Martin heard arguments from the state and ACLU, which filed suit on behalf of three attendees who were removed from a committee hearing after holding up small signs. The group argued that their free speech rights were violated. For the state, Assistant Attorney General Cody Brandon argued the signs were disruptive and that Martin overstepped her authority by temporarily blocking the rules. Martin did not immediately rule but vowed to issue a quick, thorough and thoughtful decision. Read more from the Tennessean.