The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims reports there will be no settlement approvals at any of its offices next week from Monday to Wednesday. Judges will be attending the Bureau of Workers' Compensation’s education conference during those days. Attorneys are reminded to check the hours and procedures for settlements before scheduling.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) recently moved into its new offices and celebrated with a ribbon cutting, ABC News 24 reports. The agency says the new location at 200 Jefferson Ave., across from the courthouse, will help it reach more people who need representation. Last year, MALS served half of the people who reached out for services. "That number for me is unacceptable," said Cindy Ettingoff, CEO and general counsel. The agency serves Shelby, Fayette, Tipton and Lauderdale counties.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it has ended the Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration courts, the Associated Press reports. The move came just hours after a federal judge in Texas lifted an injunction that has kept the Biden administration from eliminating the program. The program will be unwound in a “quick, and orderly manner,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Questions still remain about whether those whose claims have been denied or dismissed will get a second chance, and if those currently in Mexico under the policy will be allowed to return to the states sooner. Homeland Security said it will provide additional information “in the coming days.”

Voters going to the polls in November will decide whether to enshrine Tennessee’s “right-to-work” law in the state constitution, and the campaigns for and against the proposal are heating up, Tennessee Lookout reports. Supporters of Amendment 1 are promoting a “Yes on 1” message and have released a new video of Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam urging voters to support the measure. Opponents have launched a campaign featuring Tennessee union members speaking against the proposal. They also take issue with the term “right-to-work,” saying it is misleading. The right-to-work movement grew out of labor organizing efforts in the 1930s and 1940s. The 1947 federal Taft-Hartley Act permitted states to establish such laws. Tennessee enacted its law the same year. Legislation approving the addition of the amendment to the ballot passed in the last two legislative years, as required by law.

Ralph Prater, who pioneered integration at what is now the University of Memphis, died Aug. 7, the Commercial Appeal reports. Prater was one of first Black students to enroll at what was then known as Memphis State in 1959. Along with students Rose Blakney, Sammie Burnett, Eleanor Gandy, Marvis LaVerne Kneeland, Luther McClellan, Bertha Mae Rogers and John Simpson, the group became known as the “Memphis State Eight.” His death leaves just Rogers and McClellan still living. In response, the university said Prater's impact on the institution and community “is immeasurable” and it “will forever celebrate his remarkable courage and legacy.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court today named Jonathan Skrmetti as the state’s next attorney general and reporter. Skrmetti most recently served as chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee. He previously was chief deputy attorney general in the Attorney General’s Office, a partner in the Memphis office of Butler Snow LLP, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Tennessee, a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division/Criminal Section, and law clerk for Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Steven M. Colloton. Skrmetti earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. He was selected from among an applicant pool of six. The court held two days of interviews with the candidates earlier this week. Read more in a release from the Administrative Office of the Courts. In a statement issued this afternoon, current Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III said the court “made an excellent choice” and “it will be gratifying to pass the baton” to Skrmetti.

Check out these pro bono opportunities organized by the TBA Young Lawyers Division or one of our local affiliate young lawyer groups. The YLD is also partnering this year with Welcome South to promote immigration-related pro bono opportunities. Come be part of the Pro Bono Posse!

Welcome South Opportunities
Welcome South is a coalition of nonprofit legal service providers working across Tennessee to provide representation to individuals with immigration issues. The groups utilize an online platform for referrals, communication and support for pro bono counsel. Learn more about volunteering here. Despite some of the far deadlines, the pro bono attorney would be expected to start work on these cases soon. More details will be given on acceptance of the case. To volunteer, email Alix Rogers or Savannah Quintero. Current opportunities include:

1. Minor in Maryville needs a predicate order for SIJS. Child lives with her father and has no memories of her mother. Deadline: 2025 (minor's 18th birthday)
2. Minor needs an SIJS predicate order in Sevier County. Minor has not seen or heard from her mother since she was five years old. She has no memories of her mother and lives with her dad. Deadline: 2026 (minor's 18th birthday)
3. Minor in Chattanooga has a predicate order and an approved I-360 (SIJS application); however, the guardian died and grandmother needs to be appointed as successor guardian. Deadline: 2028 (minor's 18th birthday)
4. Seeking an attorney to handle only the guardianship/SIJS predicate order portion of a case involving a 13-year-old in Bradley County. The guardian is the maternal aunt. The grounds for the petition are neglect and abandonment by the father, who moved out of the family home when minor was 11 years old. The father drank excessively, did not support the child or her mother before or after moving out. He has since passed away. The aunt and client do not want the mother to be named as one of the abandoning parents. The client is in middle school. Deadline: Minor's 18th birthday
5. Urgent asylum/withholding of removal case for a minor and his mother. Both have individual hearings scheduled in Memphis for Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. CDT remotely via WebEx. This is a legacy 2017 case.

Veterans’ Legal Advice Clinic — TODAY
Noon to 2 p.m. EDT
The Veterans’ Legal Advice Clinic is a joint project of the Knoxville Bar Association and Barristers Access to Justice Committees, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, University of Tennessee College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University-Duncan School of Law and the local Veterans Affairs office. Today's clinic takes place at the Knoxville Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville. Sign up here to volunteer.

Virtual Name Change Clinic — Aug. 20
Training 9-10 a.m. / Clinic 10 a.m. to Noon CDT
The TBA Young Lawyers’ Division, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands are partnering on a virtual name change clinic. The clinic will be held Aug. 20 and will serve clients from both middle and east Tennessee. Volunteers will help members of the public fill out name change petitions, give advice about representing themselves in the filing and give them information on next steps. Those interested in volunteering can email Alix Rogers or sign up here.

Debt Relief Clinic — Sept. 10
9 a.m. to Noon EDT
The Knoxville Bar Association and its Bankruptcy Section, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight, will hold a Pro Bono Debt Relief Clinic on Sept. 10. The event will take place at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville. Judge Bauknight will present a short overview of the bankruptcy system and other solutions for clients before volunteer lawyers meet with them to discuss their options. Sign up here to volunteer.

Monthly Meeting – The Barristers monthly meeting will take place today at 5 p.m. EDT at The Marble City Kitchen, the indoor bar and restaurant at the Hilton Knoxville, 501 West Church Ave., Knoxville.

Charity Golf Tournament – Save the date and start rounding up your foursome to play golf on Oct. 24 at Holston Hills Country Club. All proceeds will support the charitable activities of the Barristers Hunger & Poverty Relief Committee.

Volunteer Breakfast – The Barristers' Volunteer Breakfast Committee is looking for volunteers to serve food or sponsor its monthly Volunteer Breakfast, which serves the unhoused in Knoxville on the fourth Thursday of the month. The event takes place 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. EDT at the Volunteer Ministry Center, 511 N. Broadway, Knoxville. The cost is $150 to sponsor and four to five volunteers are needed for each breakfast. Contact Matt Knable at 865-360-5044 or Laura Wyrick at 865-297-5511 with any questions, or sign up to sponsor a breakfast here.  A big thank you to July’s sponsor Knox County General Sessions Court Judge Cerny.

The TBA YLD hosted its second Essential Documents for Essential Workers in Chattanooga on July 23. Essential workers and their spouses met with volunteer attorneys to draft wills, powers of attorney and advanced healthcare directives. Over 30 families were served at the clinic, 17 attorneys volunteered their time and more than $14,000 of free legal services were donated. Thank you to District Representative Logan Threadgill and Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC for organizing the event!